The Resources of Quinola: A Comedy in a Prologue and Five Acts

Faustine

You have done well, my lord.

Avaloros Thus you see, young man, that tempest is succeeded by calm, and at present all things smile upon you. The next thing for us to do is to unite, you and I, in fulfilling your promises to the king.

Fontanares I care not for fortune excepting for one reason; shall I be enabled to wed Marie Lothundiaz?

Don Fregose

Is she the only woman in the world you love?

Fontanares

The only one.

(Faustine and Avaloros talk together.)

Don Fregose You never told me that before. Henceforth, you may count on me, young man; I am your steadfast ally. (Exit.)

Monipodio

They are coming to terms; we are ruined. I shall take myself off to

France with the duplicate machine. (Exit.)

SCENE FIFTH

Quinola, Fontanares, Faustine and Avaloros.

Faustine (to Fontanares) Come, now; I also bear no malice, and you must come to the banquet I am giving.

Fontanares

Senora, your first kindness concealed treachery.

Faustine Like all those lofty dreamers, who enrich humanity with their inventions, you know neither women, nor the world.

Fontanares (aside) I have scarcely eight days left. (To Quinola) I am going to make use of her.

Quinola

Do so, as you make use of me.

Fontanares

I will come to your house, senora.

Faustine I must thank Quinola for that. (She offers a purse to Quinola.) Take this. (To Fontanares) Till we meet again!

(Exeunt Faustine and Avaloros.)

SCENE SIXTH

Fontanares and Quinola.

Fontanares That woman is treacherous as the sun in winter. Unhappy am I that I sought her, for she has taught me to lose faith. Is it possible that there are virtues which it is for our advantage to discard?

Quinola How is it possible, senor, to distrust a woman who sets in gold her slightest words! She loves you; that's the secret. Is your heart so very small that it cannot harbor two affections?

Fontanares

Nonsense! Marie has given me hope, her words have fired my soul. Yes,

I shall succeed.

Quinola (aside) Where is Monipodio? (Aloud) A reconciliation, senor, is very easy with a woman who yields so easily as Senora Brancadori.

Fontanares

Quinola!

Quinola Senor, you make me desperate! Would you oppose the perfidy of a useful love with the loyalty of a love that is blind? I need the influence of Senora Brancadori in order to get rid of Monipodio, whose intentions cause me anxiety. If only I can obtain this influence I will guarantee you success, and you shall then marry your Marie.

Fontanares

By what means?

Quinola My dear senor, by mounting on the shoulders of a man who sees a long distance, as you do, any one can see farther still. You are an inventor, very good; but I am inventive. You saved me from – I needn't say what! I, in turn, will deliver you from the talons of envy and from the clutches of cupidity. Here is gold for us; come dress yourself, make yourself fine, take courage; you are on the eve of triumph. But above all things, behave graciously towards Senora Brancadori.

Fontanares

You must at least tell me, how are you going to effect this?

Quinola No, senor, if you knew my secret, all would be ruined; you are a man of talent, and a man of talent is always simple as a child.

(Exeunt.)

SCENE SEVENTH

(The setting represents the drawing-room in Senora Brancadori's palace.)

Faustine (alone) The hour is come, to which all my efforts for the last fourteen months have been looking for fulfillment. In a few moments Fontanares will see that Marie is forever lost to him. Avaloros, Sarpi and I have lulled the genius to forgetfulness, and have brought the man up to the very day when his experiment was to have taken place, so that he stands helpless and destitute. Oh! how totally is he in my power, just as I had wished! But does a person ever change from contempt to love? No, never. Little does he know that for a twelvemonth I have been his adversary, and the misfortune is, that when he does know he will hate me! But hatred is not the opposite of love, it is merely the obverse of the golden coin. I shall tell him everything; I shall make him hate me.

SCENE EIGHTH

Faustine and Paquita.

Paquita

Senora, your orders have been most exactly carried out by Monipodio.

Senorita Lothundiaz has just been informed by her duenna, of the peril which threatens Senor Fontanares this evening.

Faustine

Sarpi must be here by this time. Tell him I wish to speak to him.

(Exit Paquita.)

