E-text prepared by Stephen Bishop <sbishop100@btinternet.com>
by
The Scene is laid in Venice—first at the Palazzo Arconati, a lodginghouse on the Grand Canal; afterwards in an apartment in the CampoS. Bartolomeo.
It is Easter-tide, a week passing between the events of the First and
Second Acts.
The Scene is a room in the Palazzo Arconati, on the Grand Canal,Venice. The room itself is beautiful in its decayed grandeur, but thefurnishings and hangings are either tawdry and meretricious or avowedlymodern. The three windows at the back open on to a narrow coveredbalcony, or loggia, and through them can be seen the west side of thecanal. Between recessed double doors on either side of the room is afireplace out of use and a marble mantelpiece, but a tiled stove isused for a wood fire. Breakfast things are laid on the table. The sunstreams into the room.
[ANTONIO POPPI and NELLA, two Venetian servants, with a touchof the picturesque in their attire, are engaged in clearing thebreakfast-table.]
NELLA. [Turning her head.] Ascolta! (Listen!)
ANTONIO. Una gondola allo scalo. (A gondala at our steps.)[They openthe centre-window, go out on to the balcony, and look down below.] LaSignora Thorpe. (The Signora Thorpe.)
NELLO. Con suo fratello. (With her brother.)
ANTONIO. [Calling.] Buon di, Signor Winterfield! Iddio la benedica!
[Good day, Signor Winterfield! The blessing of God be upon you!]
NELLA. [Calling.] Buon di, Signora! La Madonna Passista! (Good day,
Signora! May the Virgin have you in her keeping!)
ANTONIO. [Returning to the room.] Noi siamo in ritardo di tutto questamattina. (We are behindhand with everything this morning.)
NELLA. [Following him.] E vero. (That is true.)
ANTONIO. [Bustling about.] La stufa! (The stove!)
NELLA. [Throwing wood into the stove.] Che tua sia benedetta perrammentarmelo! Questi Inglesi non si contentono del sole. (Bless youfor remembering it. These English are not content with the sun.)
[Leaving only a vase of flowers upon the table, they hurry out with thebreakfast things. At the same moment, FORTUNE, a manservant, enters,showing in MRS. THORPE and the REV. AMOS WINTERFIELD. GERTRUDE THORPEis a pretty, frank-looking young woman of about seven and twenty. Sheis in mourning, and has sorrowful eyes and a complexion that is toodelicate, but natural cheerfulness and brightness are seen through all.AMOS is about forty—big, burly, gruff; he is untidily dressed, andhas a pipe in his hand. FORTUNE is carrying a pair of freshly-cleanedtan-coloured boots upon boot-trees.]
GERTRUDE. Now, Fortune, you ought to have told us downstairs that Dr.
Kirke is with Mrs. Cleeve.
AMOS. Come away, Gerty. Mrs. Cleeve can't want to be bored with us justnow.
FORTUNE. Mrs. Cleeve give 'er ordares she is always to be bored wiz
Madame Thorpe and Mr. Winterfield.