Act 4, Part 1 Summary

This act is set in an outdoor pavilion. Katya comes in, looking for Beliayev. She talks in soliloquy about how everyone in the house will miss him, implying that Vera begged her to arrange for one last meeting between them. She sees someone coming and hides.

Shpigelsky and Lizaveta come in, saying they can take shelter there from the rain. They talk about how upset Anna is at seeing Natalya so upset, referring to the beginning of Act 3, Part 3 when Anna and Arkady discovered Natalya and Rakitin together. Lizaveta says Rakitin has promised to explain everything, and Shpigelsky refers to how harmless Rakitin is. Then, Lizaveta wonders whether Natalya is ill, saying she ate nothing at dinner. Shpigelsky hints that there are things other than illness that lead people to lose their appetites and suggests Rakitin was probably upset at dinner...