Scene Five from The Jester and the King

SCENE FIVE

QUICKFELLOW'S BEDROOM

AS LIGHT FOCUS ONE COMES UP WE FIND GRETA LOOKING AROUND THE ROOM

GRETA (TO HERSELF)

The hours turn towards the rise of night

Which brings obscuring of the light;

The blue becomes star-patterned sphere,

And under its cover we'll get clear.

Beneath the shelter of the dark,

The cloak of sleep, we shall depart

For other lands, for other days,

With gold to pave our laughing ways.

So I should hurry up and be

Prepared for our good odyssey;

I must be finished packing soon-

Do I need anything from this room?

GRETA CONTINUES SEARCHING. QUICKFELLOW ENTERS IN OBVIOUS AGITATION FROM EXIT ONE, LOOKING OUT TOWARDS AUDIENCE RIGHT.

HE TURNS HURRIES TOWARDS THE BEDROOM

QUICKFELLOW

By hell's black hounds, what shall I do?

I've really thrown us in the stew!

GRETA

What's wrong with you? You look so pale:

As if a ghost were on your trail.

QUICKFELLOW

Much worse, much worse is what I've seen!

Oh, what a feeble fool I've been!

You see, I've just seen Dodderpuss

Quick-tottering down the road towards us.

That nasty, nosy, telltale nit

Has sniffed the scent of my deceit.

He's seized his chance with our parading

Of puzzling griefs, and thus persuading

King Frederick to send him out

To check my story's deal of doubt.

Let's see. . .let's see, there's one wild chance:

We called the tune, we'll join the dance!

Or turning terms another way,

I shall impress with grief's display!

Quick- throw yourself down on the bed,

And lie there still, like one who's dead.

I'll pull this sheet right over you,

And hide you wholly from his view.

GRETA

I'll be so still I'll strike belief-

But you must be most moved by grief!

GRETA THROWS HERSELF ON THE BED. QUICKFELLOW PULLS UP THE SHEET, THEN GETS DOWN BY THE SIDE OF THE BED, READY TO LAMENT

QUICKFELLOW

As soon as he trots into view

My tears will start, so hot and true.

AS SOON AS HE SEES DODDERPUSS HE STARTS LAMENTING. DODDERPUSS HAS ENTERED VIA ENTRANCE TWO AND HE COMES DOWN AND AROUND THE SCREEN TO THE BED.

QUICKFELLOW (LAMENTING)

Oh how I cry, oh how I sigh,

Right to the broad and dusk-red sky!

For disappearing is the day,

And my light too has gone away!

My dearest dear, now we're apart,

Oh, grief, oh grief just grips my heart!

My little love, now you're laid low,

My soul is so weighed down with woe!

My sorrow is an aching load,

To bear on life's long, bitter road!

Oh, now you're dead, my dearest wife,

How empty seems the rest of life!

DODDERPUSS

Excuse my interruption, sir-

I've come here as a messenger. . .

That is to say. . .not of. . .new news,

But of His Majesty's grave views.

In short, to speak my purpose swiftly,

That is. . .condense the matter briefly-

His Majesty, His Royal Highness,

Great be His Realm, in all its fineness,

The King, that is, said to convey,

In further measure than his way

In audience had seemed to say,

Deep sympathy on this dark day.

QUICKFELLOW

Oh, Dodderpuss, what shall I do?

The grief just pierces me right through!

QUICKFELLOW THROWS HIMSELF ON DODDERPUSS, HIS ARMS AND HANDS PAWING AT HIM SUFFICIENTLY TO MAKE HIM UNSTEADY

DODDERPUSS (HURRYING TO EXTRACT HIMSELF)

Please pardon me, I do not know

Quite what to say about your woe.

I've given you my message, so

I must be gone, I'm bound to say. . .

For I have much to do today,

So I must get back right away!

DODDERPUSS EXITS HURRIEDLY VIA EXIT TWO QUICKFELLOW GOES OUT TO SEE HIM GO

QUICKFELLOW (TO HIMSELF)

I'm truly glad to see you go,

You sneaking, prying so-and-so.

TO GRETA

Well, that is that! Once more we're free

To finish packing now and flee.

GRETA (RISING)

When we are many miles from here,

It's then I'll feel we're in the clear;

I do not trust their Majesties

To let us rest in simple ease.

QUICKFELLOW (TURNING BACK TO THE BEDROOM)

You may be right, indeed you may!

We'll finish packing right away.

SUDDENLY QUICKFELLOW NOTICES SOMETHING ELSE, OFF AUDIENCE RIGHT

By all the powers of heaven, no!

Our trouble doubles in one blow!

GRETA

What is it now? Why do you stand

Like one who sees doom near at hand?

QUICKFELLOW

Another unwelcome, prying bore

Will soon be calling at our door.