SCENE NINTH

Faustine (alone) We must baffle the plans of Monipodio. Quinola fears he has received the order to get rid of Fontanares; it is too bad that there should be ground for such a fear.

SCENE TENTH

Faustine and Don Fregose.

Faustine

Your arrival is timely, senor, I wish to ask a favor of you.

Don Fregose

Say, rather, that you wish to confer one on me.

Faustine Monipodio must disappear from Barcelona – yea, and from Catalonia, within two hours; send him to Africa.

Don Fregose

What has he done to you?

Faustine

Nothing.

Don Fregose

Well, what is your reason.

Faustine

Simply because – You understand?

Don Fregose

Your wish shall be obeyed. (He writes.)

SCENE ELEVENTH

The same persons and Sarpi.

Faustine Have you made the necessary preparations, cousin, for your immediate marriage with Marie Lothundiaz?

Sarpi I have, and her good father has taken care that the contract should be ready.

Faustine That is well! Send word to the convent of the Dominicans. The rich heiress will freely consent to be wedded to you at midnight; she will accept any conditions, when she sees (whispering to Sarpi) Fontanares in the hands of justice.

Sarpi I quite understand, and the only thing now is to have him arrested. My good fortune seems invincible! And – I owe it all to you. (Aside) What instrument is there more powerful than the hatred of a woman!

Don Fregose

Sarpi, see that this order is strictly carried out and with no delay.

(Exit Sarpi.)

SCENE TWELFTH

The same persons excepting Sarpi.

Don Fregose

And what of your own marriage?

Faustine

My lord, I can think of nothing at present except the coming banquet;

you shall have my answer this evening. (Fontanares appears.) (Aside)

Oh, there he comes! (To Fregose) If you love me, leave me a while.

Don Fregose

Alone with him?

Faustine

Yes, so I desire.

Don Fregose

After all he loves no one but his Marie Lothundiaz. (Exit.)

SCENE THIRTEENTH

Faustine and Fontanares.

Fontanares The palace of the king of Spain is not more splendid than yours, senora, and you here display all the pomp of royalty.

Faustine

Listen to me, dear Fontanares.

Fontanares

Dear! Ah! senora, you have taught me to distrust such words as that!

Faustine She, whom you have so cruelly insulted, will now reveal herself to you. A terrible disaster threatens you. Sarpi has persistently worked against you and in doing so has carried out the orders of an irresistible power, and this banquet will be for you, unless I intervene, the scene of a Judas' kiss. I have been told, in confidence, that on your departure from this house, perhaps without these very walls, you will be arrested, flung into prison, and your trial will begin – never to end. Is it possible that you can put into proper condition in one night the vessel which otherwise will be forfeited to you? As regards your work, you know how impossible it is to begin it over again. I wish to save you, you and your glory, you and your fortune.

Fontanares

You save me? And how?

Faustine Avalores has placed at my disposal one of his ships, Monipodio has given me his best smugglers for a cruise; let us start for Venice. The republic will make you a patrician and will give you ten times as much gold as Spain has promised. (Aside) Why is it they do not arrive?

Fontanares And what of Marie? If we are to take her with us, I will believe in you.

Faustine Your thoughts are of her at the very moment when the choice between life and death is to be made. If you delay, we may be lost.

Fontanares

We? Senora?

SCENE FOURTEENTH

The same persons. Guards rush in at every door. A magistrate appears.

Sarpi.

Sarpi

Do your duty!

The Magistrate (to Fontanares)

In the name of the king, I arrest you.

Fontanares The hour of death has come at last! Yet happily I carry my secret with me to God, and love shall be my winding sheet.

SCENE FIFTEENTH

The same persons, Marie and Lothundiaz.

Marie I was not, then, deceived; you have fallen into the hands of your enemies! And what is left to me, dearest Alfonso, but to die for you – and yet, by what a frightful death! O beloved! Heaven is jealous of a perfect love, and thus would teach us by those cruel disasters, which we call the chances of life, that there is no true happiness save in the presence of God. What! You here?

Sarpi

Senorita!

Lothundiaz

My daughter!

