  The same room, during the evening performance. Occasional music, laughter, shrieks, and applause are audible. Through the small windows, back centre, the light is shining. Consuelo and Baron Regnard occupy the stage; Consuelo wears her stage costume; she sits with her feet on the sofa, a small shawl covering her shoulders. Before her stands the Baron, a tall stout man in evening dress, a rose in his button-hole; grasping the ground with feet well apart, he gazes at her with convex spider-like eyes. Baron Is it true that your father, the Count, has introduced you to a certain Marquis Justi, a very rich man? Consuelo [Surprised]: No, he is only joking. I have often heard him speak of a Marquis Justi but I have never seen him—— Baron And do you know that your father is just a charlatan? Consuelo Oh! Don't say that—Father is such a dear. Baron Did you like the jewels? Consuelo Yes, very much. I was very sorry when Father told me I must return them. He said it would not be nice for me to keep them. I even cried a little about it. Baron Your father is only a beggar and a charlatan. Consuelo Oh, no, don't scold him—he loves you so much. Baron Let me kiss your hand—— Consuelo Oh, no, it isn't proper! One may kiss the hand only when one says how do you do or good-bye. But in the meantime you can't. Baron Everybody is in love with you, that is why you and your father make such a fuss about yourselves. Who is that new clown they call He? I don't like him, he's too shrewd a beast.... Is he in love with you, too? I noticed the way he looked at you.... Consuelo [Laughing]: Nothing of the kind. He is so funny! He got fifty-two slaps yesterday. We counted them. Think of it, fifty-two slaps! Father said, "if they had only been gold pieces." Baron And Bezano, Consuelo.... Do you like him? Consuelo Yes, very much. He is so good-looking. He says that Bezano and I are the most beautiful couple in the world. He calls him Adam, and me Eve. But that's improper, isn't it? He is so improper. Baron And does He speak to you very often? Consuelo Yes, often.... But I don't understand him. It seems as if he were drunk. Baron "Consuelo"!... It means in Spanish ... Consolation. Your father is an ass.... Consuelo, I love you. Consuelo Talk it over with Father. Baron [Angry]: Your father is a swindler and a charlatan. He should be turned over to the police. Don't you understand that I cannot marry you? Consuelo But Father says you can.... Baron No, I cannot. And what if I shoot myself? Consuelo, silly girl, I love Consuelo Then, you'd better marry. Baron I have had a hundred women, beauties, but I didn't see them. You are the first and I don't see any one else. Who strikes man with love, God or the Devil? The Devil struck me. Let me kiss your hand. Consuelo No. [She thinks a while and sighs.] Baron Do you think sometimes? What are you thinking about now Consuelo? Consuelo [With another sigh]: I don't know why, I just felt sorry for Bezano. [Sighs again.] He is so nice to me when he teaches me ... and he has such a tiny little room. Baron [Indignant]: You were there? Consuelo No. He told me about it. [Smiling] Do you hear the noise in there? That's He getting slapped. Poor thing ... although I know it doesn't hurt, it's only make-believe. The intermission is coming soon. [The Baron throws away his cigar, takes two quick steps forward, and falls on his knees before the girl.] Baron Consuelo—— Consuelo Please, don't. Get up. Please leave my hand alone. Baron Consuelo! Consuelo [Disgusted]: Get up please, it's disgusting—you're so fat. [The Baron gets up. Voices are heard near the door and in the ring. It is the intermission. The clowns come first, talking cheerfully and excitedly. He leads them, in his clown's dress, with Polly A hundred slaps! Bravo, He! Jackson Not bad, not bad at all. You'll make a career. Tilly He was the Professor to-day, and we were the students. Here goes another! [Gives him a clown's slap. Laughter. All bid good evening to the Baron. He is politely rude to these vagabonds who bore him, and remains silent. They seem quite used to it. Enter Mancini. He is the same, and with the same cane.] Mancini [Shaking hands]: What a success, Baron—and think of it—how the crowd does love slaps. [Whispering] Your knees are dusty, Baron, brush them off. The floor is very dirty in here. [Aloud] Consuelo, Consuelo And where is Bezano? He [Bows