Notes for Scene 3

Grusha finally reaches to the house of her brother. Her brother Lavrenti greets her. When he realizes that she has a baby, he then asks her if there is a father. Grusha has a marriage with a soldier on the other side of the mountain, and she’s trying to get there. She tells them that the child is hers, but her husband is in the war. He is explaining that his wife is "religious," so she couldn’t stay here any longer. Aniko tries to come up with several excuses for why Grusha cannot stay with them, yet Lavrenti persuades her to allow Grusha to stay.

Grusha remains with her brother’s place through most the winter months. As spring approaches, she tells Michael that they must be small like cockroaches so that Aniko will not notice them, and they will leave until the spring is here. Lavrenti enters her room and cowardliness to get her out of his house, Lavrenti says to Grusha that she must marry a dying man from the other side of the mountain. That way she leaves the house and Michael is made a "legitimate" child since he will then have a father. People wouldn’t say anything to her. Grusha hesitates and finally agrees with the idea of marrying to the peasant because she now lost some hopes from Simon. She doubts whether Simon would come back or not.

She crosses the mountain to the other side and meets with the peasant's mother. Lavrenti has agreed to pay the woman 400 piasters to arrange the marriage. When the woman discovers that Grusha has a child, she wants more money from the brother by saying her son will not accept a woman with a child. Lavrenti agrees to pay an additional 200 piasters in order to ensure that Grusha can live on the farm for at least two years after her husband dies.

A drunk monk arrives and performs the ceremony. The dying man does not even move, but his mother says yes for him. As soon as the marriage is over, the monk asks the mother if she wants him to perform Extreme Unction which is a ceremony for the dead people. The peasant’s mother refuses to have more, saying that the wedding had already cost enough.

The peasants that have arrived to watch the wedding and eat the reception food comment on Jessup condition. They indicate that everyone originally thought that Jussup was only faking his sickness in order to avoid getting drafted into the war. However, now it appears that Jessup died for sure, so they regret to say it. While all the guest continue to talk and eat the food, a guest comes in and says the war is over, and the Grand Duke had back from the city,  he has gathered together a new army and is returning to fight with the princes, so it means people won’t go to the war anymore. When Grusha hears this, the plate on her hand falls down, so it means the soldier(Simon) is coming back. At the same time, Jussup suddenly sits upright in bed. Jussup then gets out of bed and throws out all the guests from the Wedding. After several weeks Jussup demands that Grusha starts to have sex with him, she reluctantly agrees. Many months pass and Grusha starts to slowly forget about her promise to Simon.

One day she is washing linen by the stream. Michael is with her and he goes to play a game with some children. They reenact the beheading of the Governor. However, instead of playing the part of the Governor like the other children want him to, Michael insists that he be allowed to behead the fat boy which represents the Fat Prince.

Grusha laughs at the children playing, but when she looks up she sees Simon. He has returned to marry her. She sadly tells him that she is now married and she tries to explain that Michael is not her real child. He first wants her to give him back the silver cross, but she refuses. Simon then waits while two Iron-shirts grab Michael. The soldiers ask Grusha is Michael is her child. Grusha is commanded to say that Michael is her child. After she makes this claim, Simon leaves her. The Ironshirts state that the child actually belongs to Natella, the Governor's wife, and they take Michael with them. Grusha follows them back to the city where her case is given to Azdak the judge in the city.