Marie For one moment you have left me free, for the last time in my life! I shall keep my promise, you must not be unfaithful to yours. O sublime discoverer, you will have to discharge the obligations that belong to greatness, and to fight the battle of your lawful ambition! This struggle will be the great interest of your life; while the Countess Sarpi will die by inches and in obscurity, imprisoned in the four walls of her house. And now let me remind you, father, and you, count, that it was clearly agreed, as the condition of my obedience, that Senor Fontanares should be granted by the viceroy of Catalonia a further extension of time, for the completion of his experiment.

Fontanares

Marie, how can I live without you?

Marie

How could you live in the hands of your executioner?

Fontanares

Farewell! I am ready to die.

Marie Did you not make a solemn promise to the King of Spain, yes, to all the world? (Speaks low to Fontanares) Oh! seize your triumph; after that we can die!

Fontanares

I will accept, if only you refuse to be his.

Marie

Father, fulfill your promise.

Faustine

I have triumphed.

Lothundiaz (in a low voice to Fontanares) You contemptible seducer! (Aloud) Here I give you ten thousand sequins. (In a low voice) Atrocious wretch! (Aloud) My daughter's income for one year. (In a low voice) May the plague choke you! (Aloud) Upon the presentation of this check, Senor Avaloros will count out to you ten thousand sequins.

Fontanares

But does the viceroy consent to this arrangement?

Sarpi You have publicly accused the viceroy of Catalonia of belying the promises of the king; here is his answer: (he draws forth a document) By this ordinance, he puts a stay on the lawsuits of all your creditors, and grants you a year to complete your experiment.

Fontanares

I am ready to do so.

Lothundiaz He has made up his mind! Come, my daughter; they are expecting us at the Dominican convent, and the viceroy has promised to honor us with his presence at the ceremony.

Marie

So soon?

(Exeunt the whole party.)

Faustine (to Paquita) Run, Paquita, and bring me word when the ceremony is ended, and they are man and wife.

SCENE SIXTEENTH

Faustine and Fontanares.

Faustine (aside) There he stands, like a man pausing on the brink of a precipice to which tigers have pursued him. (Aloud) Why are you not as great as your creative thought? Is there but one woman in the world?

Fontanares What! Do you think that a man can pluck from his heart a love like mine, as easily as he draws the sword from his scabbard?

Faustine I can well conceive that a woman should love you and do you service. But, according to your idea, love is self-abdication. All that the greatest men have ever wished for: glory, honor, fortune, and more than that, a triumphant dominion which genius alone can establish – this you have gained, conquering a world as Caesar, Lucullus and Luther conquered before you! And yet, you have put between yourself and this splendid existence an obstacle, which is none other than a love worthy of some student of Alcala. By birth you are a giant, and of your own will you are dwindling into a dwarf. But a man of genius can always find, among women, one woman especially created for him. And such a woman, while in the eyes of men she is a queen, for him is but a servant, adapting herself with marvelous suppleness to the chances of life, cheerful in suffering and as far-sighted in misfortune as in prosperity; above all, indulgent to his caprices and knowing well the world and its perilous changes; in a word, capable of occupying a seat in his triumphal car after having helped it up the steepest grades —

Fontanares

You have drawn her portrait.

Faustine

Whose?

Fontanares

Marie's!

Faustine What! Did that child have skill to protect you? Did she divine the person and presence of her rival? And was she, who had suffered you to be overcome, worthy of possessing you for her own – she – the child who has permitted herself to be drawn, step by step, to the altar where at this moment she bestows herself upon another? If it had been I, ere this I should have lain dead at your feet! And on whom has she bestowed herself? On your deadliest enemy, who had accepted the command to secure the shipwreck of your hopes.

Fontanares How could I be false to that inextinguishable love, which has thrice come to my succor, which has eventually saved me, which, having no sacrifice but itself to offer on the altar of misfortune, accomplishes the immolation with one hand, and, with the other, offers to me in this (he shows the letter) the restoration of my honor, the esteem of my king, the admiration of the universe.

(Enter Paquita, who makes a sign to Faustine, then goes out.)

Faustine (aside) Ah! Sarpi has now his countess. (To Fontanares) Your life, your glory, your fortune, your honor, are at last in my hands alone! Marie no longer stands between us!

Fontanares

Us! Us!

Faustine Contradict me not, Alfonso! I have conquered all that is yours; do not refuse me your heart! You will never gain a love more devoted, more submissive, more full of sympathy than mine; for at last you shall become the great man that you deserve to be.

