Without a dowry / Бесприданница. Книга для чтения на английском языке

For the exercise.

Ivan. But what’s the exercise for?

Gavrilo. To work up an appetite. He needs the appetite for dinner. You should see the dinners he has! Do you think he could eat dinners like that without exercise?

Ivan. Why is he so quiet all the time?

Gavrilo. “Quiet”! You’re really something. How can you expect him to go on carrying conversations when he has all those millions! Who’s he supposed to talk with? There’s only two or three people in town he can talk with, so he keeps quiet. And that’s why he doesn’t stay here very long, wouldn’t stay at all if he didn’t have business.

Ivan. There comes Vasily Danilych from over the hill. He’s rich too, but he talks a lot.

Gavrilo. Vasily Danilych is still young, still on the timid side, but when he gets older he’ll act like God too.

Knurov enters from the left and, not paying any attention to the bows of Gavrilo and Ivan, sits down at a table, takes out a French newspaper from his pocket, and reads it.

Vozhevatov (bowing respectfully). Moky Parmenych, I have the honor of greeting you!

Knurov. Ah, Vasily Danilych! (He holds out a hand.) Where did you come from?

Vozhevatov. From the dock. (He sits down.)

Gavrilo comes closer.

Knurov. Were you meeting somebody?

Vozhevatov. I was supposed to but didn’t. I had a telegram yesterday from Sergey Sergeyich Paratov.

Gavrilo. It’s not the Swallow, Vasily Danilych?

Vozhevatov. Yes, it’s the Swallow. What about it?

Gavrilo. It goes fast, it’s a strong boat.

Vozhevatov. But Sergey Sergeyich let me down, he didn’t come.

Gavrilo. You were expecting him to come on the Flier, but maybe he’ll come on his own boat, the Swallow.

Ivan. Vasily Danilych, there’s another boat coming down the river.

Vozhevatov. A lot of boats sail the Volga.

Ivan.

Vozhevatov. You think so?

Ivan. It looks like him, sir. The paddle boxes on the Swallow stand out a lot.

Vozhevatov. That means you’d be making out paddle boxes at five miles.

Ivan. I can make them out at seven miles, sir… And it’s coming fast, it’s clear the owner’s with it.

Vozhevatov. And how far is it?

Ivan. It’s come out from behind the island. It’s making a lot of headway, a lot.

Gavrilo.