Volume 7 / Act 1 — SCENE VII
Reading edition
A loud knocking, as with a cane, is heard at the centre door.
PRINCE.
Come in.
KING (outside).
Eversmann!
PRINCE.
Now, what's that?
KING (still without, beats the door loudly with his cane).
Eversmann!
PRINCE.
Surely this castle is haunted!
[He slips into the door at the right.]
KING (knocking again, still outside).
Eversmann! Doesn't the fellow hear?
EVERSMANN (coming in hurriedly).
The door is open, Your Majesty. [Goes to centre door, opens it.]
PRINCE (looking in at his door).
Your Majesty? Is that the King?
KING (in corridor but not yet visible).
Eversmann, have you forgotten that this is the day for revising the books?
EVERSMANN.
No, indeed, Your Majesty. I was occupied in balancing the books of Her Majesty the Queen.
QUEEN (comes out from her door, listens timidly).
Was that the King's voice?
KING (outside).
Eversmann, tell the castellan that eleven o'clock is closing hour for my wife's apartment, and that, if I see a light again in her rooms until after midnight, I will come over myself at the stroke of twelve to search into every corner and to discover what political plot is brewing there. You'd better tell my wife yourself, sirrah—so that she may obey orders.
EVERSMANN.
So that she may obey orders.
QUEEN.
Miserable lackey! [Goes out.]
PRINCE (aside).
Will he go now?
KING (outside).
Eversmann!
EVERSMANN.
Your Majesty!
KING.
Now go to my daughter too, the Princess Wilhelmine—
[WILHELMINE opens her door softly.]
EVERSMANN.
To Her Royal Highness—
KING.
And tell her to have a care—this Laharpe—is a rascal.
WILHELMINE (aside).
Laharpe?
PRINCE (aside).
What's that?
KING.
Laharpe is a rascal, I say.
EVERSMANN.
A rascal.
KING.
And tell my daughter that I will teach a lesson to the Crown Prince for sending these French vagabonds here, who pretend to be teachers of the language and are merely ordinary, good-for-nothing wigmakers.
WILHELMINE.
How disgusting!
[She goes out.]
PRINCE (aside).
Wigmakers?
KING (still outside).
And now get back to the books!
EVERSMANN.
At once, Your Majesty.
KING.
Eversmann—one thing more, Eversmann!
EVERSMANN.
Your Majesty?
KING.
If you should see the Prince Hereditary of Baireuth—
PRINCE (aside).
It's my turn now.
KING.
That French windbag who's been hanging about Berlin since yesterday—
PRINCE (aside).
Pleasing description!
EVERSMANN.
I'll tell him Your Majesty will not receive him.
PRINCE (aside).
Rascal!
KING.
No, Eversmann, tell him I have something very important to say to him—something very confidential.
PRINCE (aside).
Confidential? To me?
KING.
Concerning an important and pressing matter.
EVERSMANN.
Oh, yes, I know.
KING.
You know, sirrah? What do you know? You know nothing at all.
EVERSMANN.
I thought—one might guess—
KING.
Guess? What right have you to guess? You're not to guess at all. Understand? Idiot! Shoulder arms, march! [As he goes off a short roll of drums is heard.]
PRINCE (crosses quickly to EVERSMANN).
What do you know? What do you think it is that the King has to say to me?
EVERSMANN.
Oh, Your Highness is still here?
PRINCE.
The King wishes to speak to me. Do you know why? Tell me what you think.
EVERSMANN.
If Your Highness promises not to betray me—I think it concerns a certain affair—between Prussia and Austria.
PRINCE.
Austria?
EVERSMANN.
Arch-Duke Leopold is willing, they say—that is if [with a sly gesture toward the PRINCESS' room] if Princess Wilhelmine—
PRINCE (excited).
The Princess?
EVERSMANN.
Sh! You will probably be chosen to conduct the negotiations between Prussia and—
PRINCE (beside himself).
The Princess is—destined—
EVERSMANN.
To be the future Empress of Austria.
[He goes out into the QUEEN'S room.]
PRINCE (alone).
Empress! Queen! And I—I who love her to desperation, I am to help bring about either of these alliances? That will mean a tragedy or [after a pause he continues more cheerfully]—Courage—courage—it may turn out a comedy after all, as merry a comedy as ever was played at any Royal Court. [He goes out.]