(Enter Rudolph and behind him a maid with a glass of water.)
Rudolph (Not entirely dressed)—Was ist? What’s happened here? It looks like murder!
Bara (At window).—Steward, steward! Hurry, get the nurse! Our lady has fainted! Be quick!
Rudolph (From Erna’s room).—But what has happened?
Erna (Unseen from her lounge, in weak voice).—Rudolph, du glaubst nicht, wie schamlos! (Her voice dies off.)
Burris (Coming in from Erna, at the window).—Steward, the cart out of the shed, quick, and hitch up the colts. To Sopote for the doctor . . . I’ll go myself!
Rudolph (Coming in).—If you have done anything brutal . . .
Burris (Furious, takes Rudolph by the arms and dashes him aside).—Look out, I am ina hurry! Out of my way!
Rudolph.—You will pay for this with your blood! You may expect my seconds in the morning.
(Enter the nurse, a small active person. She glides in like a shadow. She catches Rudolph’s hand, and before he can prevent, kisses it.)
Nurse.—I kiss your hand, baron. (Kissing Lena’s hand.) And yours my lady. (She glides into Erna’s room.) I fear, my precious people that we have something worse than bad here, if I may venture to say so. The gracious little lady must first of all into her little bed.
Burris (From the court).—The whip, the whip! Where is it? (Lightning.)
Steward (Outside).—God be with you, and with us, gracious sir!
(The rain begins to beat as the curtain descends. Then a deafening peal of thunder.)
ACT III
Scene: The Administrator’s apartments. A massive, somewhat faded cabinet into which are crammed all manner of unnecessary odds and ends. There are all kinds of fishing tackle and hunting pieces—a gun, a pouch with muzzle-loading ammunition, a powder horn, etc. An iron folding bed with a bare mattress. On the wall is an old time table. Above it are arranged Burris’s trophies around the flint lock pistol, which forms an emphatic center. Di-
