him, I remember. Why do I find it so hard to breathe?

HELENA. You are tired; this is the second night you have had no
sleep.

SEREBRAKOFF. They say that Turgenieff got angina of the heart
from gout. I am afraid I am getting angina too. Oh, damn this
horrible, accursed old age! Ever since I have been old I have
been hateful to myself, and I am sure, hateful to you all as
well.

HELENA. You speak as if we were to blame for your being old.

SEREBRAKOFF. I am more hateful to you than to any one.

HELENA gets up and walks away from him, sitting down at a
distance.

SEREBRAKOFF. You are quite right, of course. I am not an idiot; I
can understand you. You are young and healthy and beautiful, and
longing for life, and I am an old dotard, almost a dead man
already. Don't I know it? Of course I see that it is foolish for
me to live so long, but wait! I shall soon set you all free. My
life cannot drag on much longer.

HELENA. You are overtaxing my powers of endurance. Be quiet, for
God's sake!

SEREBRAKOFF. It appears that, thanks to me, everybody's power of
endurance is being overtaxed; everybody is miserable, only I am