A Modern Aladdin

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Говард Пайл. A Modern Aladdin

PROLOGUE

ACT I

Scene First. —A street in Flourens, the house of the late Jean Munier, tailor, in the foreground

Scene Second. —Midnight in Flourens; a flood of moonlight falling across the bare and naked street, mystic, colorless

Scene Third. —Paris

Scene Fourth. —The three mysterious rooms

Scene Fifth. —The same

Scene Sixth. —The master's house

THE STORY OF THE MYSTERIOUS CHAMBERS. A MONOLOGUE BY THE MASTER

ACT II

Scene First. —An inn on the road to Flourens

Scene Second. —The Widow Munier's house in Flourens. Not the poor rude hut that Oliver had left her in when he first went to Paris, but the house of the late Doctor Fouchette – the best house in the town. The Widow Munier is discovered sitting at the window, with her face close to the glass, looking down the street expectantly

Scene Third. —The marquis's apartments at the château

Scene Fourth. —The parlor of the house in Flourens

Scene Fifth. —A garden at the Château de Flourens

Scene Sixth. —The marquis's cabinet. The marquis discovered seated at a table, drumming upon it with his fingers, and awaiting the coming of Oliver, who has just been announced. Enter Oliver, carrying a stout iron-bound box, which he deposits upon the table

Scene Seventh. —The Watteau-like garden described before – the trees, the statues, the fountains, the flowers, the river. Mademoiselle Céleste is discovered sitting in the shade, reading, and making just such a picture as the great artist would have painted upon a fan

Scene Eighth. —The marquis's private closet

ACT III. – Paris

Scene First. —Madame de Pompadour's salon

Scene Second. —A room in the Hôtel de Flourens, whither Oliver has been removed after having fainted in madame's salon

Scene Third. —The grand salon of the Hôtel de Flourens; the hour, near midnight. Oliver is discovered walking rapidly and agitatedly up and down the length of the great room, still illuminated by a thousand and one candles

Scene Fourth. —The marquis's dressing-room

ACT IV

Scene First. —The Seine at midnight

Scene Second. —The master's apartments

EPILOGUE

AFTER THE PLAY

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Flourens was a little town lying quite out of the usual route of young English travellers of rich connections making the "grand tour," and so, having nothing to recommend it in itself, was unknown to the great world without – dull, stupid, stagnant. Hardly ever a visitor from that great outside world appeared within the circle of its hopeless isolation. So it was a very strange thing to the town when one morning a great coach, as big as a house, dragged by four horses, with postilions clad in scarlet faced with blue, their legs incased in huge jack-boots, and each with a club queue as thick as his wrist hanging down his back, came whirling, rattling, lumbering, in the midst of a swirling cloud of dust, into the silence of the town. It was twice wonderful when the coach stopped at the inn, and it was thrice wonderful when an odd, lean, wizened little man, evidently the servant, let down the steps and helped a strange gentleman from within. He was a tall, dark gentleman, dressed in black from head to foot – from the black hat with the black feather to the black silk stockings. From the gentleman's shoulder hung a long black cloak trimmed and lined with black fur, and Flourens had never seen his like before. He neither looked to the right nor to the left, but, without saying good or bad to any living soul, he and the odd, lean little servant entered the inn, leaving the crowd that stood without staring and gaping after him. Then the great coach disappeared through the arched gate that led to the stable-yard, but it was a long time before the crowd began to disperse, before the gossiping began to cease, before the cloud of silence and dullness and stagnation settled by degrees upon the town again. How it was maybe an hour and a half, and the last of those who had looked and wondered had gone about their business.

All is quiet, dull, heavily silent again, and in all the bald stretch of road nothing is to be seen but two women gossiping at a gate-way, and a solitary cat upon a garden wall watching two sparrows chirping and fluttering upon the eaves.

.....

"And what then?"

"Then I will make you rich."

.....