have any prejudices!
LISA: Wonderful, wonderful! Ah, he mustn't see
me. Let's flee in the woods, in the fields. . . .
(PETER leaves and LISA continues running. MAU-
RICE appears and pursues her. She falls. He bends
over her, weeping, takes off his coat, and covers
her with it. She kisses his hand, weeping.)
MAURICE: Lisa! I am nothing compared to you,
but don't reject me!
LISA: Maurice, don't abandon me! I'm afraid of
death. I don't want to die.
MAURICE: You are soaked! Good Lord! And it's
still raining!
LISA: It doesn't matter. Come, lead me. I want to
* This scene was cut in production.
Third Part
160
see the blood. They killed his wife, I've heard.
And he says he was the one who killed her. But
it's not true, is it? Oh, I must see with my own
eyes those who were killed because of me. . . .
Hurry! Hurry! Oh, Maurice, don't forgive me.
I was wicked. Why should anyone forgive me?
Why are you weeping? Strike me and kill me,
right here!
MAURICE: No one has the right to judge you. And
I least of all. May God forgive you!
(Little by little the curtain is lighted by the
flames of the fire, and the sound of the crowd
can be heard, STEPAN TROFIMOVICH appears in
traveling costume with a traveling bag in his left
hand, a staff and an umbrella in his right hand.)
STEPAN (in delirium): Oh, you! Chere, chere, is
it possible? In this fog . . . You see the fire!
. . . You are unhappy, aren't you? I can see it.
We are all unhappy, but we must forgive them
all. To shake off the world and become free, it
faut pardonner, pardonner, par dormer. . . .
LISA: Oh! Get up! Why are you kneeling?
STEPAN: At the moment of saying farewell to tEe
world, I want to say farewell to you?and so to
my whole past. (He weeps.) I am kneeling down
before everything that was beautiful in my life.
I dreamed of scaling the heights to heaven, and
here I am in the mud, a crushed old man. . . .
See their crime in all its red horror. They
couldn't do otherwise. I am fleeing their delirium,
their nightmare, and I am going in search of Rus-
sia. But you are both soaked. Here, take my
umbrella, (MAURICE automatically takes the um-
161 Scene ij
brella.) I'll find a cart of some kind. But, dear
Lisa, what did you just say? Has someone been
killed? (LISA starts to swoon.) Oh, my God, she
is fainting!
LISA: Quick, Quick, Maurice. Give this child back
his umbrella! At once! {She turns back toivard
STEP AN TROFIMQVICH.) I want to make the sign
of the cross over you, poor man. You, too, pray
for poor Lisa!
(STEPAN TROFIMQVICH goes off, and they ivalk
toward the -flames. The noise increases. The
flames are becoming brighter. The crowd is now
shouting.)
VOICES: It's Stavrogin's wench. It's not enough for
them to kill people. They also want to see the
bodies.
(A man strikes LISA. MAURICE NICOLAEVICH
throws himself on him. They fight, LISA picks
herself up. Two other men strike her, one of
them with a stick. She falls. Everything becomes
calm, MAURICE NICOLAEVICH takes her in his arms
and drags her toward the light.)
MAURICE: Lisa, Lisa, don't forsake me. (LISA falls
back dead.) Lisa, dear Lisa, now it's my turn to
join you!
BLACKOUT]
THE NARRATOR: While they were looking every-
where for Stepan Trofimovich, who was wan-
dering on the road like a deposed king, events
were precipitated. Shatov's wife returned after
three years' absence. But what Shatov took for
a new beginning was in reality to be an end.
SCENE 18
Shatov's room, MARIA SHATOV is standing ivith a
traveling bag in her hand.
MARIA: I'll not stay long, just long enough to find
work. But if I am in your way, I beg you to tell
me at once quite honestly. I'll sell something and
go to the hotel. (She sits down on the bed.)
SHATOV: Maria, you mustn't talk of a hotel. You
are at home here.
MARIA: No, I am not at home here. We separated
three years ago. Don't get it into your head that
I am repenting and coming back to begin over
again.
SHATOV: No, no, that would be pointless. But it
doesn't matter anyway. You are the only person
who ever told me she loved me. That's enough.
You are doing what you want, and now you are
here.
