Luka, an aging servant, laments the state of the household following the death of his master. He expresses deep concern for his grieving mistress, Elena Ivanovna, and worries about the arrival of a boisterous creditor who threatens their fragile peace.
LUKA: Ah, it's a hard life, a very hard life. My old master, the late Grigory Stepanovitch, God rest his soul, he was a good man, a kind man, but he was a bit of a spendthrift. Always in debt, always borrowing. And then he died, and left his poor young widow, Elena Ivanovna, with all these troubles.
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