h._]

QUEEN OF HEARTS. It is indeed a pleasure to have you here again. 'Tis
now many a long day since I have seen you.

QUEEN OF CLUBS (_fanning herself, and affecting an air of great
weariness_). Ah, dear lady of Hearts, you cannot conceive of my
perplexities. What with tournaments and levees and audiences at large,
the days do slip so swiftly by, giving me no pause for rest or recovery,
that I do find myself ending the week ere I realize it to have begun.

JOKER. Yet time, fair Queen, seems to have touched your comely brow with
a light finger. The winged hours fly swiftly past you, but yourself
dwell at the one sweet station of constant youthfulness.

QUEEN OF CLUBS (_haughtily_). So graceful a speech, Sir JOKER, were
worthy of a knight rather than of a fool.

JOKER. It is for the listener to detect when the fool speaks foolishly.
For he himself is too great a fool to judge of the burden of his speech.

QUEEN OF DIAMONDS (_superciliously, to QUEEN OF CLUBS_). Methinks his
words have a double edge.

JOKER (_to QUEEN OF DIAMONDS_). You wrong me, good lady, for he that
playeth with edged tools is most apt to cut himself.

[_Enter, L., KNAVE OF SPADES, who announces,_]

KNAVE OF SPADES. Their Majesties the King and Queen of Spades.

[_Music. Enter, L., in great haste, the KING and QUEEN OF
SPADES._]

KING OF SPADES (_breathlessly_). Ah, I so greatly feared, my lord--

KING OF HEARTS. A hand to thee, cousin of Spades, a hand to thee, and
welcome.

QUEEN OF HEARTS. And a fair day to you, good dame of Spades.

[Illustration: "WE DID HASTEN BEYOND ALL REASON!"]

QUEEN OF SPADES (_panting_). Sweet cousin, we did so greatly fear to be
behindhand that we did hasten beyond all reason. I am quite forlorn of
breath.

QUEEN OF HEARTS. Seat you, seat you, good lady.

[_The KING and QUEEN OF SPADES are very much out of breath, and
very warm. The KING and QUEEN OF HEARTS arise in their entrance to
greet them, but the KING and QUEEN OF SPADES are so overcome with
excitement that they forget the conventionalities, and the QUEEN
OF SPADES flops into the third arm-chair without making any
courtesy. The KING OF SPADES takes his stand behind her, wiping
his brow vigorously with his handkerchief, then suddenly remembers
he has omitted to kiss the hand of his hostess. He hastens across
the stage falling as he goes, and makes up for the omission. The
KNAVE OF