PLAYWR.

What am I to do?  The play will be over directly—­everything would perhaps have run smoothly—­now just in this moral scene I had expected so much applause.  If this were only not so far away from the king’s palace, I would fetch the peacemaker; he explained to me at the end of the second act all the fables of Orpheus—­but am I not a fool?  I became quite confused—­why, this is the theatre here, and the peacemaker must be somewhere behind the scenes—­I will look for him—­I must find him—­he shall save me! (Exit, returns again quickly.) He is not there, Sir Peacemaker!  An empty echo mocks me—­he has deserted me, his playwright.  Ha! there I see him—­he must come forward.

[The pauses are always filled by stamping in the pit and the playwright delivers this monologue in recitative, so that the effect is rather melodramatic.]

PEACEMAKER (behind the scenes).

No, I will not appear.

PLAYWR.

But why not, pray?

PEACEMAK.

Why, I have already undressed.

PLAYWR.

That doesn’t matter. (He pushes him forward by force.)

PEACEMAKER (appearing in his ordinary dress, with, the set of bells).

Well, you may take the responsibility. (He plays on the bells and sings.)

  These sacred halls of beauty
  Revenge have never known. 
  For love guides back to duty
  The man who vice has sown. 
  Then he is led by friendly hand,
  Glad and content, to a better land.

[The pit begins to applaud; meanwhile the scene is changed, the fire and water taken from the MAGIC FLUTE begin to play, above appears the open temple of the sun, the sky is clear and Jupiter sits within it, beneath Hell with Terkaleon, cobalds and witches on the stage, many lights, etc.  The audience applauds excessively, everything is astir.]

WIESENER.

Now the cat has only to go through fire and water and then the play is finished.

[Enter the KING, the PRINCESS, GOTTLIEB, HINZE and servants.]

HINZE.

This is the palace of the Count of Carabas.  Why, the dickens, how this has changed!

KING.

A beautiful palace!

HINZE.

As long as matters have gone thus far (taking Gottlieb by the hand) you must first walk through the fire here and then through the water there.

GOTTLIEB (walks through fire and water to the sound of flute and drum.)

HINZE.

You have stood the test; now, my prince, you are altogether worthy of the government.

GOTTLIEB.

Governing, Hinze, is a curious matter.

KING.

Accept, now, the hand of my daughter.

PRINCESS.

How happy I am!

GOTTLIEB.

I, likewise.  But, my king, I would desire to reward my servant.