Pandora's Box: A Tragedy in Three Acts — John Shaqi
Pandora's Box: A Tragedy in Three ActsWedekind, Frank
General
Pandora's Box: A Tragedy in Three Acts
Wedekind, Frank
German drama -- Translations into English; Tragedies (Drama)
CASTI-PIANI. Toms and Harries don't patronize Oikonomopulos of Cairo.
His custom consists of Scottish lords, Russian dignitaries, Indian
governors, and our jolly Rhineland captains of industry. I must only
guarantee that you speak French. With your gift for languages you'll
quickly enough learn as much English, besides, as you'll need to get
on with. And you'll reside in a royally furnished apartment with an
outlook on the minarets of the El Azhar Mosque, and walk around all
day on Persian carpets as thick as your fist, and dress every evening
in a fabulous Paris gown and drink as much champagne as your
customers can pay for, and, finally, you'll even remain, up to a
certain point, your own mistress. If the man doesn't please you, you
needn't bring him any reciprocal feelings. Just let him give in his
card, and then--(_Shrugs, and snaps his fingers._) If the ladies
didn't get used to that the whole business would be simply
impossible, because every one after the first four weeks would go
headlong to the devil.
LULU. (_Her voice shaking._) I do believe that since yesterday you've
got a screw loose somewhere. Am I to understand that the Egyptian
will pay fifteen hundred francs for a person whom he's never seen?
CASTI-PIANI. I took the liberty of sending him your pictures.
LULU. Those pictures that I gave you, you've sent to him?
CASTI-PIANI. You see he can value them better than I. The picture in
which you stand before the mirror as Eve he'll probably hang up at
the house-door, after you've got there.... And then there's one thing
more for you to notice: with Oikonomopulos in Cairo you'll be safer
from your blood-hounds than if you crept into a Canadian wilderness.
It isn't so easy to transport an Egyptian courtesan to a German
prison,--first, on account of the mere expense, and second, from fear
of coming too close to eternal Justice.
LULU. (_Proudly, in a clear voice._) What's your eternal Justice to
do with me! You can see as plain as your five fingers I shan't let
myself be locked up in any such amusement-place!
CASTI-PIANI. Then do you want me to whistle for the policeman?
LULU. (_In wonder._) Why don't you simply ask me for twelve hundred
marks, if you want the money?
CASTI-PIANI. I want for no money! And I also don't ask for it because
you're dead broke.
LULU. We still have thirty thousand marks.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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