I shall not go to my grave— [She sighs] But where to find these husbands nowadays? There sit some possible bridegrooms now, huddled together like a lot of half-drowned rats!
Third Guest. A most unfortunate comparison! It is my belief, ladies, that if the young men of our day prefer to remain single, the fault lies not with them, but with the existing social conditions.
Lebedieff. Come, enough of that! Don’t give us any more philosophy; I don’t like it!
Enter Sasha. She goes up to her father.
Sasha. How can you endure the stuffy air of this room when the weather is so beautiful?
Zinaida. My dear Sasha, don’t you see that Martha is here?
Sasha. I beg your pardon.
Martha. Yes, here I am, my dear little Sasha, and proud to congratulate you. [They kiss each other] Many happy returns of the day, dear!
Sasha. Thank you! [She goes and sits down by her father.
Lebedieff. As you were saying, Avdotia Nazarovna, husbands are hard to find. I don’t want to be rude, but I must say that the young men of the present are a dull and poky lot, poor fellows! They can’t dance or talk or drink as they should do.
Avdotia. Oh, as far as drinking goes, they are all experts. Just give them—give them———
Lebedieff. Simply to drink is no art. A horse can drink. No, it must be done in the right way. In my young days we used to sit and cudgel our brains all day over our lessons, but as soon as evening came we would fly off on some spree and keep it up till dawn. How we used to dance and flirt, and drink, too! Or sometimes we would sit and chatter and discuss everything under the sun until we almost wagged our
