TATYANA DANILOVNA (called TANYA), his wife

LUKERYA DANILOVNA ZHMIGULIN (called, LUSHA), her sister, an old maid and daughter of a government clerk now dead.

ARKHIP, blind old man, grandfather of KRASNOV

AFONYA (AFANASY), invalid boy about eighteen years of age, brother of
KRASNOV

MANUYLO KALINYCH KURITSYN, flour dealer about forty-five years of age

ULYANA RODIONOVNA KURITSYNA, his wife, sister of KRASNOV

SHISHGALEV, government clerk

ZAYCHIKHA (called PROKOFYEVNA), landlady of the lodgings taken by
BABAYEV

KARP, BABAYEV’s attendant

The action takes place in a district town_.

SIN AND SORROW ARE COMMON TO ALL

ACT I

TABLEAU I

A room, cheaply papered, shabbily furnished; in the rear two doors, one opening on the street, the other leading into an adjoining room; the windows are hung with chintz curtains.

SCENE I

KARP is unfastening a valise, and ZAYCHIKHA (PROKOFYEVNA) is looking out of the window.

PROKOFYEVNA.  Just look, dear sir, how many people have gathered.

KARP.  What do they want?  Why are they curious?

PROKOFYEVNA.  Every one, dear sir, wishes to know who it is that has arrived.

KARP.  They say you’re provincials, and you certainly are provincials.  Well, tell them that it’s Babayev, Valentin Pavlich, a landowner.

PROKOFYEVNA. [Speaking through the window] Babayev, a landowner. [To KARP] They’re asking why you came.

KARP.  On business, of course.  Did you think we came here for sport?  Much chance there would be for that here.

PROKOFYEVNA. [Through the window] For business. [To KARP] Will you remain long?

KARP.  We certainly haven’t come to settle here.  We may stay two days; not longer, you may be sure.

PROKOFYEVNA. [Through the window] For two days. [Withdraws from the window] Now I’ve satisfied them.  In five minutes the entire city will know.

KARP.  Your lodging is all right; it’s clean.

PROKOFYEVNA.  Certainly it’s clean, sir.  No great frills, but it’s clean.  Of course there’s no great travelling to our town.

KARP.  It isn’t on the highway.

PROKOFYEVNA.  Highway, not much!  Yet the best people that do come here, lodge with me.  I know a lot of the landowners who come here.  They are used to me; very few of them ever go to the hotel.

KARP.  Because it’s so noisy.

PROKOFYEVNA.  Yes, I should say so!  Down-stairs is a bar-room; and on market days the noise is dreadful.  Please tell me, wasn’t your master’s mother Sofya Pavlovna, the wife of General Babayev?