DORN and MEDVIEDENKO come in through the door on the left, wheeling
SORIN in an arm-chair.

MEDVIEDENKO. I have six mouths to feed now, and flour is at seventy
kopecks.

DORN. A hard riddle to solve!

MEDVIEDENKO. It is easy for you to make light of it. You are rich enough
to scatter money to your chickens, if you wanted to.

DORN. You think I am rich? My friend, after practising for thirty years,
during which I could not call my soul my own for one minute of the night
or day, I succeeded at last in scraping together one thousand roubles,
all of which went, not long ago, in a trip which I took abroad. I
haven't a penny.

MASHA. [To her husband] So you didn't go home after all?

MEDVIEDENKO. [Apologetically] How can I go home when they won't give me
a horse?

MASHA. [Under her breath, with bitter anger] Would I might never see
your face again!

SORIN in his chair is wheeled to the left-hand side of the room.
PAULINA, MASHA, and DORN sit down beside him. MEDVIEDENKO stands sadly
aside.

DORN. What a lot of changes you have made here! You have turned this