MARIA: Yes, you are good. I have come back un-
der your roof because I have always considered
you a good man?so far above all those scoun-
drels. . . .
SHATOV: Listen, Maria, you look exhausted. Please
don't get annoyed. ... If you'd only take a
little tea, for instance. Tea always does one good.
If you would only . . .
MARIA: Yes, I would. You are still just as much a
163 Scene 18
child. Give me some tea if you have any. It's so
cold here.
SHATOV: Yes, yes, you shall have tea.
MARIA: You don't have any here?
SHATOV; There will be some. There will be some.
(He steps out and knocks at Kirilov's door.) Can
you lend me some tea?
KIRILOV: Come in and drink it!
SHATOV: NO. My wife has come back. . . .
KIRILOV: Your wife!
SHATOV (sputtering and half weeping): Kirilov,
Kirilov, we suffered together in America.
KIRILOV: Yes, yes, wait. (He disappears and re-
appears with a tea tray.) Here it is. Take it. And
a ruble too?take it.
SHATOV: I'll give it back to you tomorrow! Ah,
Kirilov!
KIRILOV: No, no, I am glad she has come back and
that you still love her. I am glad that you turned
to me. If you need anything, just call me at any
time whatever. I shall be thinking of you and her.
SHATOV: Oh, what a man you would be if you
could only get rid of your dreadful ideas.
(KIRILOV disappears suddenly, SHATOV stares after
him. There is a knock at the door, LYAMSHIN
comes in.)
SHATOV: I can't receive you now.
LYAMSHIN: I have something to tell you. I have
come to tell you from Verkhovensky that every-
thing is arranged. You are free.
SHATOV: IS that true?
LYAMSHIN: Yes, absolutely free. You will just
have to show Liputin the place where the press
Third Part 164
is burled. I shall come to get you tomorrow at
exactly six o'clock, before dawn.
SHATOV: I'll come. Now go. My wife has come
back, (LYAMSHIN leaves, SHATOV goes back to-
&
nbsp; ward the room, MARIA has gone to sleep. He
places the tray on the table and matches her.)
Oh, how beautiful you are!
MARIA {waking up) ? Why did you let me go to
sleep? I'm in your bed. Ah! (She stiffens as if in
a sort of attack and grips SHATOV'j hand.)
SHATOV: You are suffering, my dear. I shall call the
doctor. . . . Where does it hurt? Do you want
compresses? I know how to make them. . . .
MARIA: What? What do you mean?
SHATOV: Nothing ... I don't understand you.
MARIA: No, it's nothing. . . . Don't stand still.
Tell me something. . . . Talk to me of your new
ideas. What are you preaching now? You can't
keep yourself from preaching; it's in your nature.
SHATOV: Yes . . . That is ... I am preaching
God now.
MARIA: And yet you don't believe in him. (New
attack.) Oh, how unbearable you are! (She re-
pulses SHATOV, who is bending over the bed.)
SHATOV: Maria, I'll do what you want. . . . I'll
keep moving. . . . I'll talk.
MARIA: But don't you see that it's begun?
SHATOV: Begun? What has?
MARIA: Don't you see that I'm about to give
birth? Oh! Cursed be this child! (SHATOV gets
up.) Where are you going, where are you going?
I forbid you!
SHATOV: I'll be back, I'll be back. We need money
165 Scene 18
and a midwife. . . . OE, Maria! . . . Kirilov!
Kiriiovi
(BLACKOUT. Then the light gradually increases in
the room.)
SHATOV: She's in the next room with him.
MARIA: He is beautiful.
SHATOV: What a great joy!
MARIA: What shall I name him?
SHATOV. Shatov. He is my son. Let me fix your
pillows.
MARIA: Not like that! How awkward you are!
{He does his best.)
MARIA {without looking at him): Lean over me!
{He leans totoard her.) Closer! Closer! {She slips
her arm around his neck and kisses him.)
SHATOV: Maria! My love!
{She rolls on her side.)
MARIA: Ah! Nicholas Stavrogin is a wretch. {She
bursts into sobs. He caresses her and talks to her
softly.)
SHATOV: Maria. It's over now. The three of us will
live together calmly, and we shall work.
MARIA {reaching out and grasping him in her
arms): Yes, we shall work, we shall forget
everything, my love. . . .
{There is a knock at the door of the living
room.)