before the Baron, affecting intimacy]: You do not recognize me, Baron? Baron Yes I do. You are the clown, He. He Yes I am He Who Gets Slapped. May I presume to ask you, Baron, did you get your jewels back? Baron What! He I was asked to return some jewels to you, and I take the liberty of—— [The Baron turns his back on him—He laughs loudly.] Jackson Whiskey and soda! Believe me, ladies and gents, He will surely make a career. I am an old clown, and I know the crowd. Why to-day, he even eclipsed me—and clouds have covered my Sun. [Striking it.] They do not like puzzles, they want slaps! They are longing for them and dreaming about them in their homes. Your health, He! Another whiskey and soda! He got so many slaps to-day, there would be enough to go round the whole orchestra! Tilly I bet there wouldn't! [To Jackson] Shake! Polly I bet there wouldn't—I'll go and count the old mugs. A Voice The orchestra did not laugh—— Jackson Because they were getting it, but the galleries did, because they were looking at the orchestra getting slapped. Your health, He! He Your's Jim! Tell me, why didn't you let me finish my speech—I was just getting a good start. Jackson [Seriously]: My friend, because your speech was a sacrilege. Politics—all right. Manners—as much as you want. But Providence—leave it in peace. And believe me, friend, I shut your mouth in time. Didn't I, Papa Briquet? Briquet [Coming nearer]: Yes. It was too much like literature. This is not an academy. You forget yourself, He. Tilly But to shut one's mouth—faugh.... Briquet [In a didactic tone]: Whenever one shuts one's mouth, it is always high time to shut it, unless one is drinking. Hey, whiskey and soda! Voices Whiskey and soda for the Manager! Mancini But this is obscurantism. Philosophizing again, Briquet? Briquet I am not satisfied with you to-day, He. Why do you tease them? They don't like it. Your health! A good slap must be clean like a crystal—fft-fft! right side, left side, and done with it. They will like it; they will laugh, and love you. But in your slaps there is a certain bite, you understand, a certain smell—— He But they laughed, nevertheless! Briquet But without pleasure, without pleasure, He. You pay, and immediately draw a draft on their bank; it's not the right game—they won't like you. Jackson That's what I tell him. He had already begun to make them angry. Bezano [Entering]: Consuelo, where are you? I have been looking for you—come on. [Both go out. The He [Sighs]: You don't understand, my dear friends; you are simply old, and have forgotten the smell of the stage. Jackson Aha! Who is old, my young man? He Don't be angry, Jim. It's a play, don't you understand? I become happy when I enter the ring and hear the music. I wear a mask and I feel humorous. There is a mask on my face, and I play. I may say anything like a drunkard. Do you understand? Yesterday when I, with this stupid face, was playing the great man, the philosopher [he assumes a proud monumental pose, and repeats the gesture of the play—general laughter] I was walking this way, and was telling how great, how wise, how incomparable I was—how God lived in me, how high I stood above the earth—how glory shone above my head [his voice changes and he is speaking faster] then you, Jim, you hit me for the first time. And I asked you, "What is it, they're applauding me?" Then, at the He [Holding his face]: Why? Jackson Because you're a fool, and play for nothing. Waiter, the check. (Laughter. The bell calls them to the ring. The actors go out in haste, some running. The waiters collect their money.) Briquet [In a sing-song]: To the ring—to the ring— Mancini I want to tell you something, He. You are not going yet? He No. I'll take a rest. Briquet To the ring—to the ring— [The clowns as they go sing in shrill, squeaky voices. Little by little they all disappear, and loud Mancini He, you have something none of my ancestors ever had—money. Let's have a nice bottle on you. Waiter, please—[The waiter who was taking up dishes, brings a bottle of wine and glasses and goes out.] He You're blue, Mancini. [Stretches.] Well, at my age, a hundred slaps—it seems pretty hard. So you're blue. How are things getting on with your girl? Mancini Tss! Bad! Complications—parents—[shudders] Agh— He Prison! Mancini [Laughing]: Prison! Mustn't I uphold the glory of my name now, eh? He, I'm joking—but there is