LYUBIM KARPYCH.  How out of spite?  I pardoned you long ago.  I’m a man of small account, a crawling worm, the lowest of the low!  But don’t you do evil to others.

GORDEY KARPYCH. [To the servants] Take him away!

LYUBIM KARPYCH. [Holding up one finger] Sh, don’t touch me!  It’s an easy life in this world for a man whose eyes are shameless!  Oh, men, men!  Lyubim Tortsov is a drunkard, but he’s better than you!  Here, now, I’ll go away of my own accord. [Turning to the crowd] Make way—­Lyubim Tortsov is going! [Goes, and suddenly turns round] Unnatural monster! [Goes out]

KORSHUNOV. [Laughing in a forced way] So that’s the way you keep order in your house!  That’s how you follow the fashions!  At your house drunkards insult the guests!  He, he, he!  “I,” says he, “shall go to Moscow; here they don’t understand me!” Such fools are almost extinct in Moscow!  They laugh at ’em there!  “Son-in-law, son-in-law!” He, he, he!  “Dear father-in-law!” No, humbug, I won’t let myself be insulted for nothing.  No, you come along and bow down to me!  Beg me to take your daughter!

GORDEY KARPYCH.  You think I’ll bow down to you?

KORSHUNOV.  Yes, you will; I know you!  You want a fine wedding.  You’d hang yourself if only to astonish the town!  But nobody wants her!  How unlucky for you!  He, he he!

GORDEY KARPYCH.  After you’ve said such words as these I won’t have anything more to do with you!  I never bowed down to any one in my life!  If it comes to this, I’ll marry her to any man I choose.  With the money that I shall give as her dowry any man will——­ MITYA comes in, and stops in the doorway.

SCENE XIII

The same and MITYA

MITYA. [Turning towards the crowd] What’s all this noise?

GORDEY KARPYCH.  Here, I’ll marry her to Mitya!

MITYA.  What, sir?

GORDEY KARPYCH.  Silence!  Yes—­I’ll marry her to Mitya—­to-morrow!  And I’ll give her such a wedding as you never saw!  I’ll get musicians from Moscow!  I’ll ride alone in four coaches!

KORSHUNOV.  We’ll see, we’ll see!  You’ll come to ask my pardon, you will! [Goes out.

SCENE XIV

The same without KORSHUNOV

PELAGEYA EGOROVNA.  To whom, Gordey Karpych, did you say?

GORDEY KARPYCH.  To Mitya—­Yes!  What airs he put on!  As if I were worse than he!  “You’ll come and bow down!” He lies!  I won’t go and bow down!  Just to spite him I’ll marry her to Dmitry. [All are astonished.  MITYA. [Takes LYUBOV GORDEYEVNA by the hand and goes to GORDEY KARPYCH] Why out of spite, Gordey Karpych?  One does not do such things out of spite.  I don’t want you to do it out of spite.  I’d rather suffer torment all my life.  If you are kind enough, then give us your blessing as is proper, in a fatherly fashion, with love.  Because we love each other, and even before this happened, we wanted to confess our guilt to you.  And now I’ll be a true son to you forever, with all my heart.