DORN。Right。
MASHA。Haveyouputdownthree？Eight。Eighty—one。Ten。
SHAMRAEFF。Don’tgosofast。
ARKADINA。Couldyoubelieveit？IamstilldazedbythereceptiontheygavemeinKharkoff。
MASHA。Thirty—four。[Thenotesofamelancholywaltzareheard。]
ARKADINA。Thestudentsgavemeanovation;theysentmethreebasketsofflowers，awreath，andthisthinghere。
Sheunclaspsabroochfromherbreastandlaysitonthetable。
SHAMRAEFF。Thereissomethingworthwhile！
MASHA。Fifty。
DORN。Fifty，didyousay？
ARKADINA。Iworeaperfectlymagnificentdress;Iamnofoolwhenitcomestoclothes。
PAULINA。Constantineisplayingagain;thepoorboyissad。
SHAMRAEFF。Hehasbeenseverelycriticisedinthepapers。
MASHA。Seventy—seven。
ARKADINA。Theywanttoattractattentiontohim。
TRIGORIN。Hedoesn’tseemabletomakeasuccess，hecan’tsomehowstriketherightnote。Thereisanoddvaguenessabouthiswritingsthatsometimesvergesondelirium。Hehasnevercreatedasinglelivingcharacter。
MASHA。Eleven。
ARKADINA。Areyoubored，Peter？[Apause]Heisasleep。
DORN。TheCouncilloristakinganap。
MASHA。Seven。Ninety。
TRIGORIN。DoyouthinkIshouldwriteifIlivedinsuchaplaceasthis，ontheshoreofthislake？Never！Ishouldovercomemypassion，andgivemylifeuptothecatchingoffish。
MASHA。Twenty—eight。
TRIGORIN。AndifIcaughtaperchorabass，whatblissitwouldbe！
DORN。IhavegreatfaithinConstantine。Iknowthereissomethinginhim。Hethinksinimages;hisstoriesarevividandfullofcolour，andalwaysaffectmedeeply。Itisonlyapitythathehasnodefiniteobjectinview。Hecreatesimpressions，andnothingmore，andonecannotgofaronimpressionsalone。Areyouglad，madam，thatyouhaveanauthorforason？
ARKADINA。Justthink，Ihaveneverreadanythingofhis;Ineverhavetime。
MASHA。Twenty—six。
TREPLIEFFcomesinquietlyandsitsdownathistable。
SHAMRAEFF。[ToTRIGORIN]Wehavesomethingherethatbelongstoyou，sir。
TRIGORIN。Whatisit？
SHAMRAEFF。Youtoldmetohavethesea—gullstuffedthatMr。
Constantinekilledsometimeago。
TRIGORIN。DidI？[Thoughtfully]Idon’tremember。
MASHA。Sixty—one。One。
TREPLIEFFthrowsopenthewindowandstandslistening。
TREPLIEFF。Howdarkthenightis！Iwonderwhatmakesmesorestless。
ARKADINA。Shutthewindow，Constantine，thereisadraughthere。
TREPLIEFFshutsthewindow。
MASHA。Ninety—eight。
TRIGORIN。See，mycardisfull。
ARKADINA。[Gaily]Bravo！Bravo！
SHAMRAEFF。Bravo！
ARKADINA。Whereverhegoesandwhateverhedoes，thatmanalwayshasgoodluck。[Shegetsup]Andnow，cometosupper。Ourrenownedguestdidnothaveanydinnerto—day。Wecancontinueourgamelater。[Toherson]Come，Constantine，leaveyourwritingandcometosupper。
TREPLIEFF。Idon’twantanythingtoeat，mother;Iamnothungry。
ARKADINA。Asyouplease。[ShewakesSORIN]Cometosupper，Peter。
[ShetakesSHAMRAEFF’Sarm]LetmetellyouaboutmyreceptioninKharkoff。
PAULINAblowsoutthecandlesonthetable，thensheandDORN
rollSORIN’Schairoutoftheroom，andallgooutthroughthedoorontheleft，exceptTREPLIEFF，whoisleftalone。TREPLIEFF
preparestowrite。Herunshiseyeoverwhathehasalreadywritten。
