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- Female: 1
- Male: 1
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Context
There has been an unspoken tension between Varya and local businessman, Lopakhin, for along time but it is not clear whether it is particularly romantic or not. Everyone expects Lopakhin to propose, but he never does. At this point, Varya is about to leave the family estate as it has been sold and she must go to work for another family so survive. This is Lopakhin's last chance to propose, but he cannot bring himself to do so.
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VARYA. [Looking at the luggage in silence] I can’t seem to find it....
LOPAKHIN. What are you looking for?
VARYA. I packed it myself and I don’t remember. [Pause.]
LOPAKHIN. Where are you going to now, Barbara Mihailovna?
VARYA. I? To the Ragulins.... I’ve got an agreement to go and look after their house... as housekeeper or something.
LOPAKHIN. Is that at Yashnevo? It’s about fifty miles. [Pause] So life in this house is finished now....
VARYA. [Looking at the luggage] Where is it?... perhaps I’ve put it away in the trunk.... Yes, there’ll be no more life in this house....
LOPAKHIN. And I’m off to Kharkov at once... by this train. I’ve a lot of business on hand. I’m leaving Epikhodov here... I’ve taken him on.
VARYA. Well, well!
LOPAKHIN. Last year at this time the snow was already falling, if you remember, and now it’s nice and sunny. Only it’s rather cold.... There’s three degrees of frost.
VARYA. I didn’t look. [Pause] And our thermometer’s broken.... [Pause.]
VOICE AT THE DOOR. Ermolai Alexeyevitch!
LOPAKHIN. [As if he has long been waiting to be called] This minute. [Exit quickly.]
[VARYA, sitting on the floor, puts her face on a bundle of clothes and weeps gently.]
[http://www.gutenberg.org/files/7986/7986-h/7986-h.htm#link2H40013]
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