NIKÍTA. Wait a while! (Looks round.) Akoulína, are you there?
MATCHMAKER. What are you calling everybody for? Where should she be? How queer he seems!
ANÍSYA. Gracious goodness! Why, he’s barefoot!
NIKÍTA. Father, you are here! Look at me! Christian Commune, you are all here, and I am here! I am….
Falls on his knees.
ANÍSYA. Nikíta, darling, what’s the matter with you? Oh, my head, my head!
MATCHMAKER. Here’s a go!
MATRYÓNA. I did say he was taking too much of that French wine! Come to your senses; what are you about?
They try to lift him; he takes no heed of them, but looks in front of him.
NIKÍTA. Christian Commune! I have sinned, and I wish to confess!
MATRYÓNA (shakes him by the shoulder). Are you mad? Dear friends, he’s gone crazy! He must be taken away!
NIKÍTA (shakes her off). Leave me alone! And you, father, hear me! And first, Marína, look here! (Bows to the ground to her and rises.) I have sinned towards you! I promised to marry you, I tempted you, and forsook you! Forgive me, in Christ’s name!
Again bows to the ground before her.
ANÍSYA. And what are you drivelling about? It’s not becoming! No one wants to know! Get up! It’s like your impudence!
MATRYÓNA. Oh, oh, he’s bewitched! And however did it happen? It’s a spell! Get up! what nonsense are you jabbering?
Pulls him.
NIKÍTA (shakes his head). Don’t touch me! Forgive me my sin towards you, Marína! Forgive me, for Christ’s sake!
MARÍNA covers her face with her hands in silence.
ANÍSYA. Get up, I tell you! Don’t be so impudent! What are you thinking about — to recall it? Enough humbug! It’s shameful! Oh my poor head! He’s quite crazy!
NIKÍTA (pushes his wife away and turns to AKOULÍNA). Akoulína, now I’ll speak to you! Listen, Christian Commune! I’m a fiend, Akoulína! I have sinned against you! Your father died no natural death! He was poisoned!
ANÍSYA (screams). Oh my head! What’s he about?
MATRYÓNA. The man’s beside himself! Lead him away!
The folk come up and try to seize him.
AKÍM (motions them back with his arms). Wait! You lads, what d’ye call it, wait, I mean!
NIKÍTA. Akoulína, I poisoned him! Forgive me, in Christ’s name!
AKOULÍNA (jumps up). He’s telling lies! I know who did it!
MATCHMAKER. What are you about? You sit still!
AKÍM. Oh Lord, what sins, what sins!
POLICE OFFICER. Seize him, and send for the Elder! We must draw up an indictment and have witnesses to it! Get up and come here!
AKÍM (to POLICE OFFICER). Now you — with the bright buttons — I mean, you wait! Let him, what d’ye call it, speak out, I mean!
POLICE OFFICER. Mind, old man, and don’t interfere! I have to draw up an indictment!
AKÍM. Eh, what a fellow you are; wait, I say! Don’t talk, I mean, about, what d’ye call it, ‘ditements’ Here God’s work is being done…. A man is confessing, I mean! And you, what d’ye call it … ‘ditements!
POLICE OFFICER. The Elder!
AKÍM. Let God’s work be done, I mean, and then you. I mean you, do your business!
NIKÍTA. And, Akoulína, my sin is great towards you; I seduced you; forgive me in Christ’s name!
Bows to the ground before her.
AKOULÍNA (leaves the table). Let me go! I shan’t be married! He told me to, but I shan’t now!
POLICE OFFICER. Repeat what you have said.
NIKÍTA. Wait, sir, let me finish!
AKÍM (with rapture). Speak, my son! Tell everything — you’ll feel better! Confess to God, don’t fear men! God — God! It is He!
NIKÍTA. I poisoned the father, dog that I am, and I ruined the daughter! She was in my power, and I ruined her, and her baby!
AKOULÍNA. True, that’s true!
NIKÍTA. I smothered the baby in the cellar with a board! I sat on it and smothered it — and its bones crunched! (Weeps.) And I buried it! I did it, all alone!
AKOULÍNA. He raves! I told him to!
NIKÍTA. Don’t shield me! I fear no one now! Forgive me, Christian Commune!
Bows to the ground.
Silence.
POLICE OFFICER. Bind him! The marriage is evidently off!
Men come up with their belts.
NIKÍTA. Wait, there’s plenty of time! (Bows to the ground before his father.) Father, dear father, forgive me too, — fiend that I am! You told me from the first, when I took to bad ways, you said then, “If a claw is caught, the bird is lost!” I would not listen to your words, dog that I was, and it has turned out as you said! Forgive me, for Christ’s sake!
AKÍM (rapturously). God will forgive you, my own son! (Embraces him.) You have had no mercy on yourself; He will show mercy on you! God — God! It is He!
Enter ELDER.
