mmunication to make to the world.

HELENA. Probably a matter of business.

VOITSKI. He never had any business. He writes twaddle, grumbles, and
eats his heart out with jealousy; that's all he does.

SONIA. [Reproachfully] Uncle!

VOITSKI. All right. I beg your pardon. [He points to HELENA] Look at
her. Wandering up and down from sheer idleness. A sweet picture, really.

HELENA. I wonder you are not bored, droning on in the same key from
morning till night. [Despairingly] I am dying of this tedium. What shall
I do?

SONIA. [Shrugging her shoulders] There is plenty to do if you would.

HELENA. For instance?

SONIA. You could help run this place, teach the children, care for the
sick--isn't that enough? Before you and papa came, Uncle Vanya and I
used to go to market ourselves to deal in flour.

HELENA. I don't know anything about such things, and besides, they don't
interest me. It is only in novels that women go out and teach and heal
the peasants; how can I suddenly begin to do it?

SONIA. How can you live here and not do it? Wait awhile, you will get
used to it all. [Embraces her] Don't be sad, dearest. [Laughing] You
feel miserable and restless, and can't seem to fit into this life, and
your restlessness is catching. Look at Uncle Vanya, he does nothing now
but haunt you like a shadow, and I have left my work to-day to come here
and talk with you. I am getting lazy, and don't want to go on with it.
Dr. Astroff hardly ever used to come here; it was all we could do to
persuade him to visit us once a month, and now he has abandoned his
forestry and his practice, and comes every day. You must be a witch.

VOITSKI. Why should you languish here? Come, my dearest, my beauty, be
sensible! The blood of a Nixey runs in your veins. Oh, won't you let
yourself be one? Give your nature the reins for once in your life; fall
head over ears in love with some other water sprite and plunge down head
first into a deep pool, so that the Herr Professor and all of us may
have our hands free again.

HELENA. [Angrily] Leave me alone! How cruel you are! [She tries to go
out.]

VOITSKI. [Preventing her] There, there, my beauty, I apologise. [He
kisses her hand] Forgive me.

HELENA. Confess that you would try the patience of an angel.

VOITSKI. As a peace offering I am going to fetch some flowers which I
picked for you this morning: some autumn roses, beautiful, sorrowful
roses. [He goes out.]

SONIA. Autumn roses, beautiful,