Redemption and two other plays Part 69

ANNA PaVLOVNA (to THEODORE IVaNITCH). Turn them out at once! They are to leave my kitchen immediately! It is terrible! No one listens to me; they do it out of spite.... I turn them out from there, and they bring them in here! And with my illness.... (Gets more and more excited, and at last begins to cry.) Doctor! Doctor! Peter Petrovitch!... He's gone too!...

[Exit, sobbing, followed by LEONiD FYoDORITCH.

[All stand silent for a long time.

THIRD PEASANT. Botheration take them all! If one don't mind, the police will be after one here. And I have never been to law in all my born days. Let's go to some lodging-house, lads!

THEODORE IVaNITCH. (to TaNYA). What are we to do?

TaNYA. Never mind, Theodore Ivanitch, let them sleep with the coachman.

THEODORE IVaNITCH. How can we do that? The coachman was complaining as it is, that his place is full of dogs.

TaNYA. Well, then, the porter's lodge.

THEODORE IVaNITCH. And supposing it's found out?

TaNYA. It won't be found out! Don't trouble about that, Theodore Ivanitch. How can one turn them out now, at night? They'll not find anywhere to go to.

THEODORE IVaNITCH. Well, do as you please. Only they must go away from here.

[Exit.

[PEASANTS take their bags.

DISCHARGED COOK. Oh those d.a.m.ned fiends! It's all their fat! Fiends!

SERVANTS' COOK. You be quiet there. Thank goodness they didn't see you!

TaNYA. Well then, daddy, come along to the porter's lodge.

FIRST PEASANT. Well, but how about our business? How, for example, about the applience of his hand to the signature? May we be in hopes?

TaNYA. We'll see in an hour's time.

SECOND PEASANT. You'll do the trick?

TaNYA (laughs). Yes, G.o.d willing!

CURTAIN

ACT III

Evening of the same day. The small drawing-room in LEONiD FYoDORITCH'S house, where the seances are always held. LEONiD FYoDORITCH and the PROFESSOR.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Well then, shall we risk a seance with our new medium?

PROFESSOR. Yes, certainly. He is a powerful medium, there is no doubt about it. And it is especially desirable that the seance should take place to-day with the same people. Grossman will certainly respond to the influence of the mediumistic energy, and then the connection and ident.i.ty of the different phenomena will be still more evident. You will see then that, if the medium is as strong as he was just now, Grossman will vibrate.

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Then I will send for Simon and ask those who wish to attend to come in.

PROFESSOR. Yes, all right! I will just jot down a few notes.

[Takes out his note-book and writes.

[Enter SAHaTOF.

SAHaTOF. They have just settled down to whist in Anna Pavlovna's drawing-room, and as I am not wanted there--and as I am interested in your seance--I have put in an appearance here. But will there be a seance?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Yes, certainly!

SAHaTOF. In spite of the absence of Mr. Kaptchitch's mediumistic powers?

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Vous avez la main heureuse. [10] Fancy, that very peasant whom I mentioned to you this morning turns out to be an undoubted medium.

SAHaTOF. Dear me! Yes, that is peculiarly interesting!

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Yes, we tried a few preliminary experiments with him just after dinner.

SAHaTOF. So you've had time already to experiment, and to convince yourself....

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. Yes, perfectly! And he turns out to be an exceptionally powerful medium.

SAHaTOF (incredulously). Dear me!

LEONiD FYoDORITCH. It turns out that it has long been noticed in the servants' hall. When he sits down to table, the spoon springs into his hand of its own accord! (To the PROFESSOR.) Had you heard about it?

PROFESSOR. No, I had not heard that detail.

SAHaTOF (to the PROFESSOR). But still, you admit the possibility of such phenomena?

PROFESSOR. What phenomena?

SAHaTOF. Well, spiritualistic, mediumistic, and supernatural phenomena in general.

PROFESSOR. The question is, what do we consider supernatural? When, not a living man but a piece of stone attracted a nail to itself, how did the phenomena strike the first observers? As something natural? Or supernatural?

SAHaTOF. Well, of course; but phenomena such as the magnet attracting iron always repeat themselves.

PROFESSOR. It is just the same in this case. The phenomenon repeats itself and we experiment with it. And not only that, but we apply to the phenomena we are investigating the laws common to other phenomena.

These phenomena seem supernatural only because their causes are attributed to the medium himself. But that is where the mistake lies.

The phenomena are not caused by the medium, but by psychic energy acting through a medium, and that is a very different thing. The whole matter lies in the law of equivalents.

SAHaTOF. Yes, certainly, but....