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JULIE AND SONYA

SONYA: You’re here, Julie dear? I didn’t know… .

JULIE (kissing her): My dear!

SONYA: What are you doing? Counting? What an admirable manager you are — the mere sight of you makes me envious! Julie dear, why don’t you marry?

JULIE: You see… One or two men have been suggested to me, but I have refused. A real suitor would not want to marry me! (Sighing.) No!

SONYA: But why?

JULIE: I am an uneducated girl. I was taken from the high school in my second year.

SONYA: But why did they take you away, Julie dear?

JULIE: For incapacity. (SONYA laughs.)

JULIE: Why do you laugh, Sonya?

SONYA: There’s something queer going on in my head… . Juli? dear, I am so happy to-day, so happy, that I feel even bored by my happiness. … I don’t know what to do with myself… Now let’s talk of something, come… Have you ever been in love? (JULIE nods her head.) Yes? Is he interesting? (JULIE whispers in her ear.) Who? Fyodor?

JULIE (nodding her head): And you?

SONYA: I, too … only not with Fyodor. (Laughing.) Go on, tell me more… .

JULIE: I have wanted to have a talk with you for a long time, Sonechka.

SONYA: Please do.

JULIE: I want to make things clear… You see… . Truly I’ve always been well disposed towards you. … I have many girl friends, but you are the very best of them all. If you were to say to me, Julie, give me ten horses, or, say, two hundred sheep, I would do it with pleasure. … To you I should grudge nothing… .

SONYA: Why are you blushing, Julie?

JULIE: I’m rather shy of … I … I am sincerely well disposed towards you. You are the very best of them all … not proud… What a pretty print you are wearing!

SONYA: We’ll talk of the print later… Go on… .

JULIE (getting up): I don’t know how it’s done among clever people… Allow me to propose to you… Make me happy. … I mean … I mean … I mean … marry Lennie. (Covering her face.)

SONYA (getting up): We’d better not talk about it, Julie dear… No, we’d better not… .

ENTER ELENA ANDREYEVNA.