Hell in my heart. You're the only one who understands He Isn't there a way of settling it somehow? Mancini Is there a way of getting money, somehow? He And the Baron? Mancini Oh, yes! He's just waiting for it, the bloodsucker! He'll get what he's after. Some day, you'll see me give him Consuelo for ten thousand francs, perhaps for five! He Cheap. Mancini Did I say it was anything else? Do I want to do it? But these bourgeois are strangling me, they've got me by the throat. He, one can easily see that you're a gentleman, and of good society, you understand me—I showed you the jewels which I sent back to him—damn honesty—I didn't even dare change the stones, put false ones— He Why? Mancini It would have queered the game. Do you think he didn't weigh the diamonds when he got them back? He He will not marry her. Mancini Yes he will. You don't understand. [Laughs.] The first half of his life, this man had only appetites—now love's got him. If he does not get Consuelo, he is lost, he is—like a withered narcissus. Plague take him with his automobiles. Did you see his car? He I did.... Give Consuelo to the Jockey— Mancini To Bezano? [Laughs.] What nonsense you do talk! Oh, I know. It's your joke about Adam and Eve. But please stop it. It's clever, but it compromises the child. She told me about it. He Or give her to me. Mancini Have you a billion? [Laughs.] Ah, He, I'm not in the proper mood to listen to your clownish jokes—They say there are terrible jails in this country, and no discriminations are being made between people of my kind, and plain scoundrels. Why do you look at me like that? You're making fun of me? He No. Mancini I'll never get accustomed to those faces. You're so disgustingly made up. He He will not marry her. You can be as proud as you please, Mancini, but he'll not marry her. What is Consuelo? She is not educated. When she is off her horse, any good housemaid from a decent house has nicer manners, and speaks better. [Nonchalantly] Don't you think she's stupid? Mancini No, she's not stupid. And you, He, are a fool. What need has a woman of intelligence? Why, He, you astonish me. Consuelo is an unpolished jewel, and only a real donkey does not notice her sparkle. Do you know what happened? I tried to begin to polish her— He Yes, you took a teacher. And what happened? Mancini [Nodding his head]: I was frightened—it went too fast—I had to dismiss him. Another month or two, and she would have kicked me out. [Laughs.] The clever old diamond merchants of Amsterdam keep their precious stones unpolished, and fool the thieves. My father taught me that. He The sleep of a diamond. It is only sleeping, then. You are wise, Mancini. Mancini Do you know what blood flows in the veins of an Italian woman? The blood of Hannibal and Corsini—of a Borgia—and of a dirty Lombardi peasant—and of a Moor. Oh! an Italian woman is not of a lower race, with only peasants and gypsies behind her. All possibilities, all forms are included in her, as in our marvelous sculpture. Do you understand that, you fool? Strike here—out springs a washerwoman, or a cheap street girl whom you want to throw out, because she is sloppy and has a screechy voice. Strike there—but carefully and gently, for there stands a queen, a goddess, the Venus of the Capitol, who sings like a Stradivarius and makes you cry, idiot! An Italian woman— He You're quite a poet, Mancini! But what will the Baron make of her? Mancini What? What? Make of her? A baroness, you fool! What are you laughing at? I don't get you? He [Jumping up]: What did you say? You are not her father, Mancini? Mancini Tss—the devil—I am so nervous to-day! Heavens, who do you think I am? "Her father?" Of course [tries to laugh] how silly you are—haven't you noticed the family resemblance? Just look, the nose, the eyes—[Suddenly sighs deeply.] Ah, He! How unhappy I am! Think of it. Here I am, a gentleman, nearly beaten in my struggle to keep up the honour of my name, of an old house, while there in the parquet—there sits that beast, an elephant with the eyes of a spider ... and he looks at Consuelo ... and.... He Yes, yes, he has the motionless stare of a spider—you're right! Mancini Just what I say—a spider! But I must, I shall compel him to marry her. You'll see—[Walking excitedly up and down, playing with his cane.] You'll see! All my life I've been getting ready for this battle. [He continues