Читать книгу The Mad Marquis - Александр Дюма - Страница 6
ОглавлениеACT I
The action takes place in Versailles in a hotel near the palace.
A rich salon—a toilette and a sofa.
ADELAIDE
My God, auntie—how beautiful your toilette is.
COUNTESS (seated at her toilette)
My child, one does not present oneself before a king as if in the home of a plebian, and the court of Louis XV is cited for its grace and elegance.
ADELAIDE
All that is quite fine, but I regret that my cousin left the Château of Brunoy to come settle in Versailles.
COUNTESS (rising)
These are the regrets of your age; ambition has not yet awakened in your heart. Besides, my child, the possessor of the titles and the fortunes of a family has duties to fulfill. Let a simple bourgeois live ignored on his property if he has any, but one must appear in court, when at twenty-five one is handsome like your cousin, when one can cast to echo in a palace the name of the Marquis de Brunoy, king’s secretary, councilor—house crowned by France—and with his finances.
ADELAIDE
When my aunt pronounces those names, her heels double in height.
COUNTESS
And besides, this young man belongs to me, he is of my nobility, this son of my sister. His father, recently ennobled, only obtained our alliance through favor of a considerable fortune which has only increased; at his death, my nephew found himself rich with forty millions—with that he could pretend to the greatest alliance and render his blazon complete. Young, brilliant—what a career offers itself to his sight. Gold already enriched his father. For him, glory can increase his riches, however obscure his situation may be. But to see his nobility increase, there must be dazzling deeds.
(two servants appear)
ADELAIDE
Here’s my cousin coming this way.
MARQUIS
My aunt, my dear cousin.
COUNTESS
God, my friend—how nice you look. Ah, let me admire you at my ease.
MARQUIS
And you, Adelaide, how do you like me?
ADELAIDE
Marvelous for a courtier.
MARQUIS
Come on, now my tests begin already. I find myself situated, first of all between vanity and philosophy!
COUNTESS
You are going to see the court and all our great ladies.
ADELAIDE (sighing)
And all the great ladies.
COUNTESS
Up till now, relegated to a country estate you must force yourself to take the air and the tone of our brilliant youth.
MARQUIS
Ah, I’ve already frequented our fashionable young folks, and now at the recital, the role of a man of my sort—get up at noon, dress in the ravishing creations of a dream enchanter, to find oneself face to face with a hair-dresser who will envelop you in the atmosphere of odorous powder, and sets himself to render you the coolness of the morn, to let oneself fall softly into the hands of valets, who load you down with velours and lace, judge their cleverness in pressing the fold of a shirt-frill under your finger loaded with diamonds—at lunch to find yourself with rich friends in pleasant parties, to pass in review the deeds of the day—the Abbé de Voisenon, Madame Favart, and Marshal de Saxe—dine with the Prince of Warsaw, in the evening to play comedy with folks of quality, to sup at a cabaret, to sleep at two in the morning, the next day to be present at a hunt of the sovereign, to launch a bullet in the neck of a goat, and swear by the great gods that the King hit it—to admire his beautiful outfit on horse, to display wit with men, grace with the women—that’s what a marquis of twenty-five must do, and you will see auntie, if I don’t acquit myself marvelously.
COUNTESS
Now that ravishes me.
ADELAIDE
As for me, it pains me.
MARQUIS
I already have a large number of friends. How not to be refined by our epoch in which the bankruptcy of law made deep impressions. I come surrounded by gold; my carriages are admired by all—hardly do they mention in Paris a new furnishing, which has already changed—There’s a crowd each day in my salons to find out who will be at my little supper.
ADELAIDE
That they accept and don’t show up at—
COUNTESS
What do you know about it, Miss?
MARQUIS
As to that, Auntie, she’s right. For the rest, here’s my plan: In our château at Brunoy, my education is divided into two parts. You, Auntie, carefully inspired a love of etiquette in me, as well as respect for our ancient chivalry. For his part, my father taught me to meditate on the philosophers of our time—Rousseau, Diderot, d’Alembert—
COUNTESS
Eh, what names you are saying there.
MARQUIS
Don’t be afraid—these gentlemen attack each other and our titles, and would like to overthrow us.
COUNTESS
The mountebanks.
MARQUIS
I have measured their weapons—and most are dangerous because they are just. Here’s my plan: to raise up the idol they wish to strike down—to deliver my gold to young people of the court to attach them to my following.
