Mary Tudor — Second Day
THE QUEEN
Scene.
--_A room in the royal apartment.
The gospel open on a prie-Dieu.
The royal crown upon a stool.
Side doors.
A large door in the center.
A portion of the background concealed by a large tapestry, representing a grand tournament_ SCENE I
_The Queen, splendidly dressed, reclining upon a couch; Fabiano Fabiani seated on a folding-chair.
Magnificent costume.
The garter_ FABIANI (_a guitar in his hands, singing_).
When you sleep, calm and pure, love, In shadow, 'neath my eyes, And your soft breathing gives my heart Its tenderest replies;
On your sweet form my eyes can feast, Oh, beauty's priceless store!
Then sleep, my beauty, sleep, my love, Sleep on, for evermore!
And when you say, "I love you," In truth, it seems to be As if God's heaven were opening Especially for me.
I see dreams hidden in your eyes That we've not dreamed before;
Then love me, oh, my beauty, Love me for evermore!
You see, the whole of life, dear, Lies in those words, just four-- All things that people envy, All things that men adore, All things that are seductive On which our hearts set store, To sing, to laugh, my beauty, To sleep, to love, no more!
[_He puts down his guitar.
_ Oh, I love you more than I can tell, madame!
But this Simon Renard--this Simon Renard, who is more powerful here than you yourself--I hate him!
THE QUEEN.
I can't help it, my lord; you know that.
He is here as the ambassador of the Prince of Spain, my future husband.
FABIANI.
Your future husband!
THE QUEEN.
Come, my lord, let us not speak of that.
I love you!
What more do you wish?
Moreover, it is time for you to go, now.
FABIANI.
One moment more, Mary!
THE QUEEN.
It is time for the secret council to meet.
Until now, there has been only a woman here.
We must let the Queen enter.
FABIANI.
I wish the woman would keep the Queen waiting at the door.
THE QUEEN.
You wish, do you?
You wish, do you?
Look at me, my lord!
Fabiani, you have a young and beautiful head!
FABIANI.
It is you who are beautiful, madame.
You need only your beauty to be all-powerful.
There is something on your head which tells me you are the Queen; but it is written plainer on your brow than on your crown!
THE QUEEN.
Flatterer!
FABIANI.
I love you!
THE QUEEN.
You love me, do you not?
You love only me?
Say it to me again, just like that, with the same eyes!
Alas!
we poor women, we never know just what is passing in a man's heart.
We have to trust your eyes;
and the handsomest eyes, Fabiani, are often the most false.
But yours, my lord, are so full of loyalty, so full of candor, so full of good faith, they could not deceive, those eyes--could they?
Yes, my beautiful page, your glances are artless and sincere.
Oh, it would be shameful to take such heavenly eyes to betray with!
Your eyes are the eyes either of a devil or an angel!
FABIANI.
Neither angel nor devil.
A man who loves you!
THE QUEEN.
Who loves the Queen?
FABIANI.
Who loves Mary.
THE QUEEN.
Listen to me, Fabiani.
I love you, too.
You are young; there are many beautiful women who smile tenderly on you--I know it.
People get tired of queens as well as of other women.
--Don't interrupt me!
--If you ever fall in love with another woman, I want you to tell me about it.
--Don't interrupt me, dear!
--I may forgive you, if you tell me about it.
You don't know how much I love you.
I don't know myself.
It is true, there are moments when I would rather see you dead than happy with another; but there are also moments when I would rather have you happy.
Indeed, I don't know why they try to make me out such a wicked woman!
FABIANI.
I can only be happy with you, Mary!
I love no one but you!
THE QUEEN.
Are you sure?
Look at me!
Are you sure?
Oh, I am jealous sometimes!
I
imagine--where is the woman who does not think of these things?
--sometimes I imagine that you are false to me.
I would like to be invisible, so that I might follow you, and always know what you are doing, what you are saying, where you are!
In fairy stories they tell about a ring which makes one invisible; I would give my crown to have such a ring as that.
I keep thinking that you go to see the beautiful women in the city.
Oh, you must not deceive me--indeed, you must not!
FABIANI.
Banish such thoughts from your mind, madame.
I false to you, my love, my queen, my kind mistress!
To do that, I would have to be the most thankless, the most miserable of men.
And I have given you no reason to think me the most thankless, the most miserable of men.
I love you, Mary; I adore you!
I could not even look at another woman!
I
love you, I say; but don't you see it in my eyes?
There must be some way to persuade you!
Look at me well!
Do I look like a man who is false?
When a man deceives a woman, you can see it at once.
Women are seldom mistaken about that.
And what a time you choose to tell me these things--the one moment in my life when I love you the most!
It is true, I am sure I never loved you so much as I do to-day.
I am not speaking to the Queen.
What do I care about the Queen?
What can she do to me?
She can have my head cut off; what does that amount to?
You, Mary, can break my heart.
It isn't your sovereignty that I love, it is yourself.
It is your beautiful white and soft hand that I love to kiss; it isn't your scepter, madame.
THE QUEEN.
Thank you, my Fabiano.
Good-by!
Ah, my lord, how young you are!
What beautiful black hair, what a graceful head you have!
Come back to me in an hour.
FABIANI.
What you call an hour, I call a century!
[_He goes out.
As soon as he is gone, The Queen rises hastily, goes to a concealed door, opens it, and ushers in Simon Renard.
_ SCENE II
The Queen, Simon Renard THE QUEEN.