to walk up and down. Silence. Outside, great stillness.] He [Listening]: Why is it so quiet out there? What a strange silence. Mancini [Disgusted]: I don't know. Out there it is quiet—but here [touching his forehead with his cane] here is storm, whirlwind. [Bends over the clown.] He, shall I tell you a strange thing—an unusual trick of nature? [Laughs, and looks very important.] For three centuries the Counts Mancini have had no children! [Laughs.] He Then how were you born? Mancini Sh! Silence! That is the secret of our sainted mothers! Ha-ha! We are too ancient a stock—too The Usher Yes, sir. Baron Regnard wished me to give you this letter. Mancini The Baron? Is he there? The Usher Baron Regnard has left. There is no answer. Mancini [Opening the envelope, his hand shaking]: The devil—the devil! [The usher is going.] He Just a minute. Why is there no music? This silence.... The Usher It is the act with Madame Zinida and her lions. [He goes. Mancini is reading the Baron's note for the second time.] He What's the matter, Mancini? You shine like Jackson's sun. Mancini What's the matter, did you ask? What's the matter? What's the matter? [Balancing his cane, he takes steps like a ballet-dancer.] He Mancini! [Mancini rolls his eyes, makes faces, dances.] Speak, you beast! Mancini [Holds out his hand]: Give me ten francs! Quick—ten francs—here, come on. [Puts it automatically into his vest pocket.] Listen, He! If in a month I don't have a car of my own, you may give me one of your slaps! He What! He's going to marry? He's decided? Mancini What do you mean by "decided?" [Laughs.] When a man has the rope about his neck, you don't He [Goes to him, touches his shoulder gently]: What is the matter, Papa Briquet? Tell me! Briquet [Groaning]: Oh, oh, I can't ... I can't ... Ah—— He Something has happened? You are ill? Please speak. Briquet I can't look at it! [Takes his hands from his eyes, opens them wide.] Why does she do it? Ah, ah, why does she do it? She must be taken away; she is insane. I couldn't look at it. [Shivers.] They will tear her to pieces. He—her lions—they will tear her— Mancini Go on, Briquet. She is always like that. You act like a child. You ought to be ashamed. Briquet No—— To-day she is mad! And what is the matter with the crowd? They are all like dead people—they're not even breathing. I couldn't stand it. Listen—what's that? [All listen. There is the same silence.] Mancini [Disturbed]: I'll go and see. Briquet [Yelling]: No! Don't! You can't look—damned profession! Don't go. You will scorch her—every pair of eyes that looks at her—at her lions—no, no. It is impossible—it is a sacrilege. I ran away.... He, they will tear her—— He [Tries to be cheerful]: Keep cool, Papa Briquet—I had no idea you were such a coward. You ought to be ashamed. Have a drink. Mancini, give him some wine. Briquet Mancini [Nervous]: You see—you see—you old fool! Briquet [Sobs and laughs]: I am not going to allow it any more! He Here she is! [Zinida walks in, alone. She looks like a drunken bacchante, or like a mad woman. Her hair falls over her shoulders dishevelled, one shoulder is uncovered. She walks unseeing, though her eyes glow. She is like the living statue of a mad Victory. Behind her comes an actor, very pale, then two clowns, and a little later Consuelo and Bezano. All look at Zinida fearfully, as if they were afraid of a touch of her hand, or her great eyes.] Briquet [Shouting]: You are crazy—you're a mad woman! Zinida I? No. Did you see? Did you see? Well? [She stands smiling, with the expression of a mad Victory.] Tilly [Plaintively]: Cut it out, Zinida. Go to the devil! Zinida You saw, too! And!... what—— Briquet Come home—come home. [To the others] You can do what you like here. Zinida, come home. Polly You can't go, Papa. There's still your number. Zinida [Her eyes meet those of Bezano]: Ah! Bezano. [Laughs long and happily.] Bezano! Alfred! Did you see? My lions do love me! [Bezano, without answering, leaves the stage. Zinida seems to wither and grow dim, as a light being extinguished. Her smile fades, her eyes and face grow pale. Briquet anxiously bends over her.] Briquet [In a slow voice]: A chair! [Zinida sits. Her head drops on her shoulder, her arms fall, she begins to shiver and tremble. Some one calls, "Cognac"—an actor runs to get it.] Briquet [Helpless]: What is the matter, Zinida darling? Mancini [Running