The Princess of Bagdad: A Play In Three Acts

And your son?

Lionnette

My son, I would not have him die with us, it is very evident. But my son is six years old; he could still be brought up otherwise than I was. One could instil in him habits of work, and ordinary tastes, that I never had. There are 10,000 francs income from his father and the heirship inalienable; it would be misery for us, but independence for him. Men have no want of money, they only want it for their wives. It will be his duty not to love a prodigal like myself, and perhaps our example will be a warning for him.

Richard

Very well. Now that we have well talked over, or rather you have well talked over, the useless and senseless, let us speak about the possible. Is it long since you have seen the Baroness de Spadetta?

Lionnette

I see women as little as possible, my dear Richard, as you know well. Those who would come to me, I do not wish to see; others have had an air of making me feel their visits too great an honour. Let them stay at home; every one is free. Women, besides, are for other women nothing but enemies or accomplices. As to enemies, I have enough of them out-of-doors, without attracting them to my house; as to accomplices, I have not yet required any, and I hope to continue so. I content myself with the society of men; at least with them one knows what to adhere to, one knows quite well what they desire. But as to Madame Spadetta, that speaks for itself: she robbed me, and I turned her out, or nearly so. In any case, I want to see her no more.

Richard

She robbed you! In what way?

Lionnette

She knew my mother from my infancy: she was sometimes the mediator of my mother and myself with my father on matters of business, as she occupied an important place about him. A short time before his death my father said to me, "If I should die, Madame de Spadetta will remit you 1,500,000 francs." My father could leave me nothing in an official and public will, but he was incapable of telling me a thing like that if it were not true. There was left to Madame de Spadetta 2,000,000, with this note: "I am sure that Madame de Spadetta will make good use of that sum." It is clear. She kept the whole; it was easy to do.

John

You have never spoken to me of that.

Lionnette

What good would it have done?

John

Have you claimed that amount from her?

Lionnette

Certainly. She denied it.

John (to Richard)

You might follow it up.

Richard

No; it is trust-money. The law does not recognize it, and besides…

Lionnette

I have only my word to support what I say. Madame de Spadetta replied to me that what my father had left her was in remuneration for services that her husband and she had rendered my father for thirty years. The truth is, that out of these two millions there were five hundred thousand francs for what she calls her services, and fifteen hundred thousand francs for me. It is for that that I turned her out of doors.

Richard

Knowing that I have the care of your affairs, she came to find me out…

Lionnette

To…

Richard

To offer you five hundred thousand francs.

Lionnette

On the part of whom? for she is a person equal to any kind of embassy.

Richard

On the part of your father's family.

Lionnette

What does she demand in return?..

Richard

The giving up…

Lionnette

Of all my father's letters.

Richard

Yes; you knew it?

Lionnette

I suspected it, from a few words she said to me. I refuse to do so.

Richard

Your mother, before she died, handed over, for a much less important amount, all the letters that she also possessed from your father.

Lionnette

My mother did as she pleased; I, too, shall do as I please; and, as my mother is dead, I refrain from saying all I think.

Richard