The Dramas of Victor Hugo: Mary Tudor, Marion de Lorme, Esmeralda Part 32

The Queen, Master Eneas

THE PEOPLE (_outside_).

Death to Fabiani! Fabiani! Fabiani!

THE QUEEN.

Whose head is worth most at this moment, do you think--Fabiani's or yours?

MASTER ENEAS.

Madame!

THE QUEEN.

You are a traitor!

MASTER ENEAS.

Madame! [_Aside._] The devil!

THE QUEEN.

No explanations! I swear by my mother, if Fabiano dies, you die!

MASTER ENEAS.

But, madame--

THE QUEEN.

Save Fabiano, and you save yourself--not otherwise!

THE PEOPLE.

Death to Fabiani! Fabiani!

MASTER ENEAS.

Save the Earl of Clanbra.s.sil? But the people are out there! It is impossible! By what means?

THE QUEEN.

Find some!

MASTER ENEAS.

What could I do?

THE QUEEN.

Do what you would for yourself.

MASTER ENEAS.

The people will keep armed until after the execution. To satisfy them, somebody must be beheaded!

THE QUEEN.

Anybody you please.

MASTER ENEAS.

Anybody I please? Wait, madame! The execution will be at night, by torchlight; the criminal covered with a black veil, gagged; the people kept a long way from the scaffold by the pike-men, the same as always. It is enough, if the people see a head fall. The thing is possible. If only the boatman is there yet! I told him not to hurry.

[_He goes to the window which overlooks the Thames._

There he is, but we're just in time!

[_He leans out of the window, a torch in his hand, waving his handkerchief, then he turns to The Queen._

All right! I will answer for Lord Fabiani, madame!

THE QUEEN.

On your head?

MASTER ENEAS.

On my head!

THIRD DAY

PART II

Scene.--_A hall or room into which lead two staircases, one ascending and the other descending. The entrance to each of these staircases fills a portion of the back of the stage. The one which ascends ends at the frieze; the one which descends ends underneath--neither the beginning nor the end is visible_

_The room is draped with black in a peculiar fas.h.i.+on. The wall on the right, the wall on the left, and the ceiling are covered with a black cloth on which is a large white cross; the background, which faces the spectator, with a white cloth and large black cross. These black and white draperies continue until they are lost to sight under the staircases. To the right and to the left, there is an altar draped with black and white, decorated as if for a funeral. Tall candles. No priests. A few funeral lamps, hanging here and there from the vaulted roof, light the room and the staircases feebly. What really lights the room is the great white cloth in the background, through which a reddish light s.h.i.+nes as if there were a fiery furnace behind. The room is paved with tombstones. As the curtain rises, the motionless figure of The Queen is seen in black outline on this transparent cloth_

Scene I

_Jane, Joshua. They enter cautiously through a little door behind the black draperies, which they push aside_

JANE.