hink, your excellency, that he's some rascal, some knave
of hearts. Nowadays," I said to him, "even decent women are employed at
the Law courts." He slapped me on the shoulder, we smoked a Havana cigar
each, and now he's coming.... Wait a little, ladies and gentlemen, don't
eat....

APLOMBOV. When's he coming?

NUNIN. This minute. When I left him he was already putting on his
goloshes. Wait a little, ladies and gentlemen, don't eat yet.

APLOMBOV. The band should be told to play a march.

NUNIN. [Shouts] Musicians! A march! [The band plays a march for a
minute.]

A WAITER. Mr. Revunov-Karaulov!

[ZHIGALOV, NASTASYA TIMOFEYEVNA, and NUNIN run to meet him. Enter
REVUNOV-KARAULOV.]

NASTASYA TIMOFEYEVNA. [Bowing] Please come in, your excellency! So glad
you've come!

REVUNOV. Awfully!

ZHIGALOV. We, your excellency, aren't celebrities, we aren't important,
but quite ordinary, but don't think on that account that there's any
fraud. We put good people into the best place, we begrudge nothing.
Please!

REVUNOV. Awfully glad!

NUNIN. Let me introduce to you, your excellency, the bridegroom,
Epaminond Maximovitch Aplombov, with his newly born... I mean his newly
married wife! Ivan Mihailovitch Yats, employed on the telegraph! A
foreigner of Greek nationality, a confectioner by trade, Harlampi
Spiridonovitch Dimba! Osip Lukitch Babelmandebsky! And so on, and so
on.... The rest are just trash. Sit down, your excellency!

REVUNOV. Awfully! Excuse me, ladies and gentlemen, I just want to say
two words to Andrey. [Takes NUNIN aside] I say, old man, I'm a little
put out.... Why do you call me your excellency? I'm not a general! I
don't rank as the equivalent of a colonel, even.

NUNIN. [Whispers] I know, only, Fyodor Yakovlevitch, be a good man
and let us call you your excellency! The family here, you see, is
patriarchal; it respects the aged, it likes rank.

REVUNOV. Oh, if it's like that, very well.... [Goes to the table]
Awfully!

NASTASYA TIMOFEYEVNA. Sit down, your excellency! Be so good as to have
some of this, your excellency! Only forgive us for not being used to
etiquette; we're plain people!

REVUNOV. [Not hearing] What? Hm... yes. [Pause] Yes.... In the old days
everybody used to live simply and was happy. In spite of my rank, I am
a man who lives plainly. To-day Andrey comes to me and asks me to come
here to the wedding. "How shall I go," I said, "when I don't know them?
It's not good manners!" But