That gossipy, old bag of air,

Your mistress Smalltalk, is over there;

And carefully coming a different way

From master Dodderpuss, I'd say.

The queen has sent her here, I guess.

She doesn't trust old Dodderpuss,

She thinks that he will just report

What fits the king's own favoured thought.

We'd better act, she's getting near!

GRETA JUMPS UP FROM SITTING ON BED

GRETA

I know the queen; she hopes to hear

A different tale from her old horse!

And there she's right- she will, of course!

For differing report delays

Perception of our cheating ways;

Their majesties can argue on-

For very soon we shall be gone.

Our fortunes wheel like birds in the sky;

Come on, it's your turn now to die.

GRETA AND QUICKFELLOW QUICKLY CHANGE PLACES

GRETA (LAMENTING)

Now you are dumb, oh, dearest one,

Now you've fled life, now you are gone,

Oh woe is heaped on hopeless woe-

Now that your soul's gone down below!

My foolish love and loving fool,

Now subject to tormenting rule!

Oh, husband dear, you've left your wife,

How empty seems the rest of life!

AS SHE HAS BEEN SPEAKING LADY SMALLTALK HAS ENTERED

LADY SMALLTALK

My pretty, dear, young-featured thing,

Still sipping from life's joyful spring,

I'm sad to see you sorrowing;

I grieve to see you wrapped in grief-

We must be brave that's my belief!

In fact, the queen has sent me here

To try to comfort you, my dear.

So take this now and dry your eyes;

One wrinkles more, the more one cries.

LADY SMALLTALK OFFERS HER A HANDKERCHIEF

GRETA

Lady Smalltalk, what shall I do?

The grief just pierces me right through!

GRETA THROWS HERSELF ON LADY SMALLTALK AS QUICKFELLOW DID TO DODDERPUSS.

LADY SMALLTALK

Control yourself, dear. After all,

Don't take this wrongly now, my girl,

You could find better any day-

That is, you see, I mean to say,

There are many men, fine dukes and such,

Who might be well within your clutch.

The Good Lord gives and takes away-

But tomorrow is another day!

For such is life. Our present woes

Seem ever smaller as time goes.

No need to waste your younger years

On storms of sighing and of tears.

GRETA BACKS TOWARDS THE BED

GRETA (ARCHLY)

I guess you're right there, in a way:

A spendthrift fool on holiday,

That's how he's lived and now he's paid

The price of endless masquerade.

Though I'd implore him to improve

And run within a steady groove,

Wise words are wasted on the ear

That never hears when trouble's near.

No doubt I could do better than

That thoughtless, ever-jesting man.

HIDDEN BY GREAT AND THUS UNSEEN TO LADY SMALLTALK, QUICKFELLOW SWIFTLY SLAPS GRETA ON THE BOTTOM FOR THIS LAST REMARK. GRETA REACTS WITH A LOOK OF SLIGHT SHOCK. LADY SMALLTALK TURNS BACK TO HER AND NOTICES HER CHANGE OF MOOD

LADY SMALLTALK

I see you're feeling better now!

No need to lose each lovely hour

In sorrow when there's much to do!

I knew you'd see my point of view.

No point in fretting for what's flown;

Far better seeing what you own.

The future furthers those who choose

To use whatever they can use.

You have to pluck the best each day

From twists of fate that come your way.

Well- I must hurry off, my dear;

Queen Frederica is eager to hear

Some news of how you're feeling now.

GRETA

Oh, thank you for calling at this sad hour.

LADY SMALLTALK EXITS. QUICKFELLOW SITS UP ON THE BED

QUICKFELLOW

How that old galleon does rattle;

Her sails puffed-out with spite and prattle!

She loves to sail near to the fray

And let her cannons blast away!

Still, now she's gone, we'd best lie low

And wait until the storm clouds go.

We cannot try to run just yet.

GRETA (THOUGHTFULLY)

The fish is tangling in the net;

Our ship is running on the rocks;

The hounds are closing on the fox;

The mouse has seen the traps are set.

I hope their Majesties forget

This matter of who's dead or not.

QUICKFELLOW

They haven't yet quite yet sprung the plot.

Don't worry love, we'll find a way

To slip the problems of this day.

GRETA

I hope that your hope's justified,

Or we'll be well and truly fried!

GRETA EXITS

QUICKFELLOW (TO HIMSELF)

Yes, it is easy to seem calm;

But calm is no defence from harm.

SINGING SOFTLY TO HIMSELF FROM THE FOX AS HE STRAIGHTENS THE BED

Now John he ran to the top of the hill,

And he blew a blast both loud and shrill,

Said the fox, "That's very pretty music, still

I'd rather be in my den-o, den-o, den-o."

Said the fox, "That's very pretty music, still

I'd rather be in my den-o."

LIGHTS DIM. HE EXITS.