COUNTESS
Do you want to ruin yourself?
MARQUIS
To enrich myself with the advice and the example of our illustrious ones, strong from their experience, to dominate my disciples, to make them adopt reason under the mantle of pleasure, to gently vanquish their frivolity which must ruin us, to propose virtue for future old age. Thus I shall save the nobility and the monarchy. That’s my goal. I didn’t come to Versailles to unfurl my pride there. I came as a man who loves his country. Nobility doesn’t consist merely to display it’s pomp in the panels of a carriage—its true place is in the court! Lead me there, Auntie, I am ready to follow you.
COUNTESS (aside)
He’s got an exaltation in ideas which will ruin him.
MARQUIS
Well, Adelaide, are you still annoyed to see me at the court?
ADELAIDE
I would prefer to see you with us.
MARQUIS
I will return often.
SERVANT (announcing)
The carriage is ready.
COUNTESS
Let’s leave, nephew.
(The Marquis gives his arm to the Countess and they leave.)
ROSINE
Come on, Miss. Once the Marquis is installed at court, solitude is promised to us. We shall return to Brunoy.
ADELAIDE
Ah, my God! What a sad place. How bored I’m going to be there.
ROSINE
You call the most beautiful estate in France a sad place?
ADELAIDE
Yes, it’s true, but despite all sorts of magnificence, I don’t see my cousin that I love so much.
ROSINE
And what about him—does he love you?
ADELAIDE
I will confide in you, but you mustn’t tell anyone, because a young lady isn’t supposed to seek to know such things.—I think he loves me a little.
ROSINE
In that case, what are you worried about?
ADELAIDE
What am I worried about? Think that he will be far from me at the court—that he’ll see all the great ladies—some are so pretty. Madame du Barry, for example.
ROSINE
You don’t know her.
ADELAIDE
It’s all the same. They say such bad things about her that it scare me. And if all the bad things are true, Madame du Barry must be very beautiful.
FAT JOHN (outside)
Ah, fine, for goodness sake! So this is the way they receive me. Ah, nice! It’s real nice!
ADELAIDE
Why isn’t that the voice of Fat John?
ROSINE
Yes, it’s really him, Miss—the milk-brother of the Marquis. He’s coming from Brunoy.
FAT JOHN
Ah—this is the way my milk-brother shows me friendship.
ADELAIDE
Hello, Fat John, hello, my friend.
FAT JOHN
I’m indeed your servant, Miss Adelaide—very good day, Miss Rosine, if I’d known—heck, I wouldn’t have come to Versailles.
ROSINE
What’s wrong with you Fat John, you’re all ruffled up?
FAT JOHN
What’s wrong with me? You see, they were saying in the village that the Marquis was going to see the King. In the country they call me imbecile, they say I’ll never amount to anything. Right, I said to myself—you will see. So I got all dressed up to come see your cousin, that my mother nursed when I was young—he’ll refuse me nothing. Hey, a man with the same milk as me.
ADELAIDE
And what do you want with him?
FAT JOHN
So as to make my fortune, I wanted him to bring me with him to the court.
ADELAIDE
Ha, ha, ha. That’s a great idea.
FAT JOHN
No so great. Not at all. I arrived downstairs, I found him with the Countess, his aunt—who was climbing into the carriage. Would you believe he didn’t want to let me go with him? To make my fortune—he refused my hand saying I was going to soil his cuffs.
ADELAIDE and ROSINE (laughing)
Ha, ha, ha.
FAT JOHN
Why, it’s nothing to laugh about. It’s all very sad. It’s the height of ingratitude—because, once again, my mother nursed him—to my detriment—because I would easily have consumed all, and by relation to him, I remained famished.
Not that I reproach him—But when small I was his brother. The Marquis, I feel, was my equal on my mother’s breast. Now that wine is our thing, we can, after a meal, drink from the same bottle without shame, because, when we were nursing, we drank from the same source.
ADELAIDE
Console yourself, my poor lad—he’s going to see you at Brunoy, and make peace with you.
FAT JOHN
I don’t care if he stays here or goes there. So long as you be near us, Miss Adelaide—you are our angel of all trades.
ADELAIDE
Don’t worry Fat John, we will leave together.
(loud noise)
ROSINE
What’s that uproar?
ADELAIDE
It’s my aunt! How agitated she seems.
