The Stepmother, A Drama in Five Acts

Автор

Оноре де Бальзак

Жанр

Зарубежная классика

Год написания книги

2017

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Ferdinand

To-morrow! To-morrow! But where will you conceal them?

Pauline

I shall keep them about me.

Ferdinand

Good! Farewell!

Pauline

Oh no, not yet!

Ferdinand

A moment more may ruin us.

Pauline Or unite us for life. Come, let me show you out, I shall not rest until I see you in the garden. Come!

Ferdinand Let me take one more glance at this maiden chamber, in which you will think of me – where all things speak of you.

(Scene curtain.)

SCENE ELEVENTH

(The drawing-room before described.)

Pauline on the veranda; Gertrude at the door of the room.

Gertrude

She is seeing him out! He has been deceiving me! So has she! (Taking

Pauline by the hand, she leads her to the front of the stage.) Will you dare tell me, now, mademoiselle, that you do not love him?

Pauline

Madame, I am deceiving no one.

Gertrude

You are deceiving your father.

Pauline

And you, madame?

Gertrude

So both of you are against me – Oh, I shall —

Pauline

You shall do nothing, either against me or against him.

Gertrude Do not compel me to show my power! You must be obedient to your father, and – he is obedient to me.

Pauline

We shall see!

Gertrude (aside) Her coolness makes my blood boil. My brain reels! (Aloud) Do you know that I would rather die than live without him?

Pauline And so would I, madame. But I am free. I have not sworn as you have to be faithful to a husband – And your husband is my father!

Gertrude (kneeling before Pauline) What have I done to you? I have loved you, I have educated you, I have been a good mother to you.

Pauline

Be a faithful wife, and I will say no more.

Gertrude

Nay! Speak! Say all you like – Ah! the struggle has begun.

SCENE TWELFTH

The same persons and the General.

The General

How is this? What is going on here?

Gertrude (to Pauline) You must feign sickness. Come lie down. (She makes her lie down.) I happened, my dear, to hear moans. Our dear child was calling for help; she was almost suffocated by the flowers in her bedroom.

Pauline Yes, papa, Marguerite had forgotten to take away the vase of flowers, and I almost died.

Gertrude

Come, my daughter, come into the open air.

(Gertrude and Pauline go towards the door.)

The General

Stay a moment. What have you done with the flowers.