Fontanares Your audacity astounds me. (He shows the letter.) With a sum of money guaranteed me here I am once more the sole arbiter of my destiny. When the king sees the character and the results of my work, he will cancel that marriage, which has been obtained by violence. And my love for Marie is such that I can wait till then.

Faustine Fontanares, if I love you distractedly, it is perhaps because of that delightful simplicity, which is the badge of genius —

Fontanares (aside)

Her smile freezes me to the heart.

Faustine

That gold you speak of – is it already in your possession?

Fontanares

It is here.

Faustine And would I have let them give that to you, if I thought you would ever receive it? To-morrow you will find all your creditors standing between you and the possession of that sum, which you owe to them. What can you accomplish without gold? Your struggle will begin over again! But your work, O great, but simple man, has not been dispersed in fragments; it is all mine; my instrument, Mathieu Magis, has acquired possession of it. I hold it at my feet, in my palace. I am the only one who would not rob you either of your glory, or of your fortune, for what would this be, but to rob myself?

Fontanares

It is you, then, cursed Venetian woman!

Faustine Yes – since the moment you insulted me, upon this spot, I have directed everything; it is at my bidding that Magis, and Sarpi, and your creditors, and the landlord of the Golden Sun, and the workmen have acted! But ah! How great a love underlay this simulated hatred. Tell me, have you never been roused from your slumber by a falling teardrop, the pearl of my repentance, while I was gazing at you with admiration – you – the martyr that I worshiped?

Fontanares

No! you are not a woman —

Faustine

Ah! There is more than woman, in a woman who loves as I do.

Fontanares

And, as you are not a woman, I could kill you.

Faustine What of that, provided it were your hand that did it? (Aside) He hates me!

Fontanares

I am seeking for —

Faustine

Is it anything I can find for you?

Fontanares

– A punishment great enough for your crime.

Faustine Can there be any punishment which a woman who loves can feel? Come, try me.

Fontanares You love me, Faustine. Am I all of life to you? Do you really make my grief your own?

Faustine

One pang of yours becomes a thousand pangs to me!

Fontanares If then I die, you will die also. 'Tis plain, therefore, although your life is not worthy to be set against the love that I have lost, my course is taken.

Faustine

Ah!

Fontanares With crossed arms I will await the day of my arrest. At the same stroke the soul of Marie and my soul shall rise to heaven.

Faustine (flinging herself at the feet of Fontanares) O Alfonso! Here, at your feet, I will remain till you have promised me —

Fontanares

Leave me, shameless courtesan! (He spurns her.)

Faustine You have spoken this openly and in public; but remember, men oftentimes insult that which they are destined eventually to adore.

SCENE SEVENTEENTH

The same persons and Don Fregose.

Don Fregose Silence! Wretched journeyman! I refrain from transfixing your heart with my sword, only because I intend you to pay more dearly for this insult.

Faustine Don Fregose! I love this man; whether he makes of me his slave or his wife, my love shall be the aegis of his life.

Fontanares Am I to be the victim of fresh persecutions, my lord? I am overwhelmed with joy. Deal me a thousand blows; they will be multiplied a thousand fold, she says, in her heart. I am ready!

SCENE EIGHTEENTH

The same persons and Quinola.

Quinola

Sir!

Fontanares

And you also have betrayed me; you!

Quinola Off goes Monipodio, wafted towards Africa with recommendations on his hands and feet.

Fontanares

What of that?

Quinola Under the pretext of robbing you, I have concealed in a cellar a second machine, for I took care that two should be made, while we only paid for one.

Fontanares Thus it is that a true friend renders despair impossible. (He embraces Quinola.) (To Fregose) My lord, write to the king and build, overlooking the harbor, an amphitheatre for two hundred thousand spectators; in ten days I will fulfill my promise, and Spain shall behold a ship propelled by steam in the face of wind and waves. I will wait until there is a storm that I may show how I can prevail against it.

Faustine (to Quinola)

You have manufactured a machine —

Quinola

No, I have manufactured two, as a provision against ill-luck.

Faustine

What devils have you called in to assist you?

Quinola

The three children of Job: Silence, Patience and Perseverance.