ELDER. There are witnesses enough here.
POLICE OFFICER. We will have the examination at once.
NIKÍTA is bound.
AKOULÍNA. (goes and stands by his side). I shall tell the truth! Ask me!
NIKÍTA (bound). No need to ask! I did it all myself. The design was mine, and the deed was mine. Take me where you like. I will say no more!
CURTAIN
The End
First Distiller
A COMEDY IN SIX ActS
Translated by Louise and Aylmer Maude, 1914
Contents
Characters
Act I
Act II
Act III
Act IV
Act V
Act VI
Characters
A PEASANT.
HIS WIFE.
MOTHER.
GRANDFATHER.
LITTLE DAUGHTER.
A NEIGHBOUR.
FOUR VILLAGE ELDERS.
OLD WOMEN, WOMEN, GIRLS AND LADS.
CHIEF OF THE DEVILS.
HIS SECRETARY.
A DANDY IMP.
OFFICIALS’ IMP.
PEASANTS’ IMP.
SENTINELS, DOORKEEPERS AND IMPS.
Act I
PEASANT ploughing. Looks up It’s noon. Time to unharness. Gee up, get along! Fagged out? Poor old beast! One more turn and back again, that will be the last furrow, and then dinner. It was a good idea to bring that chunk of bread with me. I’ll not go home, but sit down by the well and have a bite and a rest, and Peggy can graze awhile. Then, with God’s help, to work again, and the ploughing will be done in good time.
Enter Imp; hides behind a bush.
IMP. See what a good fellow he is! Keeps calling on God. Wait a bit, friend, — you’ll be calling on the Devil before long! I’ll just take away his chunk. He’ll miss it before long, and will begin to hunt for it. He’ll be hungry, and then he’ll swear and call on the Devil.
Takes the chunk of bread and sits down behind the bush watching to see what the Peasant will do.
PEASANT unharnesses the horse With God’s blessing! Lets the horse loose, and goes towards the place where his coat is lying I’m awfully hungry. The wife cut a big chunk, but see if I don’t eat it all. Coming up to the coat Gone! I must have put it under the coat. Lifting the coat No, it’s not here either! What has happened? Shakes the coat.
IMP behind the bush Go on, go on, search away! I’ve got it safe!
PEASANT moves the plough and shakes his coat again This is strange! Very strange! No one was here, yet the chunk is gone! If the birds had been at it there would be some crumbs left, but there’s not a single crumb! No one has been here, and yet some one has taken it!
IMP rises and looks out Now he’ll call on the Devil.
PEASANT. Well, it seems there’s no help for it! Never mind, I shan’t starve to death. If some one has taken it, he’s taken it; let him eat it, and may it do him good.
IMP spits Oh, the damned peasant! Instead of swearing properly, he only says, “May it do him good.” What can one do with such a fellow?
Peasant lies down to rest, makes the sign of the cross, yawns, and falls asleep.
IMP comes out from behind the bush It’s all very well for the boss to talk. The boss keeps on saying, “You don’t bring enough peasants to Hell! See what a lot of tradesmen, gentlefolk, and all sorts of people flock in every day, and how few peasants!” Now, how’s one to get round this one? There’s no way of getting hold of him. Haven’t I stolen his last crust? What can I do better than that? And yet he didn’t swear. I’m at my wits’ end what to do! Well, I must go and report!
Disappears into the ground.
Curtain
Act II
Hell. The Chief of the Devils sits in the highest place. The Devil’s Secretary sits lower down, at a table with writing materials. Sentinels stand at each side. To the right are five Imps of different kinds. To the left, by the door, the Doorkeeper. A dandified Imp stands before the Chief.
DANDY IMP. The whole of my booty for the three years has been 220,005 men. They’re all in my power now.
CHIEF. All right. Thank you. Pass on.
The Dandy Imp goes to the right.
CHIEF to the Secretary I’m tired! Is there much business left? Whose reports have we had, and whose are still to come?
SECRETARY counts on his fingers and, as he counts, points to the Imps to the right. When he mentions any Imp, the one referred to bows We’ve had the Gentlefolks’ Devil’s report. He’s captured 1836 in all. And the Tradesmen’s Devil’s with 9643. From the Lawyers’, 3423. The Women’s we’ve also just had: 186,315 married women, and 17,438 maids. Only two Devils are left, the Officials’ and the Peasants’. There are altogether 220,005 souls on the list.
CHIEF. Well then, we’d better finish it all to-day. To the Doorkeeper Let them in!
The Officials’ Devil enters, and bows to the Chief.
CHIEF. Well, how have you got on?
OFFICIALS’ IMP laughing, and rubbing his hands My affairs are all right, just as soot they are white! The booty is such that I don’t remember anything like it since the creation of the world.
CHIEF. What, have you captured a great many?
OFFICIALS’ IMP. It’s not so much the quantity. Only
