_Borís_ (_not seeing Katerína_). O Lord! That is her voice! Where is
she? (_Looks round._)
_Katerína_ (_runs up to him and falls on his neck_). At last I see you
again! (_Weeps on his breast. Silence._)
_Borís._ Well, God has granted us to weep together.
_Katerína._ You have not forgotten me?
_Borís._ How can you speak of forgetting?
_Katerína._ Oh, no, it was not that, not that! You are not angry?
_Borís._ Angry for what?
_Katerína._ Forgive me! I did not mean to do you any harm: I was not
free myself. I did not know what I said, and what I did.
_Borís._ Don’t speak of it! Don’t!
_Katerína._ Well, how is it with you? What are you going to do?
_Borís._ I am going away.
_Katerína._ Where are you going?
_Borís._ Far away, Kátya, to Siberia.
_Katerína._ Take me away from here.
_Borís._ I can’t, Kátya. I am not going of my own will: my uncle is
sending me off, and the horses are waiting already. My uncle gave me but
a minute to be away; I wanted to bid farewell to the place where we used
to see each other.
_Katerína._ God speed you! Do not grieve over me. At first, I suppose,
you, poor fellow, will pine for me, but you will soon forget me.
_Borís._ Let us not talk of me! I am a free bird! But how will it be
with you? What of your mother-in-law?
_Katerína._ She torments me, she locks me up. She tells everybody, and
my husband too: “Do not trust her, she is sly!” They follow me all day
and laugh at me before my eyes. At every word they reproach me with you.
_Borís._ And your husband?
_Katerína._ He is now kind, and now angry, but he is drinking all the
time. I loathe him, I loathe him; I loathe his kindness worse than his
blows.
_Borís._ It is hard for you, Kátya.
_Katerína._ Yes, so hard, so hard, that death would be easier!
_Borís._ Who could have told that we would have to suffer so for our
love? It would have been better if I had run away then.
_Katerína._ It was for misfortune that I saw you. I have seen little
joy, but oh, how much sorrow! And how much there is still ahead of me!
Well, what use is there to think of what will be? I am seeing you now,
and that they will not take away from me! I need nothing else. All I
wanted was to see you. Now I feel much more at ease: as though a
mountain had rolled off my shoulders. And there, I thought that you were
angry with me, that you cursed me----
_Borís._ How could you? How could you?
_Katerína._ No, it is not that I mean. I wanted to say something else. I
was longing for you, that is it; and now, I have seen you----
_Borís._ If they should find us here!
_Katerína._ Wait, wait! I wanted to tell you something! I have forgotten
again! Something important I had to tell you! my head is in a whirl, I
can’t remember anything.
_Borís._ It is time for me to go, Kátya!
_Katerína._ Wait, wait!
_Borís._ Well, what was it you wanted to say?
_Katerína._ I will tell you right away. (_Thinking a moment._) Yes! As
you will travel on the road, don’t let any beggar go by without giving
him something, and tell them to pray for my sinful soul.
_Borís._ Ah, if these people knew how hard it is for me to leave you!
God grant they may some day feel as bad as I do now! Good-bye, Kátya!
(_Embraces her and is about to go._) Rascals! Monsters! If I only had
the power!
_Katerína._ Wait, wait! Let me take a last look at you! (_Looks into his
eyes._) That will do me! Now, God be with you! Go, go quickly!
_Borís_ (_walks a few steps and stops_). Kátya, something is wrong! You
have something in your mind! I shall worry on my journey, thinking of
you!
_Katerína._ No, no! God speed you! (_Borís is about to walk up to her._)
Don’t, don’t, that is enough!
_Borís_ (_sobbing_). Well, God be with you! I must pray to God that she
may die soon, that she may not suffer long! Farewell! (_Greets her._)
_Katerína._ Farewell! (_Exit Borís. Katerína follows him with her eyes
and stands a while, lost in thought._)