Karel Matěj Čapek-Chod

“ Burris (Pausing from his pacing) .—Fate, kismet! How directly the finger points! For every one of us it is fixed and no resistance can avail. Welcome every aid to its fulfillment. My Fate, be assured that I shall aid thee to the uttermost.
Lena (Frightened) .—Mr. Karl, what’s that you are muttering?
Burris.—The curse of Iblis is about to take effect. Smail Beg, you are well avenged! First you destroyed my offspring and now you destroy me. Fate! Surely Fate! Or is it my own incompetence? Perhaps . . . Miss Lena, I took good care of your colts, but my own I destroyed. (Pausing close to her.) ”

“ Lena would speak, but Erna stops her mouth with a kiss, takes the lamp and goes out. The scene is dark. Lena is barely distinguishable in her cozy corner. The brilliant moon shines through the bay window whenever it comes out from behind the clouds, which a strong wind chases across the sky. Lena finally appears in the stream of light. She feels along the table, then stops and sobs pitifully. She succeeds in finding the kitchen door, opens it, and stands in the flood of light from Bara’s lamp. Through the open door Bara is seen sitting with her elbows on the table and her face in her hands. ”

“ For one moment all are shocked dumb and motionless. Erna gazes with bulging eyes, and with her arms still raised in the position they were in when Bara lifted the gown over her head, she clenches her fists and throws herself on Burris with an insane screech. ”

“ A new life shall come to Harshaw, dear Miss Lena, if you will permit me to call you by that intimate name again. There is no need now to place an additional mortgage on the old estate. This year has been so prosperous that we can pay off a considerable portion of our old indebtedness, and begin to look forward to a debt free future. (He leads Lena to Erna.) Erna herself will grow more reasonable; the sweet promise of motherhood will prepare for her a glorious reparation for her broken dreams of vain military honors. ”

“ Johnny (Struggles free of her hand and runs to Hans) .—I don’t want to! Let me go, mama! (Ann about to pursue, but remains seated.)
Johnny (Caressing Hans’ head) .—Don’t cry so bitterly, uncle.
Hans.—Oh, it’s you, Johnny!—I am not crying, see?
Johnny.—I thought you were. Why don’t you, when your father died?
Hans.—One does not always cry when one is sad. When you grow up you will realize that often your heart will be breaking when your eyes will shed no tears. Did you love grandpa?
Johnny.—Oh, yes, very much, but they would never let me go to him. Aunt Julia, she loved him very much too. ”

“ Mr. Fable, Hans does not even dream of the changes that have taken place here, in a business way, since he left. And you can imagine how a question like that coming from him at this time . . . when it is a question of what will happen to us all, if . . . A question cannot be entirely indifferent to me. . . a man, asking his cousin, my husband, if I am married. . .
Fable.—And your being that cousin’s wife . . . is that matter of indifference to you?
Ann.—You used to be chivalrous!
Julia.—Ann!
Fable.—God forbid, Mrs. Karvan, that I should willingly touch a sensitive spot. ”

“ Hans.—So your name is Jan, also? You are going to celebrate tomorrow?
Johnny.—I am. (Tearfully) Oh dear! Grandpa will never hear my greeting any more and I learned such a pretty one. Aunt Julia found it for me.
Hans.—Never mind, you shall say it to me.
Johnny.—But it isn’t your name day.
Hans.—Oh, yes, it is. I am the Baptist, the same as every other first born Karvan.
Johnny.—But it won’t fit you. Please don’t look in there all the time!—You see, it went like this—Dear grandaddy, my precious old fellow . . You are not even gray, so how can you be precious old fellow? ”

“ Erna is now the wife of Burris. It is late afternoon on July 17. At the back may be seen a threatening black cloud, still low in the west. The atmosphere is that of an approaching summer storm. From the court comes the noise of the harvest rush.
As the curtain rises Lena is seated in her nook. Bara is putting things to rights. Voices of the men are heard from without.
The voice of the head steward: “John, how much longer will you make me shout at you? Change those horses at once, and don’t give them more than one measure of oats. ”

“ Hans.—Your policy is to stand by the one who happens to be master and mayor, is that it? Just remember that I could, if I chose, be master here from this minute.
Andrew.—That you could not, Mr. Hans, not today, nor tomorrow, nor ever.
Hans.—I want to know why you think so.
Andrew.—There is no chance of your getting your rights because that fellow will not give way. He always gets what he goes after. Oh, dear! ”

