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Updated: May 17, 2025
FRAÜLEIN VON SONNSFELD, Lady-in-waiting to the Princess. EVERSMANN, the King's valet. KAMKE, in the Queen's service. ECKHOF, a grenadier. A Lackey in the King's service. Generals, Officers, Court Ladies. Members of the Smoking-Circle. Grenadiers, Lackeys. Scene of action: The Royal Castle of Berlin. First performance, January 1st, 1844, in the Court Theatre in Dresden. A room in the Palace.
One window and four doors. A table and two armchairs on the left of the room. EVERSMANN, taking snuff comfortably. Two Drummers of the Guard. Later FRAÜLEIN VON SONNSFELD. The drummers take up a position near the door to the left, leading to the apartments of the PRINCESS, and execute a roll of the drums. That will do. Yes, yes. We heard it. This is unendurable!
SONNSFELD. Have you a letter for us? Please Your Honor, yes. Please Your Honor, yes. Where is it? Did you take it? What a dreadful country! The general heartlessness penetrates even to the uneducated classes. But how dare the Prince imagine that our sentry could forget all all sense of propriety in this way? Would you not have accepted it? Never! A letter? Through the window!
And now he sends to you from Rheinsberg his friend, the Prince Hereditary of Baireuth, to be a support and protection to you and to the Queen so that here in this Court where they drum, trumpet, and parade all day long, you may not finally, in your despair, seize a musket yourself and join the Potsdam Guards! You have a sense of humor, my dear Sonnsfeld.
But I'm in Berlin not in Rheinsberg, and so I have gathered up my meagre scraps of French and thanked the Prince of Baireuth for his offer in a manner which is far more a refusal than an acceptance. No joking please, Sonnsfeld. It was the only answer I could possibly send to the Prince's tender epistle. Impossible!
And wish that we were merely the Princess of Reuss Schleiz Greiz and Lobenstein! The PRINCESS' room. Attractive, cozy apartment. An open window to the right. Doors centre, right and left. A cupboard, a table. PRINCESS WILHELMINE leans against the window-casing, deep in thought. SONNSFELD sits on the left side of the room, knitting a child's stocking. Hour after hour passes!
SONNSFELD comes in, looks at the Princess as if surprised, speaks after a pause. Your Highness commands? I? Nothing. Your Highness rang? Yes, I did. My mantilla my fan the veil. Your Highness is going out? I am going out. Has Your Highness permission? Permission? Are you beginning to take that tone, too? Fetch the things I want. I am tired of all this.
No one dare approach me who cannot first satisfy the questioning of the Castle Guard. Cannot Laharpe instruct you in the apartments of your, Lady-in-waiting, Fraülein von Sonnsfeld? WILHELMINE. Impossible. In the Queen's rooms, then. Impossible. By Heaven! Do they never leave you alone for one hour? Oh yes, two hours every Sunday in church. But this is appalling!
If the King only knew that she is learning French secretly, and can almost write a polite little note already ! I hear her coming. PRINCESS WILHELMINE comes in, carrying a letter. Can any one hear us? Not unless the walls have ears. Is the letter written? I hardly dare send it, dear Sonnsfeld. I know there are a hundred mistakes in it. A hundred?
He comes-nearer and attempts to join the dance unobserved. Sonnsfeld, that's not right! The three start in alarm. Very nice very pretty indeed! Are these the sayings of Solomon? Music and dancing in my castle by broad daylight? And a Prussian grenadier playing the violin to the prisoner he is set to watch? Pardon, Your Majesty it was we who forced him. Forced him? Forced a soldier?
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