The Princess of Bagdad: A Play In Three Acts

The Princess of Bagdad: A Play In Three Acts
Alexandre Dumas

Alexandre Dumas

The Princess of Bagdad: A Play In Three Acts

DRAMATIS PERSONÆ

JOHN DE HUN.

NOURVADY.

GODLER.

RICHARD.

TRÉVELÉ.

A Commissary of Police.

LIONNETTE.

RAOUL DE HUN (six years).

A Lady's-Maid.

A Nurse.

ANTHONY.

A Footman.

A Secretary of the Commissary of Police.

Two Agents.

ACT I

A large and very elegant drawing-room, looking out on a garden. French window with balcony at the lower extremity to the right. To the left a conservatory. To the right a door opening into the apartment of Lionnette. To the left a door opening into the apartment of John.

Scene I

RICHARD, The Footman; afterwards JOHN and LIONNETTE

The Footman (to Richard, who waits sitting near a table, turning over some papers.)

The Count de Hun is here.

John enters; the Footman goes out

John

I am quite at your service, Master Richard, but I regret that you have inconvenienced yourself to come.

Richard

Not at all; I live about two steps from here, and every evening, after my dinner, I take a short walk. Only, I am in a frock-coat, and you have friends.

John

Men only, some club friends. Lionnette is with them in the conservatory.

Richard

Muster all the courage of which you are master.

John

We are ruined?

Richard

Yes.

John

Poor Lionnette!

Richard

Alas! It is a little her fault.

John

It is the fault of her mother, who reared her in luxury and without order. It is my fault, too, who was not as rich as my love; who not only never knew how to refuse her anything, but who did not even allow her time to wish for it; who told her to buy whatever she might wish for.

Richard

And who also gave her by power of attorney – serious imprudence! – the right of buying, selling, of disposing of her property, and, in consequence, of yours, as it seemed fit to her. You owe one million, a hundred and seven thousand, one hundred and twenty-seven francs, fifty-two centimes. When I say, you owe, that is a figure of speech; your wife owes. In that amount there are only thirty-eight thousand francs of your own personal debts, and for which personally you have to be responsible, as you were married under the system of "separation of property."

John

I authorised my wife to make debts, these debts then are mine. In other words, as she has no money, it is I who have to pay. What are my assets?

Richard

There is this house in which we are, which is worth eight hundred thousand francs when one does not want to sell it, but which would be worth from five hundred and fifty to five hundred and eighty thousand, the moment one is obliged to part with it; it is mortgaged for four hundred and fifty thousand francs… Then there are the horses, the furniture, the laces, the jewels…

John