“ Erna (After a moment’s struggle with herself) .—Listen, Karl Burris, (She gives him her hand ) you are going to have an operation.
Burris—What? Erna, would you really wish that I let them open my chest again and tempt Fate?
Erna.—That would indeed be an act of heroism far more glorious than that of Dubow. On such a token of your love for me I could look with pride.
Burris.—My love for you might make me capable of anything. But for the sake of the little one—I cannot! I cannot bear the thought that . . . there is the risk . . . he might easily be born without a father. ”

“ Lena.—When Mr. Burris left here in February for the Bosnian front you looked at him with a contemptuous sneer. Oh, Lord, how do you say it in your horrid military jargon?—Dampfnudel in Kommismontur—Only a half an hour ago you were saying something entirely different. It took a uniform to demonstrate to you what a man he really is. Does he look so much. . . better than he did . . . when he went away?
Erna.—Oh, so much! A uniform puts the figure into a man. Of your administrator it has made a gentleman whom it would be a pity to waste on menial service here. ”

“ Lena.—May you sleep soundly under our family roof again, Mr. Karl. Good-night.
(Burris once more kisses Lena’s hand and starts off.)
Erna.—Mr. Karl, please take with you your charmed shooter; something might happen to Lena, if you left it here. We don’t care to be the victims of the fate ordained for you.
(Burris returns and takes the pistol out of Erna’s hands. She holds it back with an air of coquetry. She looks straight into his eyes. Her unexpected favor sweeps Burris off his feet. Blushing, he bows low and then salutes her with a courtly sweep of the hand.) ”

“ Erna.—That’s sentimental nonsense! In fact, Harshaw is steeped in sentiment. I have tried my best to stand it, but the cursed old country seat will get me yet. I’ll soon be walking around here like a specter.
Lena (To herself) .—Specter indeed! (To Erna.) It’s easy to say Pilsen or Sopote, but you know that the present income from the estate is not equal to such extravagance. We have a hard enough time to make both ends meet right here where our living costs us nothing. ”

“ Julia.—In that case I shall never cease to regret the confidence I placed in you.
Hans (As she turns to go) .—No, no, don’t go! I must talk to you. Your doctor he loved you very much? (She nods.) I know. It cannot be expressed in speech. Any one who has been in heaven and then descended into hell will understand us . . .No one else can. As your doctor loved you, I loved your sister, and I carry in my memory a night of parting . . .
Julia.—I was sure of that since yesterday.
Hans.—That night Andrew played the spy for us to warn us of my cousin. He guarded us well . . . ”

“ Dean.—From which it would seem that he knew Hans was still living while he was trying to convince his father that he was dead.
Hans (Catching John by the throat) .—You coward! You intolerable villain! (Ann shrieks.)
Julia.—Oh, Mr. Karvan, surely you would not so far forget yourself.
John.—Let me go! Would you strangle me?
Dean.—Back, you madman!
Andrew (Re-entering, hastening to John’s assistance) .—Mr. Hans! Mr. Hans! What on earth possesses you? Recall yourself! You cannot do this! This is the mayor!
Hans (Holding John until Julia puts her hand on his shoulder) —Andrew? You old dog! ”

“ Hans.—But love is stronger than death! I carried mine in my heart through all the horrors of the battle fields and the Siberian exile. Meanwhile at home my cousin thrived on my absence. I find him a pharmacist and mayor, enjoying all that should have belonged to me. . . . Son of my father, husband of my wife . . .
Ann (Coming forward) .—And father of your son.
Julia.—Ann, dear!
Hans.—You came just in time to take the words out of my mouth. Any one might have guessed, and yet the sharpest man in Potsedin has remained blind. ”

“ Lena (Sharply) .—What did you say, Erna?
Erna.—Nothing, darling, only that Mr. Burris is a man who has few equals. To be sure he had to don a uniform to prove it to us. He may be a little heavy for it, but he has his imposing moments.
Rudolph.—Burris is a man . . a—a husband for one of you two maiden ladies.
Lena.—Rudolph, even sisters may be ladies.
Erna.—Why not?
Lena (Betraying more than she intends) .—You, Erna! The daughter of a real baron married to an overseer on my estate!
Erna.—Everything is possible. If he should apply for active service . . . ”

