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The Smug Citizen; Scenes in the House of Bezsemenov, a Dramatic Sketch in Four Acts. Tr. by Edwin Hopkins
The Smug Citizen Scenes in the House of Bezsemenov a Dramatic Sketch in Four Acts Tr by Edwin Hopkins Author:Maksim Gorky General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1906 Original Publisher: s.n. Subjects: Drama / General Drama / American Drama / English, Irish, Scottish, Welsh Drama / Continental European Literary Criticism / Drama Notes: This is a black and white OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there ma... more »y be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: Helena. How can you joke? Teterev. I am not joking. Helena (approaches the door to Peter's room and glances in). And Petja. . Peter Wassilyevich is still with her? Teterev. Evidently. . he has not come out yet. Helena (Thoughtfully). I can imagine how he has been affected. (Pause.) When I happen to see anything of this kind I entertain a terrible hatred of misfortune. Teterev (laughing). Very praiseworthy of you. Helena.. Do you understand. I could take hold of such a misfortune, trample it under my feet, and finish it for good. Teterev. The misfortune? Helena. Yes! I am not afraid of it. No, I just hate it! I like to live gaily, not monotonously, like to see lots of people around me. . And I have the faculty of making life enjoyable both for myself and those around me. Teterev. Very good. Helena. And- -- do you know? I confess it. . I am shamefully unfeeling. . And harsh. . I do not feel any sympathy for unfortunate people. You know there are people who are eternally unlucky, do with them what you will. Even put a cap of happiness on such a man's head and he will complain: 'ah I am so unlucky: I am so lonely. Nobody considers me. . Life is so dark and wearisome, ah! oh! oh! alone!' When I run across such a customer I always feel a malicious desire to make him still unhappier! Teterev. My dear lady. . I will confess to you, too! I cannot endure it when women philosophize, but when you do so, I could kiss your hand. Helena (ca...« less