The German Classics of the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries Volume Vii Part 18

THE QUEEN, _his wife._

PRINCESS WILHELMINE, _their daughter_.

THE PRINCE HEREDITARY OF BAIREUTH

GENERAL VON GRUMBKOW } COUNT SCHWERIN } _Councilors and Confidants of the King._ COUNT WARTENSLEBEN }

COUNT SECKENDORF, _Imperial Amba.s.sador_

BARONET HOTHAM, _Envoy of Great Britain_

FRAU VON VIERECK

FRAU VON HOLZENDORF

_The Queen's Ladies_.

FRAuLEIN VON SONNSFELD, _Lady-in-waiting to the Princess._

EVERSMANN, _the King's valet_.

KAMKE, _in the Queen's service_.

ECKHOF, _a grenadier_.

_A Lackey in the King's service. Generals, Officers, Court Ladies.

Members of the Smoking-Circle. Grenadiers, Lackeys_.

_Scene of action: The Royal Castle of Berlin_.

_First performance, January 1st, 1844, in the Court Theatre in Dresden_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE POTSDAM GUARD ADOLPH VON MENZEL]

SWORD AND QUEUE

ACT I

SCENE I

_A room in the Palace. One window and four doors. A table and two armchairs on the left of the room._

EVERSMANN, _taking snuff comfortably. Two Drummers of the Guard._

_Later_ FRAuLEIN VON SONNSFELD.

_The drummers take up a position near the door to the left, leading to the apartments of the_ PRINCESS, _and execute a roll of the drums_.

FRAuLEIN VON SONNSFELD (_opens the door and looks in_).

That will do.

[_The drummers play a second roll_.]

SONNSFELD (_looks in again_).

Yes, yes. We heard it.

[EVERSMANN _gives the sign again and the drummers play a third long roll_.]

SONNSFELD (_comes out angrily, speaks when the noise has subsided_).

This is unendurable! It is enough to ruin one's nerves--left wheel--march--out with you to the parade ground where you be long! [_The drummers march out still playing. When the noise can no longer be heard she continues_.] Eversmann, you ought to be ashamed of yourself. You should remind the King of the respect due to ladies.

EVERSMANN.

I obey my royal master's orders, ma'am. And inasmuch as late rising is a favorite vice of the youth of today, it has been ordered that the reveille be played at six o'clock every morning before the doors of the royal Princes and Princesses.

SONNSFELD.

Princess Wilhelmine is no longer a child.

EVERSMANN.

Her morning dreams are all the sweeter for that reason.

SONNSFELD.

Dreams of our final release--of despair--of death--

EVERSMANN.

Or possibly dreams of marriage--and the like--

SONNSFELD.

Have a care, Eversmann! The Crown Prince has won his freedom at last; he is keeping a most exact record of all that happens in Berlin and in the immediate environment of his severe father. It is well known that you influence the King more than do his ministers.

EVERSMANN.

If the poetic fancy of our Crown Prince, who, by the way, is my devoted young friend Fritz, cannot see the truth more clearly than that, then I have little respect for the imaginative power of poets. I--and influence? I twist His Majesty's stately pigtail every morning, clip his fine manly beard, fill his cozy little Dutch pipe for him each evening--and if in the course of these innocent employments His Most Sacred Majesty lets fall a hint, a remark--a little command possibly--why--naturally--