about]: She must quiet down. Get out, get out—vagabonds! I'll fix everything, Papa Briquet. The wrap—where's the wrap? She's cold. [A clown hands it to him; they cover her.] Tilly [Timidly]: Wouldn't you like some moosic? Mancini [Giving her some cognac]: Drink, Duchess, drink! Drink it all—that's it. [Zinida drinks it like water, evidently not noticing the taste. She shivers. The clowns disappear one by one. Consuelo, with a sudden flexible movement, falls on her knees before Zinida and kisses her hands, warming them between her own.] Consuelo Dear, dear, you are cold! Poor little hands, dear good one, beloved one—— Zinida [Pushes her away, gently]: Ho—home. It will soon be over. It's nothing ... I am ver—very ... home.... You stay here, Briquet—you must. I'm all right. Consuelo You are cold? Here is my shawl. Zinida No—let me.... [Consuelo gets up, and moves aside.] Briquet And it's all because of your books, Zinida—your mythology. Now tell me, why do you want those beasts to love you? Beasts! Do you understand, He? You too, you're from that world. She'll listen more to you. Explain it to her. Whom can those beasts love? Those hairy monsters, with diabolic eyes? He [Genially]: I believe—only their equals. You are right, Papa Briquet—there must be the same race. Briquet Of course, and this is all nonsense—literature. Explain it to her, He. He [Takes on a meditative air]: Yes, you are right, Briquet. Briquet You see, dear, silly woman—everybody agrees.... Mancini Oh! Briquet, you make me sick; you are an absolute despot, an Asiatic. Zinida [With the shadow of a smile, gives her hand to be kissed]: Calm yourself, Louis. It is over—I am going home. [She stands up, shaking, still chilled.] Briquet But how? alone, dear? Mancini What! fool! Did you imagine that Count Mancini would leave a woman when she needed help? I shall take her home—let your brutal heart be at rest—I shall take her home. Thomas, run for an automobile. Don't push me Briquet, you are as awkward as a unicorn ... that's the way, that's the way—— [They are holding her, guiding her slowly toward the door]. Consuelo, her chin resting in her hand, is following them with her eyes. Unconsciously she assumes a somewhat affected pose.] Mancini I'll come back for you, child—— [Only He and Consuelo are left on the stage. In the ring, music, shrieks, and laughter begin again.] He Consuelo—— Consuelo Is that you, He, dear? He Where did you learn that pose? I have seen it only in marble. You look like Psyche. Consuelo I don't know, He. [She sighs and sits on the sofa, keeping in her pose the same artificiality and beauty.] It's all so sad here, to-day. He, are you sorry for Zinida? He What did she do? Consuelo I didn't see. I had closed my eyes, and didn't open them. Alfred says she is a wicked woman, but that isn't true. She has such nice eyes, and what tiny cold hands—as if she were dead. What does she do it for? Alfred says she should be audacious, beautiful, but quiet, otherwise what she does is only disgusting. It isn't true, is it, He? He She loves Alfred. Consuelo Alfred? My Bezano? [Shrugging her shoulders, and surprised] How does she love him? The same as everyone loves? He Yes—as everyone loves—or still more. Consuelo Bezano? Bezano? No—it's nonsense. [Pause; silence.] What a beautiful costume you have, He. You invented it yourself? He Jim helped me. Consuelo Jim is so nice! All clowns are nice. He I am wicked. Consuelo [Laughs]: You? You are the nicest of all. Oh, goodness! Three acts more! This is the second on now. Alfred and I are in the third. Are you coming to see me? He I always do. How beautiful you are, Consuelo. Consuelo Like Eve? [Smiles.] He Yes, Consuelo. And if the Baron asks you to be his wife, will you accept? Consuelo Certainly, He. That's all Father and I are waiting for. Father told me yesterday that the Baron will not hesitate very long. Of course I do not love him. But I will be his honest, faithful wife. Father wants to teach me to play the piano. He Are those your own words—"his honest, faithful wife"? Consuelo Certainly they are mine. Whose could they be? He loves me so much, the poor thing. Dear He, what does "love" mean? Everybody speaks of love—love—Zinida, too! Poor Zinida! What a boring evening this has been! He, did you paint the laughter on your face yourself? He My own self, dear little Consuelo—— Consuelo How do you do