MARIA: What's that?
SHATOV: I had forgotten it. Maria, I must leave
you. I'll be gone a half-hour.
MARIA: You are going to leave me alone? We
have just found each other after all these years
and you are leaving me. . . .
Third Part
166
SHATOV: But this is the last time. After this we
shall be together forever. Never, never again shall
we think of the horror of the past.
(He kisses her, takes up his cap, and gently
closes the door. In the living room LYAMSHIN is
waiting for him.)
SHATOV: Lyamshin, have you ever been happy in
your life?
(BLACKOUT. Then LYAMSHIN and SHATOV step
around the curtain representing the street, LYAM-
SHIN stops and hesitates.)
SHATOV: Well! What are you waiting for? (They
continue walking.)
BLACKOUT
SCENE 19
The Forest of Brykovo. SHIGALOV and VIRGINSKY
are already there when PETER VERKHOVENSKY ar-
rives with THE SEMINARIAN and LIPUTIN.
PETER {lifts his lantern and looks at them all in the
face): I hope you haven't forgotten what was
agreed.
VIRGINSKY: Listen. I know that Shatov's wife
came back to him last night and that she gave
birth to a child. Anyone who knows human na-
ture knows that he will not denounce us now.
He is happy. Perhaps we could postpone this for
the present.
PETER: If you suddenly became happy, would you
postpone accomplishing an act of justice that you
considered just and necessary?
VIRGINSKY: Certainly not. Certainly not. But . . .
PETER: You would prefer to be unhappy rather
than to be cowardly?
VIRGINSKY: Certainly ... I should prefer it.
PETER: Well, let me point out to you that Shatov
now considers this denunciation just and neces-
sary. Besides, what happiness could there possibly
be in the fact that his wife, after an escapade of
three years, has returned to him to give birth to
a child by Stavrogin?
VIRGINSKY {interrupting): Yes, but I protest.
Third Part
168
We'll ask him to give his word of honor. That's
all.
PETER: You can't talk of honor unless you're in
the pay of the government.
LIPUTIN: How dare you? Which of us here is in
the pay of the government?
PETER: You, perhaps. . . . Traitors are always
afraid at the moment of danger.
SHIGALOV: Enough. I must speak up. Since last
night I have scrupulously examined the question
of this assassination and have reached the conclu-
sion that it was useless, frivolous, and petty. You
hate Shatov because he despises you and he in-
suited you all. That is a personal question. But
personal questions lead to despotism. Hence I am
leaving you. Not out of fear of danger nor out
of friendship for Shatov, but because this assassi-
nation contradicts my system. Farewell. As for
denouncing you, you know that I won't do it.
(He wheels about and goes away.)
PETER: Stay here! . . . We'll catch up with that
madman. Meanwhile, I must tell you that Shatov
already told Kiriiov of his intention of denounc-
ing us. It was Kiriiov who told me, because he
was shocked by it. Now you know everything.
And, furthermore, you have taken an oath.
(They look at one another.) Good. Let me re-
mind you that we are to throw him into the pond
afterward and then scatter. Kirilov's letter will
cover all of us. Tomorrow I am leaving for St.
Petersburg. You will have news from me soon.
(A shrill whistle. After a hesitation LIPUTIN an-
swers it.) Let's hide.
169 Scene 19
(They all hide except LIPUTIN. LYAMSHIN and
SHATOV come on stage.)
SHATOV: Well! You are silent? Where Is your
pickax? Don't be afraid. There's not a soul here.
You could shoot a cannon off here and no one
would hear a thing in the suburb. Here it is. (He
strikes the ground ivith his foot.) Right here.
(THE SEMINARIAN and LIPUTIN leap on him from
the rear, seize his arms, and pin him to the ground.
PETER VERKHOVENSKY puts his revolver to SHA-
TOV'S forehead, SHATOV utters a br
ief desperate
cry: "Maria!" VERKHOVENSKY shoots, VIRGINSKY,
ivho has not taken part in the murder, suddenly
begins to tremble and to scream.)
VIRGINSKY: That's not the way. No, no. That's
not the way at all. . . . No . . . (LYAMSHIN,
ivho has stood behind him all the time without
taking part in the murder either, suddenly grabs
him from behind and begins screaming, VIRGIN-
SKY, in fright, tears himself away, LYAMSHIN
throws himself on PETER VERKHOVENSKY, scream-
ing likewise. He is seized and silenced, VIRGINSKY
weeps.) No, no, that's not the way. . . .
