... and the blouse as well.... Take the skirt, too, nurse.... My
God! How awful it is! The whole of the Kirsanovsky Road seems to have
burned down. Take this... and this.... [Throws clothes into her hands]
The poor Vershinins are so frightened.... Their house was nearly burnt.
They ought to come here for the night.... They shouldn't be allowed
to go home.... Poor Fedotik is completely burnt out, there's nothing
left....

ANFISA. Couldn't you call Ferapont, Olga dear. I can hardly manage....

OLGA. [Rings] They'll never answer.... [At the door] Come here, whoever
there is! [Through the open door can be seen a window, red with flame:
afire-engine is heard passing the house] How awful this is. And how I'm
sick of it! [FERAPONT enters] Take these things down.... The Kolotilin
girls are down below... and let them have them. This, too.

FERAPONT. Yes'm. In the year twelve Moscow was burning too. Oh, my God!
The Frenchmen were surprised.

OLGA. Go on, go on....

FERAPONT. Yes'm. [Exit.]

OLGA. Nurse, dear, let them have everything. We don't want anything.
Give it all to them, nurse.... I'm tired, I can hardly keep on my
legs.... The Vershinins mustn't be allowed to go home.... The girls can
sleep in the drawing-room, and Alexander Ignateyevitch can go downstairs
to the Baron's flat... Fedotik can go there, too, or else into our
dining-room.... The doctor is drunk, beastly drunk, as if on purpose,
so nobody can go to him. Vershinin's wife, too, may go into the
drawing-room.

ANFISA. [Tired] Olga, dear girl, don't dismiss me! Don't dismiss me!

OLGA. You're talking nonsense, nurse. Nobody is dismissing you.

ANFISA. [Puts OLGA'S head against her bosom] My dear, precious girl, I'm
working, I'm toiling away... I'm growing weak, and they'll all say go
away! And where shall I go? Where? I'm eighty. Eighty-one years old....

OLGA. You sit down, nurse dear.... You're tired, poor dear.... [Makes
her sit down] Rest, dear. You're so pale!

[NATASHA comes in.]

NATASHA. They are saying that a committee to assist the sufferers from
the fire must be formed at once. What do you think of that? It's a
beautiful idea. Of course the poor ought to be helped, it's the duty of
the rich. Bobby and little Sophy are sleeping, sleeping as if nothing at
all was the matter. There's such a lot of people here, the place is full
of them, wherever you go. There's influenza in the town now. I'm afraid
the children may catch it.

OLGA. [Not att