LYUBOV GORDEYEVNA.  You, Mitya, will you come to us later on in the evening?

MITYA.  I will.

RAZLYULYAYEV.  And I’m coming; I’m good at dancing. [Stands with arms akimbo] Girls! do fall in love with me, one of you!

MASHA.  You ought to be ashamed of yourself!  What’s that you’re saying?

RAZLYULYAYEV.  Why such airs!  I say, fall in love with me,
somebody—­yes—­for my simplicity.

LIZA.  People don’t talk like that to girls.  You ought to wait till they do fall in love with you.

RAZLYULYAYEV.  Yes, much I’ll get from you by waiting! [Dances

    “Who does not love a hussar!”

LYUBOV GORDEYEVNA. [Looking at MITYA] It may be somebody loves somebody and won’t tell!  He must guess himself.

LIZA.  How can any girl in the world say that!

MASHA.  I know it!

ANNA IVANOVNA. [Goes up to them and looks now at LYUBOV GORDEYEVNA and now at MITYA and sings: 

    “Already it is seen
    If somebody loves somebody—­
    Opposite the beloved one she seats herself
    Heavily sighing.”

MITYA.  Who does that apply to?

ANNA IVANOVNA.  We know to whom.

RAZLYULYAYEV.  Stay, girls, I’ll sing you a song.

ANNA IVANOVNA.  Sing, sing!

RAZLYULYAYEV. [Sings slowly]

    “A bear was flying through the sky.”

ANNA IVANOVNA.  Don’t you know anything worse than that!

LIZA.  We might think you were making fun of us.

RAZLYULYAYEV.  If this isn’t good enough I’ll sing you another, for I’m a jolly fellow. [Sings.

“Beat!  Beat! upon the board. 
Moscow!  Moscow! that’s the word. 
Moscow’s got it in his head
That Kolomna he will wed. 
Tula laughs with all his heart. 
But with the dowry will not part. 
Buckwheat is tuppence.  It’s twenty for oats. 
Millet is sixpence and barley three groats.
[Turns towards the girls. 
If only oats would but come down! 
It’s costly carting ’em to town.”

See!  What weather!

MASHA.  This doesn’t concern us.

LIZA.  We don’t trade in flour.

ANNA IVANOVNA.  What are you interrupting for!  Just guess this riddle. 
What’s this:  round—­but not a girl; with a tail—­but not a mouse?[1]

[Footnote 1:  A turnip.]

RAZLYULYAYEV.  That’s a hard one!

ANNA IVANOVNA.  Indeed it is!—­You just think it over!  Now, girls, come along! [The girls rise and get ready to go] Come along, boys!

GUSLIN and RAZLYULYAYEV get ready.

MITYA.  But I’ll come later.  I’ll put things to rights here first.

ANNA IVANOVNA. [Sings while they are getting ready]

    “Our maids last night,
    Our pretties last night,
    They brewed us a brew of the beer last night. 
    And there came to our maids,
    And there came to our pretties
    A guest, a guest whom they didn’t invite.”