TREPLIEFF。Ihavetalkedagreatdealaboutnewformsofart，butIfeelmyselfgraduallyslippingintothebeatentrack。[Hereads]\"Theplacardcrieditfromthewall——apalefaceinaframeofduskyhair\"——cried——frame——thatisstupid。[Hescratchesoutwhathehaswritten]Ishallbeginagainfromtheplacewheremyheroiswakenedbythenoiseoftherain，butwhatfollowsmustgo。Thisdescriptionofamoonlightnightislongandstilted。Trigorinhasworkedoutaprocessofhisown，anddescriptionsareeasyforhim。Hewritesthattheneckofabrokenbottlelyingonthebankglitteredinthemoonlight，andthattheshadowslayblackunderthemill—wheel。Thereyouhaveamoonlightnightbeforeyoureyes，butIspeakoftheshimmeringlight，thetwinklingstars，thedistantsoundsofapianomeltingintothestillandscentedair，andtheresultisabominable。[A
pause]Theconvictionisgraduallyforcingitselfuponmethatgoodliteratureisnotaquestionofformsneworold，butofideasthatmustpourfreelyfromtheauthor’sheart，withouthisbotheringhisheadaboutanyformswhatsoever。[Aknockisheardatthewindownearestthetable]Whatwasthat？[Helooksoutofthewindow]Ican’tseeanything。[Heopenstheglassdoorandlooksoutintothegarden]Iheardsomeonerundownthesteps。
[Hecalls]Whoisthere？[Hegoesout，andisheardwalkingquicklyalongtheterrace。InafewminuteshecomesbackwithNINAZARIETCHNAYA]Oh，Nina，Nina！
NINAlaysherheadonTREPLIEFF’Sbreastandstifleshersobs。
TREPLIEFF。[Deeplymoved]Nina，Nina！Itisyou——you！Ifeltyouwouldcome;alldaymyhearthasbeenachingforyou。[Hetakesoffherhatandcloak]Mydarling，mybelovedhascomebacktome！Wemustn’tcry，wemustn’tcry。
NINA。Thereissomeonehere。
TREPLIEFF。Nooneishere。
NINA。Lockthedoor，someonemightcome。
TREPLIEFF。Noonewillcomein。
NINA。Iknowyourmotherishere。Lockthedoor。
TREPLIEFFlocksthedoorontherightandcomesbacktoNINA。
TREPLIEFF。Thereisnolockonthatone。Ishallputachairagainstit。[Heputsanarm—chairagainstthedoor]Don’tbefrightened，nooneshallcomein。
NINA。[Gazingintentlyintohisface]Letmelookatyou。[Shelooksabouther]Itiswarmandcomfortableinhere。Thisusedtobeasitting—room。HaveIchangedmuch？
TREPLIEFF。Yes，youhavegrownthinner，andyoureyesarelargerthantheywere。Nina，itseemssostrangetoseeyou！Whydidn’tyouletmegotoyou？Whydidn’tyoucomesoonertome？Youhavebeenherenearlyaweek，Iknow。Ihavebeenseveraltimeseachdaytowhereyoulive，andhavestoodlikeabeggarbeneathyourwindow。
NINA。Iwasafraidyoumighthateme。Idreameverynightthatyoulookatmewithoutrecognisingme。IhavebeenwanderingaboutontheshoresofthelakeeversinceIcameback。Ihaveoftenbeennearyourhouse，butIhaveneverhadthecouragetocomein。Letussitdown。[Theysitdown]Letussitdownandtalkourheartsout。Itissoquietandwarminhere。Doyouhearthewindwhistlingoutside？AsTurgenieffsays，\"Happyishewhocansitatnightundertheroofofhishome，whohasawarmcornerinwhichtotakerefuge。\"Iamasea—gull——andyet——no。
[Shepassesherhandacrossherforehead]WhatwasIsaying？Oh，yes，Turgenieff。Hesays，\"andGodhelpallhouselesswanderers。\"
[Shesobs。]
TREPLIEFF。Nina！Youarecryingagain，Nina！
NINA。Itisallright。Ishallfeelbetterafterthis。Ihavenotcriedfortwoyears。Iwentintothegardenlastnighttoseeifouroldtheatrewerestillstanding。Iseeitis。Iweptthereforthefirsttimeintwoyears，andmyheartgrewlighter，andmysoulsawmoreclearlyagain。See，Iamnotcryingnow。[Shetakeshishandinhers]Soyouareanauthornow，andIamanactress。Wehavebothbeensuckedintothewhirlpool。Mylifeusedtobeashappyasachild’s;Iusedtowakesinginginthemorning;Ilovedyouanddreamtoffame，andwhatisthereality？
