or. What else! I want him
himself! [To SHIPUCHIN] I have the honour, your excellency... I am the
wife of a civil servant, Nastasya Fyodorovna Merchutkina.

SHIPUCHIN. What do you want?

MERCHUTKINA. Well, you see, your excellency, my husband has been ill for
five months, and while he was at home, getting better, he was suddenly
dismissed for no reason, your excellency, and when I went to get his
salary, they, you see, deducted 24 roubles 36 copecks from it. What for?
I ask. They said, "Well, he drew it from the employees' account, and the
others had to make it up." How can that be? How could he draw anything
without my permission? No, your excellency! I'm a poor woman... my
lodgers are all I have to live on.... I'm weak and defenceless....
Everybody does me some harm, and nobody has a kind word for me.

SHIPUCHIN. Excuse me. [Takes a petition from her and reads it standing.]

TATIANA ALEXEYEVNA. [To KHIRIN] Yes, but first we.... Last week I
suddenly received a letter from my mother. She writes that a certain
Grendilevsky has proposed to my sister Katya. A nice, modest, young
man, but with no means of his own, and no assured position. And,
unfortunately, just think of it, Katya is absolutely gone on him.
What's to be done? Mamma writes telling me to come at once and influence
Katya....

KHIRIN. [Angrily] Excuse me, you've made me lose my place! You go
talking about your mamma and Katya, and I understand nothing; and I've
lost my place.

TATIANA ALEXEYEVNA. What does that matter? You listen when a lady is
talking to you! Why are you so angry to-day? Are you in love? [Laughs.]

SHIPUCHIN. [To MERCHUTKINA] Excuse me, but what is this? I can't make
head or tail of it.

TATIANA ALEXEYEVNA. Are you in love? Aha! You're blushing!

SHIPUCHIN. [To his wife] Tanya, dear, do go out into the public office
for a moment. I shan't be long.

TATIANA ALEXEYEVNA. All right. [Goes out.]

SHIPUCHIN. I don't understand anything of this. You've obviously come
to the wrong place, madam. Your petition doesn't concern us at all. You
should go to the department in which your husband was employed.

MERCHUTKINA. I've been there a good many times these five months, and
they wouldn't even look at my petition. I'd given up all hopes, but,
thanks to my son-in-law, Boris Matveyitch, I thought of coming to
you. "You go, mother," he says, "and apply to Mr. Shipuchin, he's an
influential man and can do anything." Help me, your excellency!