(Exeunt Fontanares and Quinola.)

SCENE NINETEENTH

Faustine and Don Fregose.

Don Fregose (aside)

She is hateful, and yet I do not cease to love her.

Faustine

I must have my revenge. Will you assist me?

Don Fregose

Yes, and we will yet succeed in bringing him to ruin.

Faustine

Ah! you love me in spite of all, don't you?

Curtain to the Fourth Act

ACT V

SCENE FIRST

(The setting is the terrace of the town-hall of Barcelona, on each side of which are pavilions. The terrace looks on the sea and ends in a balcony in the centre of the stage; the open sea and the masts of vessels form the scenery. At the right of the spectator appear a large arm-chair and seats set before a table. The murmur of an immense crowd is heard. Leaning over the balcony Faustine gazes at the steamship. Lothundiaz stands on the left, in a condition of utter stupefaction; Don Fregose is seated on the right with his secretary, who is drawing up a formal account of the experiment. The Grand Inquisitor is stationed in the middle of the stage.)

Lothundiaz, the Grand Inquisitor and Don Fregose.

Don Fregose I am undone, ruined, disgraced! Even if I were to fall at the feet of the king, I should gain no pity from him.

Lothundiaz At what price have I purchased my patent of nobility! My son has been killed in an ambuscade in Flanders, and my daughter is dying; her husband, the governor of Roussillon, refused her permission to be present at the triumph of this devil of a Fontanares. How well she spoke when she said that I should repent of my willful blindness!

The Grand Inquisitor (to Don Fregose) The Holy Office has reminded the king of your past services; you will be sent as viceroy to Peru, where you will be able to repair your fortunes; but first finish your work here; let us crush this discoverer and check the progress of his dangerous innovation.

Don Fregose But how can we do so? The orders of the king must be obeyed, at least ostensibly.

The Grand Inquisitor

We have taken such measures that obedience may be rendered both to the

Holy Office and to the king. You have only to do as you are bidden.

(To Lothundiaz) Count Lothundiaz, as the first municipal officer of

Barcelona, you must offer to Don Ramon, in the name of the city, a crown of gold in honor of his discovery, whose result will secure to

Spain the domination of the sea.

Lothundiaz (in astonishment)

To Don Ramon!

The Grand Inquisitor and Don Fregose

To Don Ramon.

Don Fregose

You must address a eulogy to him.

Lothundiaz

But —

The Grand Inquisitor

It is the wish of the Holy Office that you do so.

Lothundiaz (kneeling)

Pardon!

Don Fregose

What is that the people are calling out?

(A cry is heard, "Long live Don Ramon!")

Lothundiaz Long live Don Ramon! Yes, indeed, and so much the better, for I shall be avenged for the wrong which I have done to myself.

SCENE SECOND

The same persons, Don Ramon, Mathieu Magis, the landlord of the Golden

Sun, Coppolus, Carpano, Esteban, Girone, and all the people.

(All form a semicircle, in the centre of which is Don Ramon.)

The Grand Inquisitor In the name of the king of Spain, Castile and the Indies, I must express to you, Don Ramon, the congratulations of all upon the success of your mighty genius. (He leads him to the arm-chair.)

Don Ramon After all, he is but the hand, I am the head. The original idea is superior to the work of realizing it. (To the crowd) In such a moment as this, modesty would be an insult to the honors which I have attained through midnight vigils, and a man should openly show himself proud of his achievement.

Lothundiaz In the name of the city of Barcelona, Don Ramon, I have the honor to offer you this crown, due to your perseverance, as the author of an invention which will give you immortality.

SCENE THIRD

The same persons and Fontanares (his garments soiled with the work of his experiment).

Don Ramon I accept these honors, on condition that they be shared by the courageous artisan who has so well assisted me in my enterprise.

Faustine

What modesty!

Fontanares

Is this meant for a joke?

All

Long live Don Ramon!

Coppolus In the name of the merchants of Catalonia, Don Ramon, we have come to beg your acceptance of this silver crown, a token of their gratitude for a discovery which is likely to prove a new source of prosperity to them.

All

Long live Don Ramon!

Don Ramon It is with the keenest pleasure that I see that commerce recognizes the future developments of steam navigation.