Without a dowry / Бесприданница. Книга для чтения на английском языке. Александр Островский
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house.) There’s one of Chirkov’s carriages going for him now, sir. They must have let Chirkov know he’d be coming, for Chirkov himself is on the box. That’s him they’re going for, sir.
Vozhevatov. But how do you know it’s for him?
Gavrilo. They’ve got four pacers lined up, it’s really for him. Who else would Chirkov make up four horses for? It’s even scary to look at them… they’re like lions… all four with snaffle bits! And the harness, the harness! They’re going for him, sir.
Ivan. And there’s a gypsy sitting on the box with Chirkov, he has a fancy Cossack coat on, and his belt’s so tight he could snap in two.
Gavrilo. They’re going after him, sir. It couldn’t be anyone else with four horses like those. It’s him, sir.
Knurov. Paratov lives in style.
Vozhevatov. Whatever else, he has plenty of style.
Knurov. Are you buying the boat cheap?
Vozhevatov. Cheap, Moky Parmenych.
Knurov. Yes, of course; otherwise, what’s the advantage of buying? Why is he selling it?
Vozhevatov. I suppose he doesn’t find any profit in it.
Knurov. Of course, how could he! That’s no business for a gentleman. But you’ll make a profit, especially if you buy it cheap.
Vozhevatov. It suits our purpose; we have a lot of cargo down the river.
Knurov. Maybe he needs the money… he’s a great spender, you know.
Vozhevatov. That’s his business. We have the money ready.
Knurov. Yes, with money a man can do business. (With a smile.) A man who has a lot of money, Vasily Danilych, that man’s in good shape.
Vozhevatov. How could he be in bad shape! You yourself know that better than any one, Moky Parmenych.
Knurov. I know it, I know it.
Vozhevatov. Moky Parmenych, couldn’t we have a cool drink?
Knurov. What do you mean, it’s still morning! I haven’t eaten yet.
Vozhevatov. That doesn’t matter, sir. There was an Englishman, a factory director, and he told me that if a man has a cold it’s a good idea to drink champagne on an empty stomach. And yesterday I caught a little cold.
Knurov. How could you do that? We’re having such warm weather now.
Vozhevatov. I caught cold from the drink itself; they served it up very cold.
Knurov. No, what’s the good of that? People will see us, and they’ll say: it’s hardly morning yet, and they’re drinking champagne.
Vozhevatov. But so people won’t say something bad, we’ll drink tea.
Knurov. Tea, that’s another matter.
Vozhevatov (to Gavrilo). Gavrilo, bring us some of my tea, you understand?… Mine!
Gavrilo. Yes, sir. (He goes off.)
Knurov. Do you drink a special kind?
Vozhevatov. It’s really champagne, but he’ll pour it into teapots and serve it in tea glasses with saucers.
Knurov. That’s smart.
Vozhevatov. Necessity is the mother of invention, Moky Parmenych.
Knurov. Are you going to Paris, to the exposition?
Vozhevatov. After I’ve bought the boat and sent it down the river for cargo, then I’ll go.
Knurov. Me too one of these days. I already have somebody waiting for me there.
Gavrilo brings a tray with two teapots containing champagne and two glasses.
Vozhevatov (pouring). Have you heard the news, Moky Parmenych? Larisa Dmitriyevna is getting married.
Knurov. Getting married! You can’t mean it! Who to?
Vozhevatov. Karandyshov.
Knurov. What kind of nonsense is that! It’s insanity! What’s Karandyshov! You know he’s no match for her, Vasily Danilych.
Vozhevatov. Of course he’s no match! But what can they do, where can they find a husband for her? After all, she doesn’t have any dowry.
Knurov. Even girls without a dowry can find good husbands.
Vozhevatov. Times have changed. There used to be enough eligible bachelors, even for girls without a dowry. But now there’s just enough for girls with a dowry, no extras for those without. Do you think Kharita Ignatyevna would marry her daughter off to Karandyshov if she could find anyone better?
Knurov. She’s a resourceful woman.
Vozhevatov. She can’t be Russian.
Knurov. Why not?
Vozhevatov. She’s so energetic.
Knurov. How could she make such a mistake? The Ogudalovs have a respectable family name, and just like that a marriage to the likes of Karandyshov!.. And with all her cleverness… their house is always full of bachelors!.
Vozhevatov. The men all go to her house because it’s so much fun there. Her daughter’s pretty, plays different instruments, sings, has a free and easy manner, all that attracts them. But getting married to her is something to think about.
Knurov. The other two daughters got married off.
Vozhevatov. They got married off all right, but you should ask them how sweet their life is. The oldest girl was taken away by some mountaineer, a young prince from the Caucasus. What fun that was! When he first saw her, he started to shake all over, he even began to cry. He stayed near her for a couple of weeks, he’d hold on to his dagger, and his eyes flashed so that nobody else came close. So they got married and went off, but they say he didn’t even get her to the Caucasus, that he killed her on the way from jealousy. The other girl got married too, to some sort of foreigner, only later it turned out that he was no foreigner at all but a card shark.
Knurov. Madame Ogudalov wasn’t dumb the way she figured it out. She doesn’t have any money and can’t give a dowry, so she keeps open house and receives everybody.
Vozhevatov. She likes to have fun herself, but she just doesn’t have the means for such a life.
Knurov. Then where does she get the money?
Vozhevatov. The suitors pay. If a man likes the daughter, than he shells out. Later on the mother will want money from the groom to pay for the dowry, only he shouldn’t ask for the dowry.
Knurov. Well, I don’t think it’s just the suitors who pay for it. Take you, for example. It must cost you a pretty penny to visit the family so often.
Vozhevatov. It won’t ruin me, Moky Parmenych. What’s a man to do? He has to pay for his pleasures, they don’t come free. And being in their home is a great pleasure.
Knurov. It really is a pleasure, you’re right there.
Vozhevatov. And yet you yourself are almost never there.
Knurov. It’s awkward; there’s so much riffraff there. You run into them later and they exchange greetings, then worm their way into a conversation.