FAT JOHN
I would also have done well to stay home.
(The Countess comes in and collapses on a sofa.)
ADELAIDE
Auntie, my dear auntie!
COUNTESS
Isn’t it a frightful dream that pursues me?
FAT JOHN (aside)
She thinks she’s dreaming.
ADELAIDE
Auntie, what’s happened?
COUNTESS
A terrible event! A scene that may annihilate all my hopes.
(The Baron enters)
Ah, Baron you are our friend, our relative—The Marquis?
BARON
His action has put the palace into an uproar—one would say a riot of courtiers.
COUNTESS
What’s he done?
BARON
I don’t know. Surrounded by a group of young lords he left the Château.
COUNTESS
Ah—our family is ruined.
(The Baroness enters)
COUNTESS
Well, Madame?
BARONESS
The King doesn’t know yet, and maybe we will succeed in stifling the scandal, but the nephew of d’Aigueville disappeared at the same time as the Marquis. They’re talking of a duel—and if they are not met in time by our friends, we must expect the greatest misfortune.
FAT JOHN
Here he is! It’s him! He looks furious—
(The Marquis enters and lets himself fall into an armchair. His right hand is wrapped in a kerchief soaked in blood.)
MARQUIS
The wretches! The proud ones!
COUNTESS
Nephew!
ADELAIDE
Cousin!
MARQUIS
Well, Auntie, here it is—this court you were on fire to lead me to. What deception! What deception! As for me, who dreamed only of their glory! I arrived in their midst. Jealous of the favor that was accorded me by the sovereign, they rushed to humiliate me. They reproached me for the birth of my father. And I heard buzzing in my ear in a humiliating manner, the name Nicholas Tuyau! And who outraged me? A Duke d’Aigueville, a kin of ours. My hand, ready before my sword, avenged the insult he gave me.
COUNTESS
Great God!
(she sit down on the sofa)
MARQUIS
I slipped out, in the midst of tumult, followed by the Duke d’Aigueville and two gentlemen. “So, gentlemen, according to you, my father was a rustic—but I am noble by mother. In my turn, draw your swords.” In a moment, I gave two lessons. The third, I received.
ADELAIDE
You are wounded?
MARQUIS
It’s nothing. Just a scratch.
COUNTESS (rising)
You are wounded?
MARQUIS
Yes, Auntie—wounded in the hand. I reproached them for their infamy, reminded them of the friendship they had for my dinners—my parties. Their tenderness after an orgy—the equality of a cabaret. “The equality of a cabaret,” responded the most frank of my three adversaries. I should have remembered that the cabaret was very far from Versailles. I will take note. Oh, I’ll avenge myself on them.
COUNTESS
You will fall under their blows.
MARQUIS
No more duels! There are three to say that I am not a coward.—I want a different art of war. They reject me—these men that I wanted to love. I will find virtues to choke their vices. I wanted to regenerate them—I renounce them. The people blind in their love as in their hate still regard them as demi-gods. I will destroy this cult by showing them up close. It’s painful if they are scorned by the valet who penetrates the depths of their boudoirs—he who sees only the remains of their excesses. The dregs of their clothes—There are other people who don’t know them—those of the public square—because these noble lords never go on foot.—Well, it’s there I will install the Marquis de Brunoy, advisor, secretary of the King—
COUNTESS
Nephew, you are going to make me die!
ADELAIDE
Cousin, calm down.
FAT JOHN
Appease yourself, my little milk-brother.
MARQUIS
Come closer, Fat Jean
(offers him his hand)
I’ve just soiled myself with courtiers, I need to shake the hand of a man. You will never leave me anymore.
COUNTESS
What’s he say?
MARQUIS (to servants)
Sell all my furniture in Paris for a cheap price. Whatever you can get. Pictures, glasses, tapestry to whoever wants them. What cannot be sold—destroy.—Bring my carriage around.
COUNTESS
My friend, my nephew, what are you going to do?
MARQUIS
Auntie, don’t try to restrain me. My decision is unchanged. Fat John, come with me.
FAT JOHN
Right away. Where are we going?
MARQUIS
To Brunoy.
FAT JOHN
To Brunoy—what!
CHORUS
Calm, calm this vengeful mind. I hope to do it. All these new plans will never obtain success.
(A servant assists the Marquis to put on his cloak. Fat Jean and The Marquis leave.)
C U R T A I N
