Lover's Prayer Page #5

---

the Queen. She is tall and graceful.

Upon her locks is set a diadem of gold.

They all throng about

her and flatter her.

And she likes flattery?

He will interrupt all the time.

And who doesn't like flattery?

As the ball proceeds,

the Queen ignores her guests.

She gazes into the garden.

She thinks, you all throng round me.

You are all ready to die at

my feet, you are my slaves.

But there, by the fountain,

by the plashing water

he whose slave I am awaits me.

No one knows him, but he waits me.

Sure that I shall come.

No power on earth can stop me

when I want to be with him

in the darkness of the garden.

And then as the Queen

rushes into the garden,

do we not see the Queen's imbecile

page trailing along, carrying her train?

I never gave your excellency

the right to be insolent.

And therefore, I must ask you to leave.

- I protest. I beg you.

- The Princess is right.

I did not suppose, I never imagined.

Well, surely there was

nothing in my words that

I wouldn't remotely

think of insulting you.

Please forgive me.

I am showing you the door. Good night.

Who is he?

These words seemed to stand

before my eyes in the darkness.

At whom, at what could

she have been hinting?

Look, Dad! Look at the colt.

This one's my favorite.

- How many have you got now?

- I've got five.

I'm not your wife anymore.

I don't want to live with you.

We have sinned against you, Vesya.

We have grievously sinned

against you and against God.

Forgive us, for Christ's sake.

Mashenka, it is your solemn duty

to wash your husband's feet and

drink the dirty water as penance.

Monsieur Le Page.

Delighted to see you.

What is your lovely queen doing?

Are you still annoyed?

You really shouldn't be.

After all, it was Zinaida

who called you a page.

They're usually to be found with queens.

But let me tell you that you're not

carrying out your duties at all well.

And why is that?

Pages ought never to

leave their mistress' side.

Pages should know everything

their mistresses do.

They should watch

them day and night.

- What do you mean by that?

- Yes, what do you mean by it?

Mean by it? Day and night.

In the daytime it is light, and

there are lots of people about.

But night, that's when

anything may happen.

Keep watch. Watch with all your might.

I shall show the whole world, and Zinaida

too, that I know the meaning of revenge.

I thought I heard

the creak of a door opening,

then the faint sound

of a snapping twig.

There was a sound, quite distinct

of footsteps in the garden.

They were carrying towards me.

Here he is. Whoever he is,

he is here at last, I thought.

Oh, God, it was my father.

What is all this? A dream?

A chance coincidence?

The ideas which suddenly entered

my head were so new and strange

I did not dare let myself dwell on them.

Good afternoon.

Here, my dear Woldemar,

is a friend for you.

He is called Victor, my little brother.

Please get to like him.

He is still a wild, shy little thing

but he has a kind heart.

Show him the Neskootchny

Gardens. Take him for walks.

- You will do it, won't you? You will.

- Yes, of course.

Go on, children,

give one another a hug.

I'll take you to

the Gardens if you like.

Very kind of you, I am sure.

Hadn't you better unbutton your collar?

No, thanks. We're quite used to it.

Pardon me.

- Today am I only a little boy to you?

- What's the matter? What is it?

I know everything. I know.

Why did you play with me?

I am guilty before you.

I am terribly guilty.

I have so much in me

that is dark, evil, wicked.

But now I am not playing with you.

I love you.

And you haven't an inkling

why and how much I love you.

But anyway, what is it that you know?

What could I tell her?

She gazed at me, and here I was,

utterly hers from head to foot.

She did exactly what she liked with me.

What? You lie! Don't you, you've got...

Act as though you deserve to be treated

with respect, I'll treat you with respect!

With what you've been doing!

- Where is my father?

- What right...?

My instructions are to seat you alone.

- You lied all the time.

- I've lied?

I just never understood

that. You have lied for years!

- Shut up, will you!

- You sit there!

How can you sit there after

what you have done? I know you.

You're a disgusting cheat,

yes, you are. You're a liar!

You're a sneaky bastard.

You and your whore next door.

Don't exaggerate, please.

No boring hysterics.

Just die, can't you? Just die!

God should snuff you out for

your lies, your hypocrisy!

What lies? You're full

of conjecture and fear.

You smell of it! You've never

understood me, have you?

Fear? Of course I've got

fear in me, for God's sake.

Because you have lied

all of our marriage.

When did I lie? You're

constantly calling me a liar.

You keep me in a cage. I feel like.

There's been a letter.

Otherwise these things should

never come into the open.

- Was there really a letter?

- Yes, sir, there was.

Not that your father wasn't

careful, just as you were, sir.

Forgive me, sir, in the garden.

But the servants come to

know these things, you see.

It can't be done

without servants either.

There's always something

you can't do without.

Hiring a carriage, things like that.

She's locked you up!

You're twitching like a fool!

You think it's passion?

It isn't. It's money.

What a charming fraud.

Is she calling it a loan?

What money? Who on earth

are you talking about?

That vulgar old princess! Fool!

Now we see, you burnt out old hag!

- Bastard!

- You're an old toad!

- Devil!

- Now we see what you're really made of.

- I have it in a letter. All of it.

- What all of it is that?

Zinaida! The loan to

her mother. All of it!

God, how could you be so stupid?

I told you she was une femme capable

de tout. You see? I know everything.

- Give it to me.

- What are you?

For your own sake,

give me that letter.

Zinaida was your mother's name,

wasn't it? I'd forgotten that.

You know I can hurt

you and very badly.

Come on then, kill me!

Stop! Stop frightening her!

Don't you hurt my mother!

Stop it, I will!

- Oh, gosh.

- Be quiet. Leave this room!

- Are you in love with her?

- Yes, perhaps.

I know you want to see her. I know she's

there. No doubt, she likes to see you too.

But listen to me. I'm going to ask you

to do something very brave and manly.

I want you to grow up if you can, quite

suddenly, and in a really unusual way.

And not see her. Can

you do that, Vladimir?

Yes, I can.

Won't you sit down.

Vladimir.

Love between a man and a woman is

a Lord of most terrible countenance.

It seemed to me all was ended.

In one swoop, all my flowers

were torn up by the roots

and lay about me, scattered,

broken, trampled underfoot.

Dimitry, make preparation for our return

to Moscow. We are moving back to town.

Do everything quietly

and without any haste.

Vladimir.

I want you to go to

that Princess and tell her.

Tell her?

Send her my compliments,

Rate this script:0.0 / 0 votes