Auguste. (_Holding her back_) I advise you to let him sleep. He"ll hear about it soon enough.
Frau Heinecke. (_Startled_) What d"you mean by that?
Heinecke. (_Pulling at_ Frau Heinecke"s _dress and pointing to kitchen door_) He! he! Her! In there!
Frau Heinecke. Oh, the poor, dear child!
Heinecke. (_Mysteriously_) Well give her a little surprise!--Shh! (_All tiptoe to the kitchen door_--Heinecke, _who is leading the way, opens the door suddenly, then with a cry, starts back_) Wha--wh--Mother!
What"s that?
Frau Heinecke. (_Clasping her hands above her head_) Good Lord!
Michalski. (_Looking over their shoulders_) The devil!
Heinecke. (_With pretended severity_) You come here!
Alma. (_Outside_) Oh, please--no!
Heinecke. Are you coming?
(_Enter_ Alma _dressed in the robe of the Indian Princess, her hands covering her face for shame. All laugh and exclaim in surprise at the costume_. Auguste _feels the material._)
Auguste. The Indian dress.
Michalski. From the stark-naked princess!
Alma. I--just--wanted--to try it on! I"ll take it right off!
Frau Heinecke. Ach! what a little angel!
Alma. Aren"t you angry with me any more?
Heinecke. Angry! (_Then recalling his severity_) That is--yes--very.
But for once we"ll allow mercy to take the place of justice. (_Turning around_) That was pretty good, eh?
Frau Heinecke. (_Strokes_ Alma"s _hair and leads her toward the left_) Come, sit down. No, here on the arm-chair!
Alma. What is it--what"s happened?
Heinecke. Ha! ha!
(All _take their places about him._)
Alma. And I can go to the masked ball?
Heinecke. Ha--ha! Yes, you can go to the masked ball.
Auguste. (_Ironically_) The poor child!
Heinecke. (_Jumping up_) I must go this minute to the bank!
Michalski. (_Opening bottle of liqueur_) Wait! We"ll wet up our luck so it"ll stick! Alma, some gla.s.ses.
Frau Heinecke. (_Getting up_) Let the poor child sit still! I"ll "tend to that myself! (_She goes to the washstand and brings a set of liqueur gla.s.ses. To_ Auguste) What did you mean before about Robert?
Auguste. You"ll see quick enough.
Frau Heinecke. He won"t grudge us old folks a little good luck, will he?
Michalski. (_Sings_) "_So leben wir, so leben wir!_"
(_The moving of a chair is heard in bedroom._)
Michalski. Ladies and Gentlemen, I drink to Fraulein Alma Heinecke, our lucky-child, and above all, the House that has always shown itself, generous----
Heinecke. The house of Muhlingk! Long live the House of Muhlingk!
Hurrah!
(Robert _appears at the bedroom door._)
All. Hurrah! Hurrah!
Frau Heinecke. (_Startled_) There he is!
(_Embarra.s.sed silence._)
Michalski. Morning, brother-in-law.
Robert. Will you kindly explain, Mother, how these two happen to be sitting at the table of respectable people?
Michalski. Oh!
Heinecke. Don"t be so inhospitable!
Frau Heinecke. (_Going toward him_) Bobby, you mustn"t be proud, specially to your own flesh and blood.
Robert. Hm--Alma, what is that? Who gave you permission----?
Heinecke. And you may as well know now as any time, there"s no use having any hopes about India. I prefer to spend my money in Germany.