ed them to be fed on peas and nothing else; from meanness, you
see.... And it was all Evstigney's doing.... Very well, I thought,
if that's what the matter is, just you wait. So I call Evstigney....
[Yawns] He comes. "What's this," I say, "Evstigney, you old fool."...
[Looks at ANYA] Anya dear! [Pause] She's dropped off.... [Takes ANYA'S
arm] Let's go to bye-bye.... Come along!... [Leads her] My darling's
gone to sleep! Come on.... [They go. In the distance, the other side of
the orchard, a shepherd plays his pipe. TROFIMOV crosses the stage and
stops on seeing VARYA and ANYA] Sh! She's asleep, asleep. Come on, dear.

ANYA. [Quietly, half-asleep] I'm so tired... all the bells... uncle,
dear! Mother and uncle!

VARYA. Come on, dear, come on! [They go into ANYA'S room.]

TROFIMOV. [Moved] My sun! My spring!

Curtain.

ACT TWO

[In a field. An old, crooked shrine, which has been long abandoned; near
it a well and large stones, which apparently are old tombstones, and
an old garden seat. The road is seen to GAEV'S estate. On one side rise
dark poplars, behind them begins the cherry orchard. In the distance
is a row of telegraph poles, and far, far away on the horizon are the
indistinct signs of a large town, which can only be seen on the finest
and clearest days. It is close on sunset. CHARLOTTA, YASHA, and DUNYASHA
are sitting on the seat; EPIKHODOV stands by and plays on a guitar; all
seem thoughtful. CHARLOTTA wears a man's old peaked cap; she has unslung
a rifle from her shoulders and is putting to rights the buckle on the
strap.]

CHARLOTTA. [Thoughtfully] I haven't a real passport. I don't know how
old I am, and I think I'm young. When I was a little girl my father and
mother used to go round fairs and give very good performances and I used
to do the _salto mortale_ and various little things. And when papa and
mamma died a German lady took me to her and began to teach me. I liked
it. I grew up and became a governess. And where I came from and who
I am, I don't know.... Who my parents were--perhaps they weren't
married--I don't know. [Takes a cucumber out of her pocket and eats] I
don't know anything. [Pause] I do want to talk, but I haven't anybody to
talk to... I haven't anybody at all.

EPIKHODOV. [Plays on the guitar and sings]

"What is this noisy earth to me,
What matter friends and foes?"
I do like playing on the mandoline!

DUNYASHA. That's a guitar, not a mandoline. [Looks at hers