PETER (looking at them with scorn): Filthy cow-
ards!
BLACKOUT
SCENE 20
The street, VERKHOVENSKY, hastening toward the
Filipov rooming house, encounters FEDKA.
PETER: Why the hell didn't you stay hidden, as I
had ordered you to?
FEDKA: Don't talk that way to me, you little sneak.
I didn't want to compromise Mr. Kirilov, who is
an educated man.
PETER: DO you or don't you want a passport and
money to go to Petersburg?
FEDKA: You are a louse. That's what I think you
are. You promised me money in the name of Mr.
Stavrogin to shed innocent blood. I know now
that Mr. Stavrogin was not informed. So that the
real murderer is neither me nor Mr. Stavrogin:
it's you.
PETER {beside himself): You wretch, I'll hand you
over to the police at once! {He takes out his re-
volver. Quicker than he, FEDKA strikes him four
times on the head, PETER jails, FEDKA runs away
with a burst of laughter, PETER picks himself up.)
I'll find you at the other end of the world. I'll
crush you. As for Kirilov . . . ! {He runs to-
ward the Filipov rooming house.)
BLACKOUT
SCENE 21
The Filipov rooming house.
KIRILOV (in complete blackness): You killed Sha-
tov! You killed him! You killed him! (The lights
come up gradually.)
PETER: I have explained it a hundred times. Shatov
was on the point of denouncing us all.
KIRILOV: Shut up. You killed him because he spat
in your face in Geneva.
PETER: For that. And for many other things too.
What's the matter with you? Oh . . .
(KIRILOV has taken out a revolver and is aiming at
him. PETER VERKHOVENSKY takes out his revolver
too.)
KIRILOV: You had got your weapon ready in ad-
vance because you were afraid I would kill you.
But I'll not kill. Although . . . although . . .
(He continues taking aim. Then he lowers his
arm, laughing.)
PETER: I knew you wouldn't shoot. But you took
a big risk. / was going to shoot. . . .
(He sits down again and pours himself some tea
with a trembling hand, KIRILOV lays his revolver
on the table, starts walking up and down, and
stops in front of PETER VERKHOVENSKY.)
KIRILOV: I'm sorry about Shatov.
PETER: SO am I.
Third Part 172
KIRILOV: Shut up, you wretch, or I'll kill you.
PETER: All right. I don't regret him. . . . Besides,
there's not much time. I must take a train at dawn
and cross the frontier.
KIRILOV: I understand. You are leaving your
crimes behind and taking shelter yourself. Filthy
swine!
PETER: Filth and decency are just words. Every-
thing is just words.
KIRILOV: All my life I wanted there to be some-
thing other than words. That's what I lived for,
so that words would have a meaning, so that they
would be deeds also. . . .
PETER: And so?
KIRILOV: So . . . (He looks at PETER VERKHOVEN-
SKY.) Oh, you're the last man I shall ever see. I
don't want us to separate in hatred.
PETER: I assure you that I have nothing against
you personally.
KIRILOV: We are both miserable wretches, and I
am going to kill myself and you will go on living.
PETER: Of course I shall go on living, lama cow-
ard. It's despicable, I know.
KIRILOV (with increasing excitement): Yes, yes,
it's despicable. Listen. Do you remember what
Christ Crucified said to the thief who was dying
on his right hand? "Today shalt thou be with me
in Paradise." The day ended, they died, and there
was neither Paradise nor Resurrection. And yet
he was the greatest man on earth. Without that
man the whole planet and everything on it is
simply meaningless. Well, if the laws of nature
did not even spare such a man, if they forced him
173 Scene 2i
to live in lies and to die for a lie, then this whole
planet is but a lie. What is the good of living,
then? Answer, if you are a man.
PETER: Yes, what is the good of living! I have un-
derstood your point of view completely. If God
is a lie, then we are alone and free. You kill your-
self and prove that you are free and there is no
God. But for that you must kill yourself.
KIRILOV {more and more excited): You have un-
derstood. Ah! Everyone will understand if even
a low scoundrel like you can understand. But