er, or slow and weary. They walk singly or in
groups of two or three, the majority in silence, though now and then
suppressed, indistinct talking may be heard. Starting from somewhere
far off to the left, the sound of the footsteps and the talking,
muffled at first, approaches and grows louder, until at times it seems
to fill the whole room. Then it dies away in the distance again.
The impression is that of some tremendous movement, elemental and
irrepressible.

At the table, lighted only by a flickering stump of a tallow candle,
sit Speransky and Tony. The latter is very drunk. Cucumbers, herring,
and bottles of whiskey are on the table. The rest of the room is
entirely dark. Occasionally the wind blows the white curtain at the
window and sets the candle flame tossing.

Tony and Speransky talk in whispers. A prolonged pause follows the
rise of the curtain._

TONY _(bending over to Speransky, mysteriously)_

So you say it is possible we do not exist, eh?

SPERANSKY _(in the same manner)_

As I have already stated, it is doubtful, extremely doubtful. There is
very good reason to suppose that we really do not exist--that we don't
exist at all.

TONY

And you are not, and I am not.

SPERANSKY

And you are not, and I am not. No one is. _(Pause)_

TONY _(looking around, mysteriously)_

Where are we then?

SPERANSKY

We?

TONY

Yes, we.

SPERANSKY

That's something no one can tell. No one knows, Anthony.

TONY

No one?

SPERANSKY

No one.

TONY _(glancing around)_

Doesn't Savva know?

SPERANSKY

No, Savva doesn't know either.

TONY

Savva knows everything.

SPERANSKY

But even he doesn't know that.

TONY _(threatening with his finger)_

Keep still, keep still! _(Both look around and are silent)_

TONY _(mysteriously)_

Where are they going, eh?

SPERANSKY

To the elevation of the ikon. To-morrow is a feast-day--the day of
raising the ikon.

TONY

No, I mean where are they really going--really--don't you understand?

SPERANSKY

I do. It isn't known. No one knows, Anthony.

TONY

Hush! _(Makes a funny grimace, closes his mouth with his hand and
leans on it)_

SPERANSKY _(in a whisper)_

What's the matter?

TONY

Keep quiet, keep quiet. Listen. _(Both are listening)_

TONY _(in whisper)_

Those are faces.

SPERANSKY

Yes?

TONY

It's faces that are going. A lot of faces--can't you see them?

SPERANSKY _(staring)_

No, I can't.

TONY

But