To—morrowmorningearlyImuststartforEltzbytraininathird—classcarriage，withalotofpeasants，andatEltztheeducatedtrades—peoplewillpursuemewithcompliments。Itisaroughlife。
TREPLIEFF。WhyareyougoingtoEltz？
NINA。Ihaveacceptedanengagementthereforthewinter。Itistimeformetogo。
TREPLIEFF。Nina，Ihavecursedyou，andhatedyou，andtornupyourphotograph，andyetIhaveknowneveryminuteofmylifethatmyheartandsoulwereyoursforever。Toceasefromlovingyouisbeyondmypower。IhavesufferedcontinuallyfromthetimeIlostyouandbegantowrite，andmylifehasbeenalmostunendurable。Myyouthwassuddenlypluckedfrommethen，andI
seemnowtohavelivedinthisworldforninetyyears。Ihavecalledouttoyou，Ihavekissedthegroundyouwalkedon，whereverIlookedIhaveseenyourfacebeforemyeyes，andthesmilethathadilluminedformethebestyearsofmylife。
NINA。[Despairingly]Why，whydoeshetalktomelikethis？
TREPLIEFF。Iamquitealone，unwarmedbyanyattachment。IamascoldasifIwerelivinginacave。WhateverIwriteisdryandgloomyandharsh。Stayhere，Nina，Ibeseechyou，orelseletmegoawaywithyou。
NINAquicklyputsonhercoatandhat。
TREPLIEFF。Nina，whydoyoudothat？ForGod’ssake，Nina！[Hewatchesherasshedresses。Apause。]
NINA。Mycarriageisatthegate。Donotcomeouttoseemeoff。
Ishallfindthewayalone。[Weeping]Letmehavesomewater。
TREPLIEFFhandsheraglassofwater。
TREPLIEFF。Whereareyougoing？
NINA。Backtothevillage。Isyourmotherhere？
TREPLIEFF。Yes，myunclefellillonThursday，andwetelegraphedforhertocome。
NINA。WhydoyousaythatyouhavekissedthegroundIwalkedon？
Youshouldkillmerather。[Shebendsoverthetable]Iamsotired。IfIcouldonlyrest——rest。[Sheraisesherhead]Iamasea—gull——no——no，Iamanactress。[ShehearsARKADINAandTRIGORINlaughinginthedistance，runstothedoorontheleftandlooksthroughthekeyhole]Heistheretoo。[ShegoesbacktoTREPLIEFF]Ah，well——nomatter。Hedoesnotbelieveinthetheatre;heusedtolaughatmydreams，sothatlittlebylittleIbecamedown—heartedandceasedtobelieveinittoo。Thencameallthecaresoflove，thecontinualanxietyaboutmylittleone，sothatIsoongrewtrivialandspiritless，andplayedmypartswithoutmeaning。1neverknewwhattodowithmyhands，andI
couldnotwalkproperlyorcontrolmyvoice。Youcannotimaginethestateofmindofonewhoknowsashegoesthroughaplayhowterriblybadlyheisacting。Iamasea—gull——no——no，thatisnotwhatImeanttosay。Doyourememberhowyoushotaseagullonce？Amanchancedtopassthatwayanddestroyeditoutofidleness。Thatisanideaforashortstory，butitisnotwhatI
meanttosay。[Shepassesherhandacrossherforehead]WhatwasIsaying？Oh，yes，thestage。Ihavechangednow。NowIamarealactress。Iactwithjoy，withexaltation，Iamintoxicatedbyit，andfeelthatIamsuperb。Ihavebeenwalkingandwalking，andthinkingandthinking，eversinceIhavebeenhere，andIfeelthestrengthofmyspiritgrowinginmeeveryday。Iknownow，I
understandatlast，Constantine，thatforus，whetherwewriteoract，itisnotthehonourandgloryofwhichIhavedreamtthatisimportant，itisthestrengthtoendure。Onemustknowhowtobearone’scross，andonemusthavefaith。Ibelieve，andsodonotsuffersomuch，andwhenIthinkofmycallingIdonotfearlife。