it, all of you? I tried once, but couldn't do a thing. Why are there no women clowns? Why are you so silent, He? You, too, are sad, to-night. He No, I am happy to-night. Give me your hand, Consuelo, I want to see what it says. Consuelo Do you know how? What a talented man you are! Read it, but don't lie, like a gypsy. [He goes down on one knee and takes her hand. Both bend over it.] Am I lucky? He Yes, lucky. But wait a minute—this line here—funny. Ah, Consuelo, what does it say, here! [Acting] I tremble, my eyes do not dare to read the strange, fatal signs. Consuelo— Consuelo The stars are talking. He Yes, the stars are talking. Their voices are distant and terrible; their rays are pale, and their shadows slip by, like the ghosts of dead virgins—their spell is upon thee, Consuelo, beautiful Consuelo. Thou standest at the door of Eternity. Consuelo I don't understand. Does it mean that I will live long? He This line—how far it goes. Strange! Thou wilt live eternally, Consuelo. Consuelo You see, He, you did tell me a lie, just like a gypsy! He But it is written—here, silly—and here. Now think of what the stars are saying. Here you have eternal life, love, and glory; and here, listen to what Jupiter says. He says: "Goddess, thou must not belong to any one born on earth," and if you marry the Baron—you'll perish, you'll die, Consuelo. [Consuelo laughs.] Consuelo Will he eat me? He No. But you will die before he has time to eat you. Consuelo And what will become of Father? Is there nothing about him here? [Laughing, she softly sings the melody of the waltz, which is playing in the distance.] He Don't laugh, Consuelo, at the voice of the stars. They are far away, their rays are light and pale, and we can barely see their sleeping shadows, but their sorcery is stern and dark. You stand at the gates of eternity. Your die is cast; you are doomed—and your Alfred, whom you love in your heart, even though your mind is not aware of it, your Alfred cannot save you. He, too, is a stranger on this earth. He is submerged in a deep sleep. He, too, is a little god who has lost himself, and Consuelo, never, never will he find his way to Heaven again. Forget Bezano—— Consuelo I don't understand a word. Do the gods really exist? My teacher told me about them. But I He Forget Bezano! Consuelo, do you know who can save you? The only one who can save you? I. Consuelo [Laughing]: You, He? He Yes, but don't laugh! Look. Here is the letter H. It is I, He. Consuelo He Who Gets Slapped? Is that written here, too? He That, too. The stars know everything. But look here, what more is written about him. Consuelo, welcome him. He is an old god in disguise, who came down to earth only to love you, foolish little Consuelo. Consuelo [Laughing and singing]: Some god! He Don't mock! The gods don't like such, empty laughter from beautiful lips. The gods grow lonely and die, when they are not recognized. Oh, Consuelo! Oh, great joy and love! Do recognize this god, and accept him. Think a moment, one day a god suddenly went crazy! Consuelo Gods go crazy, too? He Yes, when they are half man, then they often go mad. Suddenly he saw his own sublimity, and shuddered with horror, with infinite solitude, with super-human anguish. It is terrible, when anguish touches the divine soul! Consuelo I don't like it. What language are you speaking? I don't understand—— He I speak the language of thy awakening. Consuelo, recognize and accept thy god, who was thrown down from the summit like a stone. Accept the god who fell Consuelo [Tortured]: He—— I cannot understand. Let my hand alone. He [Stands up]: Sleep. Then wake again, Consuelo! And when thou wakest—remember that hour when, covered with snow-white sea-foam, thou didst emerge from the sky-blue waters. Remember heaven, and the slow eastern wind, and the whisper of the foam at thy marble feet. Consuelo [Her eyes are closed]: I believe—wait—I remember. Remind me further—— [He is bowed over Consuelo, with lifted arms; he speaks slowly, but in a commanding voice, as if conjuring.] He You see the waves playing. Remember the song of the sirens, their sorrowless song of joy. Their white bodies, shining blue through the blue waters. Or can He [Commandingly]: Remember—Consuelo! Consuelo [Opening her eyes]: No! He, I was feeling so happy, and suddenly I forgot it all. Yet something of it all is still in my heart. Help me