“ Burris (Trying to regain his cheerful manner) .—I couldn’t say that I knew—rather say, expected, hoped, gambled on. After all, any man will do for his bride whatever her eyes ask him to do.
Erna.—That is the mean and cowardly element in your behavior, Sir! You have robbed me of the life I dreamed of all my days, and now I am doomed to drag out a miserable existence here at Harshaw, hateful Harshaw—now doubly hateful because I must stay here forever as a retainer to her ladyship, as a humble wife of my lord overseer, as “esteemed lady” of all these miserable servant folk. ”

“ Last night, when your lady was asleep, Miss Lena gave me the whole tangled history, with the climax of yesterday. So you will know how I felt when that damn rebel shot fell out of your back into my hand without any probing. Sometimes it would seem that the Fate in control of our destinies is not so blind as she is represented.
Burris.—And for that reason what you are telling me might do Erna a lot of good. ”

“ Hans.—We sort of mentioned it to each other didn’t we, Julia.
Julia.—We agreed since midnight.
John.—But as her guardian, surely I ought to have something to say in the matter?
Hans.—I am afraid the honor of the ward is not entirely safe with the guardian in this particular case.
Ann.—Was that necessary?
John.—Even if I permitted it as guardian, I cannot as mayor, just this way.
Hans.—What way? As bride and groom? You have such a fine conscience, John! We shall remove this objection at once. (To Julia.) Come! (He leads her into the death chamber.) There lies one to whom we owe something. ”

“ Burris (Speaking out of the window) .—My dear man, you didn’t forget the canvases? In case of a sudden downpour, did you boss?
Steward (Outside) .—Don’t worry, sir. They are ready to throw across the wagons at a moment’s notice.
Burris (To Erna) .—You spoke, dear?
Erna.—I only wish to say that when you applied for active service you practically bound yourself to fulfill this obligation. You owe it to the regiment to whose commander your application was addressed. Your invitation is not “hoflichst eingeladen,” but “anbefehlen.” Just as if you were already in service. ”

“ You surely decked yourself out today. One might say that you were expecting, not your business administrator, but a veritable heir to your estate come to ask for your hand.
Lena.—You are cruel, Erna—cruel!
(The altercation is ended by the sound of a quick step on the walk, and a clang of metal.)
Bara (Outside, at first barely audible) .—. . Expected a letter. Oh, sir, why did my grandchild—mine—why was mine the only one of allthe youngmen . .
Burris (Outside) —God’s will be done, my dear woman. Yours alone? Why, there are thousands that will never come back. ”

“ Dean.—Peace, peace, Hans! Consider well your motives, and their consequences. If you try to repair your fortunes now, you will not only ruin yourself but others as well. You might even erase the name of Karvan forever from the archives of Potsedin. Forgive and forget, even though he is unworthy. There, there!
John.—If it is necessary I can buy out the business with cash. ”

“ Ann.—Be sure that your words will never cause you a pang when you recall them.
Hans (Kindly) .—I mean I shall stay here with Andrew and watch beside father. There is very little of the night left anyway. Tomorrow, or rather, this morning, everything will be decided. I shall report to you what takes place.
John.—I hope you do not think I am afraid of you, rebel. You can’t do a thing to me tomorrow, you Siberian outlaw. You do not stop to think of one thing. You are a fugitive from military service. ”

“ Ann.—And your boy has no father.
Julia.—Ann (Then in an altered tone full of dismay and suspicion.) Ann!
Ann.—Stop! Don’t say it! Don’t even dare to think it! (She takes Julia’s face between her hands and looks into her eyes searchingly.)
(Enter Granny, with a basket of herbs. She is terribly excited. She stumbles through the wicket into the garden, breathless.)
Granny.—Lord Jesus!
Andrew (Startled) .—So, so, and while you were about it you might have called on the Virgin Mary for me! (Muttering) The old witch is enough to scare the soul out of a man’s body. ”

“ Your longing after the society of these men is so . . . so unregardful that . . . even your looking glass has failed to suggest to you the impropriety. . . . You seem to forget that your natural state carries with it certain obligations of decorum which every considerate mother wishes to observe.
Erna.—I am going to Sopote. I am going without you!
Burris.—You will not leave this place today, I can manage to prevent you some way . . .
Erna.—I have no doubt that you are quite capable of more boorishness. As luck would have it, I am not entirely helpless in your hands. (Rings the bell.) Bara! ”