TREPLIEFF。[Sadly]Youhavefoundyourway，youknowwhereyouaregoing，butIamstillgropinginachaosofphantomsanddreams，notknowingwhomandwhatendIamservingbyitall。I
donotbelieveinanything，andIdonotknowwhatmycallingis。
NINA。[Listening]Hush！Imustgo。Good—bye。WhenIhavebecomeafamousactressyoumustcomeandseeme。Willyoupromisetocome？Butnow——[Shetakeshishand]itislate。Icanhardlystand。Iamfainting。Iamhungry。
TREPLIEFF。Stay，andletmebringyousomesupper。
NINA。No，no——anddon’tcomeout，Icanfindthewayalone。Mycarriageisnotfaraway。Soshebroughthimbackwithher？
However，whatdifferencecanthatmaketome？Don’ttellTrigorinanythingwhenyouseehim。Ilovehim——IlovehimevenmorethanIusedto。Itisanideaforashortstory。Ilovehim——Ilovehimpassionately——Ilovehimtodespair。Haveyouforgotten，Constantine，howpleasanttheoldtimeswere？Whatagay，bright，gentle，purelifeweled？Howafeelingassweetandtenderasaflowerblossomedinourhearts？Doyouremember，[Sherecites]
\"Allmenandbeasts，lions，eagles，andquails，hornedstags，geese，spiders，silentfishthatinhabitthewaves，starfishfromthesea，andcreaturesinvisibletotheeye——inoneword，life——all，alllife，completingthedrearyroundsetbeforeit，hasdiedoutatlast。Athousandyearshavepassedsincetheearthlastborealivingcreatureonitsbreast，andtheunhappymoonnowlightsherlampinvain。Nolongerarethecriesofstorksheardinthemeadows，orthedroneofbeetlesinthegrovesoflimes————\"
SheembracesTREPLIEFFimpetuouslyandrunsoutontotheterrace。
TREPLIEFF。[Afterapause]Itwouldbeapityifshewereseeninthegarden。Mymotherwouldbedistressed。
Hestandsforseveralminutestearinguphismanuscriptsandthrowingthemunderthetable，thenunlocksthedoorontherightandgoesout。
DORN。[Tryingtoforceopenthedoorontheleft]Odd！Thisdoorseemstobelocked。[Hecomesinandputsthechairbackinitsformerplace]Thisislikeahurdlerace。
ARKADINAandPAULINAcomein，followedbyJACOBcarryingsomebottles;thencomeMASHA，SHAMRAEFF，andTRIGORIN。
ARKADINA。Puttheclaretandthebeerhere，onthetable，sothatwecandrinkwhileweareplaying。Sitdown，friends。
PAULINA。Andbringtheteaatonce。
Shelightsthecandlesandtakesherseatatthecard—table。
SHAMRAEFFleadsTRIGORINtothecupboard。
SHAMRAEFF。Hereisthestuffedsea—gullIwastellingyouabout。
[Hetakesthesea—gulloutofthecupboard]Youtoldmetohaveitdone。
TRIGORIN。[lookingatthebird]Idon’trememberathingaboutit，notathing。[Ashotisheard。Everyonejumps。]
ARKADINA。[Frightened]Whatwasthat？
DORN。Nothingatall;probablyoneofmymedicinebottleshasblownup。Don’tworry。[Hegoesoutthroughthedoorontheright，andcomesbackinafewmoments]ItisasIthought，aflaskofetherhasexploded。[Hesings]
\"SpellboundoncemoreIstandbeforethee。\"
ARKADINA。[Sittingdownatthetable]Heavens！Iwasreallyfrightened。Thatnoiseremindedmeof——[Shecoversherfacewithherhands]Everythingisblackbeforemyeyes。
DORN。[Lookingthroughthepagesofamagazine，toTRIGORIN]
TherewasanarticlefromAmericainthismagazineabouttwomonthsagothatIwantedtoaskyouabout，amongotherthings。
[HeleadsTRIGORINtothefrontofthestage]Iamverymuchinterestedinthisquestion。[Helowershisvoiceandwhispers]
YoumusttakeMadameArkadinaawayfromhere;whatIwantedtosaywas，thatConstantinehasshothimself。
Thecurtainfalls。
