PELAGÉYA EGÓROVNA. Yes, my friend, I love the good old ways. Yes, our good old Russian ways. But there! my husband doesn't care for them! What can you do about it? That's his character. But I love them, I'm naturally jolly; yes, I love to give a person a bite and to get them to sing songs to me! Yes, I take after my family. Our family are all jolly, and love singing.
FIRST GUEST. When I look round, my dear Pelagéya Egórovna, there isn't the gayety that there used to be when we were young.
SECOND GUEST. No, no.
PELAGÉYA EGÓROVNA. In my young days I was the merriest sort of girl—always singing and dancing—-indeed I was. Yes, what songs I knew! They don't sing such songs now.
FIRST GUEST. No, they don't sing them; new songs have come in now.
SECOND GUEST. Yes, yes, one remembers the old times.
PELAGÉYA EGÓROVNA. Yasha dear! Sing us some good old songs.
GÚSLIN takes the guitar.
RAZLYULYÁYEV. [To the girls] So it's no use for me to wait; evidently I shan't get any sense out of you.
LÍZA. What do you mean by sense? I don't understand.