MATRYÓNA [puts out her head] What is it, sonnie?
NIKÍTA [listening] Don't bury it, it's alive! Don't you hear? Alive! There—it's whimpering! There … quite plain!
MATRYÓNA. How can it whimper? Why, you've flattened it into a pancake! The whole head is smashed to bits!
NIKÍTA. What is it then? [Stops his ears] It's still whimpering! I am lost! Lost! What have they done with me?… Where shall I go? [Sits down on the step].
Curtain.
[VARIATION]
Instead of the [end of Act IV.] (from the words, “ANÍSYA. I'll find one. I know how to do it. [Exit]”) the following variation may be read, and is the one usually acted.
Scene 2.
The interior of the hut as in [Act I].
Nan lies on the bench, and is covered with a coat. Mítritch is sitting on the oven smoking.