Come in, Sir Bailiff!
Well, did you stay there?
Did you hear him?
SIMON RENARD.
Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
What do you say to it?
Oh, of all men on earth he is the most false, the most deceitful!
What do you say to it?
SIMON RENARD.
I say, madame, that it is plain to be seen his name ends in _i_.
THE QUEEN.
Are you sure that he goes to this woman at night?
Did you see him?
SIMON RENARD.
I myself, Chandos, Clinton, Montague.
Ten witnesses!
THE QUEEN.
Oh, it is indeed infamous!
SIMON RENARD.
The whole affair will be still better proved to the Queen in a short time.
The young woman is here, as I told your Majesty.
I had her brought from her house last night.
THE QUEEN.
Isn't this a sufficient crime for his execution, sir?
SIMON RENARD.
What!
To go to see a pretty girl by night!
Oh, no, madame!
Your Majesty had Frogmorton tried for a similar crime.
Frogmorton was acquitted.
THE QUEEN.
I punished Frogmorton's judges.
SIMON RENARD.
Try not to have to punish Fabiani's judges.
THE QUEEN.
How shall I revenge myself on this traitor?
SIMON RENARD.
Your Majesty wants only a certain kind of revenge?
THE QUEEN.
The only kind worthy of me!
SIMON RENARD.
Frogmorton was acquitted, madame.
There is only one way.
I have explained it to your Majesty.
The man who is there!
THE QUEEN.
Will he do whatever I wish?
SIMON RENARD.
If you do all that he wishes.
THE QUEEN.
Will he give his life?
SIMON RENARD.
He will make his own conditions, but he will give his life.
THE QUEEN.
What does he want?
Do you know?
SIMON RENARD.
What you yourself want--revenge!
THE QUEEN.
Bid him come in, but stay you out there, within call, Sir Bailiff.
SIMON RENARD (_coming back_).
Madame!
THE QUEEN.
Tell my Lord Chandos to hold himself in the next room, with six men of my ordinance, in readiness to appear.
And the woman also, let her be ready to appear.
Go.
[_Simon Renard goes out.
_ Oh!
it would be frightful!
[_The Queen alone.
A side door opens; Simon Renard and Gilbert enter.
_ SCENE III
The Queen, Gilbert, Simon Renard GILBERT.
Before whom do I stand?
SIMON RENARD.
Before the Queen.
GILBERT.
The Queen!
THE QUEEN.
Yes, the Queen.
I am the Queen.
There is no time for astonishment.
You, sir, are Gilbert, a workman, an engraver.
You live somewhere beyond the borders of the river, with a woman named Jane, who is your betrothed, and who deceives you, whose lover is a man named Fabiano, who deceives me.
You want revenge, so do I. In order to get it, I must be able to make any disposition I please of your life.
It is necessary that you should say what I command you to say, no matter what it is.
For you, there must be no longer either false or true, good or bad, justice or injustice--nothing but my vengeance and my will.
I shall require you to let me act, and to let yourself be acted upon.
Do you consent?
GILBERT.
Madame-- THE QUEEN.
You shall have your revenge; but I warn you, it will cost you your life--that is all.
Make your conditions.
If you have an old mother and you want her tablecloth covered with ingots of gold, speak, I will do it.
Sell me your life as dear as you please.
GILBERT.
I am no longer willing to die, madame.
THE QUEEN.
What!
GILBERT.
I have been thinking about it all night.
Nothing is proved yet.
I saw a man who boasted that he was Jane's lover.
How do I know that he did not lie?
I saw a key!
How do I know that he did not steal it?
I saw a letter!
How do I know that she was not forced to write it?
I don't even know whether it was her writing; it was dark, I was excited, I could not see.
I can't give up my life, which is her life, like that.
I don't believe any of it, I am not sure of any of it, I have not seen Jane!
THE QUEEN.
It is easy to see that you love.
You are like me, you refuse all the proofs.
But if you see her, your Jane, if you hear her confess the crime, will you do what I wish?
GILBERT.
Yes, upon one condition.
THE QUEEN.
Tell it to me afterward.
[_To Simon Renard.
_] Bring this woman here at once.
[_Simon Renard goes out.
The Queen places Gilbert behind a curtain which covers part of the background of the apartment.
_ Stand there!
[_Jane enters, pale and trembling.
_ SCENE IV
_The Queen; Jane; Gilbert behind the curtain_ THE QUEEN.
Approach, young woman.
You know who we are?
JANE.
Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
You know who is the man who seduced you?
JANE.
Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
He deceived you.
He passed himself off for a nobleman called Amyas Pawlet?
JANE.
Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
You know now that it is Fabiano Fabiani, Earl of Clanbrassil?
JANE.
Yes, madame.
THE QUEEN.
Last night, when they seized you in your house, you had given him a rendezvous, you were waiting for him?
JANE (_wringing her hands_).
Heavens, madame!
THE QUEEN.
Answer!
JANE (_with feeble voice_).
Yes.
THE QUEEN.
You understand that there is no more hope, neither for him nor for you?
JANE.
Nothing but death!
That is a hope!
THE QUEEN.
Tell me all about it.
Where did you meet this man first?
JANE.
The first time I saw him was-- But what is the use?
A poor wretched girl of the people, frivolous and vain, in love with jewels and fine clothes, a girl dazzled with the handsome looks of a great lord--that is all.
I am seduced, I am dishonored, I am lost.
There is nothing to add to that.
