to
live may have all the adventures he could ever desire within the
peaceful precincts of his own home. He can experience them just as
fully as anybody else, but without waste of time, without
unpleasantness, without danger. And if he only possess a little
imagination, his wife may bear him nothing but illegitimate children
without being at all aware of it.

AMADEUS

It's an open question whether you have the right to force such a part
on anybody whom you respect.

ALBERT

It is not wise to let people know what they mean to you. I have put
this thought into an aphorism:

If you grasp me, you rasp me;
If I know you, I own you.

MARIE (_entering from the garden with little Peter_)

Peter wants me absolutely to come in. I wanted to wait for Cecilia in
the garden.

AMADEUS

How are you, Marie?

MARIE

I'm not disturbing you, I hope?

GOVERNESS (_comes from the garden with the intention of taking the boy
away_) Peter!

PETER

No, I want to stay with the grown-ups.

AMADEUS

Yes, let him be with us for a while.

GOVERNESS (_returns to the veranda, where she remains visible_)

MARIE

Well, have you been working a lot?

AMADEUS

Oh, we have just been talking.

ALBERT

Do you know why she asks? Because she is in love with Mr. von Rabagas.

AMADEUS

With whom?

ALBERT

Don't you remember him? He's that interesting young chap who appears in
the first act as one of the King's attendants. She used, at least, to
fall in love only with the heroes of my plays, but nowadays she can't
even resist the subordinate characters.

AMADEUS

That should make you proud.

ALBERT

Proud, you say? But at times you can't help regretting that you must
put all the beauties and virtues of the world into the figures you
create, so that you have nothing but your wee bit of talent left to get
along with personally.

CECILIA (_enters from the right_)

PETER

There's mamma!

CECILIA

Good afternoon. (_She shakes hands with everybody_) How are you, Marie?
This is awfully nice. If I had only known.... I went for a short walk.
It's such a wonderful day.--Well, Peter (_kissing him_), have you had
your meal yet?

PETER

Yes.

GOVERNESS (_entering from the veranda_)

Good afternoon, Madame. Peter hasn't had his nap yet.

MARIE

Does he still have to sleep in the daytime? Our two children have quit
entirely.

ALBERT

Instead they play a most exciting game every afternoon--one invented