Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: THE SECOND ACT The curtain rises on Marie Duplessis' boudoir. She is at her piano, playing idly, while Deburau talks as if he were in a dream. Deburau There it is, there it is, and it has always been so. Why did I never see it before? Marie Darling, what are you muttering about? Deburau I'm telling myself how happy I am. Marie (with a little smile.) Telling yourself . . . how happy you are! Deburau Yes. Marie Well, that's good. Deburau A prisoner, you know, Set free on a sudden can only shout That he's free . . . and find nothing else to say. So now I cram All the emotions that possess me Into "I'm happy.'' At last I've discovered Why one fine day, Long ago, I was hurled Into this quaint world. Nobody ever told me why. I've been guessing and guessing ever since And what is the use of life unless we Know that one thing, unless Fate has uncovered Our destiny. But now that I know . . . why, how simple it all is! I was born To love you, my dear. Yes, from morning till evening and eve to morn To fall deeper and deeper in love with you. And to think that no one could tell me that! I shouldn't have been so hard to convince. Think of the time I've so cautiously wasted In follies! Looking for ... what? . . . When love was there! Caring for ... who? . . . When you were near! And this has lasted Half my life. For twenty years I've been running away From women. I was afraid . . . Marie Of your wife? Deburau Not a bit; nor of them! But just, I think, of being unhappy. I meant Never to run a single risk. Nothing riskier than that! Still I've been loved. I suppose one must Call it love; That steady solid domestic affection Which moves like the clock's hands round the disc Day by day. It's...