again, HE, remind me. It hurts, I hear so many voices. They all sing "Consuelo—Consuelo." What comes after? [Silence; pause.] What comes after? It hurts. Remind me, He. [Silence—in the ring, the music suddenly bursts forth in a tempestuous circus gallop. Silence.] He, [opens her eyes and smiles] that's Alfred galloping. Do you recognize his music? He [With rage]: Leave the boy alone! [Suddenly falls on his knees before Consuelo.] I love you, Consuelo, revelation of my heart, light of my nights, I Consuelo A slap! You forget who you are. [Stands up, with anger in her eyes.] You are He Who Gets Slapped! Did you forget it? Some god! With such a face—slapped face! Was it with slaps they threw you down from heaven, god? He Wait! Don't stand up! I—did not finish the play! Consuelo [Sits]: Then you were playing? He Wait! One minute. Consuelo You lied to me. Why did you play so that I believed you? He I am He Who Gets Slapped! Consuelo You are not angry because I struck you? I did not want to really, but you were so—disgusting. And now you are so funny again. You have great talent, He—or are you drunk? He Strike me again. Consuelo No. He I need it for my play. Strike! Consuelo [Laughs, and touches his cheek with her fingertips]: Here, then! He Didn't you understand that you are a queen, and I a fool who is in love with his queen? Don't you know, Consuelo, that every queen has a fool, and he is always in love with her, and they always beat him for it. He Who Gets Slapped. Consuelo No. I didn't know. He Yes, every queen. Beauty has her fool. Wisdom, too. Oh, how many fools she has! Her court is overcrowded with enamoured fools, and the sound of slaps does not cease, even through the night. But I never received such a sweet slap as the one given by my little queen. [Someone appears at the door. He notices it, and continues to play, making many faces.] Clown He can have no rival! Who is there who could stand such a deluge of slaps, such a hail-storm of slaps, and not get soaked? [Feigns to cry aloud.] "Have pity on me. I am but a poor fool!" [Enter two men: an actor, dressed as a bareback rider, and a gentleman from the audience. He is spare, dressed in black, very respectable. He carries his hat in his hand.] Consuelo [Laughing, embarrassed]: He, there is someone here. Stop! He [Gets up]: Who is it? Who dares to intrude in the castle of my queen? [HE stops, suddenly. Consuelo, laughing, jumps up and runs away, after a quick glance at the gentleman.] Consuelo You cheered me up, He. Good-bye. [At the door] You shall get a note to-morrow. The Bareback Rider [Laughing]: A jolly fellow, sir. You wanted to see him? There he is. He, the gentleman wants to see you. He [In a depressed voice]: What can I do for you? [The actor bows, and goes away, smiling. Both men take a step toward each other.] Gentleman Is this you? He Yes! It is I. And you? [Silence.] Gentleman Must I believe my eyes? Is this you, Mr.—— He [In a rage]: My name here is He. I have no other name, do you hear? He Who Gets Slapped. And if you want to stay here, don't forget it. Gentleman You are so familiar. As far as I can remember—— He We are all familiar, here. [Contemptuously] Besides, that's all you deserve, anywhere. Gentleman [Humbly]: You have not forgiven me, He? [Silence.] He Are you here with my wife? Is she, too, in the circus? Gentleman [Quickly]: Oh, no! I am alone. She stayed there! He You've left her already? Gentleman [Humbly]: No—we have—a son. After your sudden and mysterious disappearance—when you left that strange and insulting letter—— He [Laughs]: Insulting? You are still able to feel insults? What are you doing here? Were you looking for me, or is it an accident? Gentleman I have been looking for you, for half a year—through many countries. And suddenly, to-day—by accident, indeed—I had no acquaintances here, and I went to the circus. We must talk things over ... He, I implore you. [Silence.] He Here is a shadow I cannot lose! To talk things over! Do you really think we still have something to talk over? All right. Leave your address with the porter, and I will let you know when you can see me. Now get out. [Proudly.] I am busy. [The gentleman bows and leaves. HE does not return his bow, but stands with outstretched hand, in the pose of a great man, who shows a boring visitor the door.] Curtain |
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