Fruits of Culture Part 4

VASiLY LEONiDITCH. And who is this? Oh yes, from Bourdier.

Vasily Leoniditch pays no attention to the Peasants' bow. Tanya meets Gregory at the doorway and remains on the scene.

VASiLY LEONiDITCH [to Gregory] I told you the other boots... I can't wear these!

GREGORY. Well, the others are also there.

VASiLY LEONiDITCH. But where is _there_?

GREGORY. Just in the same place!

VASiLY LEONiDITCH. They're not!

GREGORY. Well, come and see. [Exeunt Gregory and Vasily Leoniditch].

THIRD PEASANT. Say now, might we not in the meantime just go and wait, say, in some lodging-house or somewhere?

TaNYA. No, no, wait a little. I'll go and bring you some plates to put the presents on. [Exit].

Enter Sahatof and Leonid Fyodoritch, followed by Theodore Ivanitch.

The Peasants take up the presents, and pose themselves.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH [to Peasants] Presently, presently! Wait a bit!

[Points to Porter] Who is this?

PORTER. From Bourdey's.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Ah, from Bourdier.

SAHaTOF [smiling] Well, I don't deny it: still you understand that, never having seen it, we, the uninitiated, have some difficulty in believing.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. You say you find it difficult to believe! We do not ask for faith; all we demand of you is to investigate! How can I help believing in this ring? Yet this ring came from there!

SAHaTOF. From _there_? What do you mean? From where?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. From the other world. Yes!

SAHaTOF [smiling] That's very interesting--very interesting!

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Well, supposing we admit that I'm a man carried away by an idea, as you think, and that I am deluding myself. Well, but what of Alexey Vladimiritch Krougosvetlof--he is not just an ordinary man, but a distinguished professor, and yet he admits it to be a fact. And not he alone. What of Crookes? What of Wallace?

SAHaTOF. But I don't deny anything. I only say it is very interesting.

It would be interesting to know how Krougosvetlof explains it!

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. He has a theory of his own. Could you come to-night?--he is sure to be here. First we shall have Grossman--you know, the famous thought-reader?

SAHaTOF. Yes, I have heard of him but have never happened to meet him.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Then you must come! We shall first have Grossman, then Kaptchitch, and our mediumistic seance.... [To Theodore Ivanitch]

Has the man returned from Kaptchitch?

THEODORE IVaNITCH. Not yet, sir.

SAHaTOF. Then how am I to know?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Never mind, come in any case! If Kaptchitch can't come we shall find our own medium. Marya Ignatievna is a medium--not such a good one as Kaptchitch, but still ...

Tanya enters with plates for the presents, and stands listening.

SAHaTOF [smiling] Oh yes, yes. But here is one puzzling point:--how is it that the mediums are always of the, so-called, educated cla.s.s, such as Kaptchitch and Marya Ignatievna? If there were such a special force, would it not be met with also among the common people--the peasants?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Oh yes, and it is! That is very common. Even here in our own house we have a peasant whom we discovered to be a medium. A few days ago we called him in--a sofa had to be moved, during a seance--and we forgot all about him. In all probability he fell asleep. And, fancy, after our seance was over and Kaptchitch had come to again, we suddenly noticed mediumistic phenomena in another part of the room, near the peasant: the table gave a jerk and moved!

TaNYA [aside] That was when I was getting out from under it!

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. It is quite evident he also is a medium. Especially as he is very like Home in appearance. You remember Home--a fair-haired nave sort of fellow?

SAHaTOF [shrugging his shoulders] Dear me, this is very interesting, you know. I think you should try him.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. So we will! And he is not alone; there are thousands of mediums, only we do not know them. Why, only a short time ago a bedridden old woman moved a brick wall!

SAHaTOF. Moved a brick ... a brick wall?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Yes, yes. She was lying in bed, and did not even know she was a medium. She just leant her arm against the wall, and the wall moved!

SAHaTOF. And did not cave in?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. And did not cave in.

SAHaTOF. Very strange! Well then, I'll come this evening.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Pray do. We shall have a seance in any case. [Sahatof puts on his outdoor things, Leonid Fyodoritch sees him to the door].

PORTER [to Tanya] Do tell your mistress! Am I to spend the night here?

TaNYA. Wait a little; she's going to drive out with the young lady, so she'll soon be coming downstairs. [Exit].

LEONiD FYoDORITCH [comes up to the Peasants, who bow and offer him their presents] That's not necessary!

FIRST PEASANT [smiling] Oh, but this-here is our first duty, it is! It's also the Commune's orders that we should do it!

SECOND PEASANT. That's always been the proper way.

THIRD PEASANT. Say no more about it! 'Cause as we are much satisfied....

As our parents, let's say, served, let's say, your parents, so we would like the same with all our hearts ... and not just anyhow! [Bows].

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. But what is it about? What do you want?