Produced by Michael Roe and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This book was produced from scanned images of public domain material from the Google Print project.) TRANSCRIBER'S NOTE In the original book, words were emphasized by adding additional space between letters (gesperrt). In this eBook, the emphasized words are marked with *asterisks*. A few printer errors have also been corrected, which are listed at the end of this eBook. PANDORA'S BOX A TRAGEDY IN THREE ACTS BY FRANK WEDEKIND Translated by Samuel A. Eliot, Jr. [Illustration] BONI AND LIVERIGHT NEW YORK 1918 COPYRIGHT, 1914 BY ALBERT AND CHARLES BONI PANDORA'S BOX LULU BY FRANK WEDEKIND ERDGEIST (EARTH-SPIRIT) $1.00 PANDORA'S BOX $1.00 CHARACTERS LULU. ALVA SCHOEN, _writer_. SCHIGOLCH. RODRIGO QUAST, _acrobat_. ALFRED HUGENBERG, _escaped from a reform-school_. COUNTESS GESCHWITZ. BIANETTA. } LUDMILLA STEINHERZ. } MAGELONE. } KADIDIA, _her daughter_. } COUNT CASTI PIANI. } In Act II. PUNTSCHU, _a banker_. } HEILMANN, _a journalist_. } BOB, _a groom_. } A DETECTIVE. } MR. HUNIDEI. } KUNGU POTI, _imperial prince of Uahubee_. } In Act III. DR. HILTI, _tutor_. } JACK. } ACT I _The hall of EARTH-SPIRIT_, Act IV, _feebly lighted by an oil lamp on the centre table. Even this is dimmed by a heavy shade. Lulu's picture is gone from the easel, which still stands by the foot of the stairs. The fire-screen and the chair by the ottoman are gone too. Down left is a small tea-table, with a coffee-pot and a cup of black coffee on it, and an arm-chair next it._ _In this chair, deep in cushions, with a plaid shawl over her knees, sits Countess Geschwitz in a tight black dress. Rodrigo, clad as a servant, sits on the ottoman. At the rear, Alva Schoen is walking up and down before the entrance door._ RODRIGO. He lets people wait for him as if he were a concert conductor! GESCHWITZ. I beg of you, don't speak! RODRIGO. Hold my tongue, with a head as full of thoughts as mine is!--I absolutely can't believe she's changed so awfully much to her advantage there! GESCHWITZ. She is more glorious to look at than I have ever seen her! RODRIGO. God preserve me from founding my life-happiness on your taste and judgment! If the sickness has hit her as it has you, I'm smashed and thru! You're leaving the contagious ward like an acrobat-lady who's had an accident after giving herself up to art. You can scarcely blow your nose any more. First you need a quarter-hour to sort your fingers, and then you have to be mighty careful not to break off the tip. GESCHWITZ. What puts *us* under the ground gives *her* health and strength again.