Project Gutenberg's The Stepmother, A Drama in Five Acts, by Honore De Balzac

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Title: The Stepmother, A Drama in Five Acts

Author: Honore De Balzac

Release Date: October 17, 2005 [EBook #15878]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE STEPMOTHER ***

Produced by Dagny and John Bickers

THE STEPMOTHER
A DRAMA IN FIVE ACTS

BY

HONORE DE BALZAC

Presented for the First Time in Paris
At the Theatre-Historique
May 25, 1848

PERSONS OF THE PLAY

Comte de Grandchamp, a Napoleonic General
Eugene Ramel, a State's Attorney
Ferdinand Marcandal
Doctor Vernon
Godard
An Investigating Magistrate
Felix, servant to General de Grandchamp
Champagne, a foreman
Baudrillon, a druggist
Napoleon, son to General de Grandchamp by his second wife
Gertrude, second wife to General de Grandchamp
Pauline, daughter to General de Grandchamp by his first wife
Marguerite, maid to Pauline
Gendarmes, Sheriff's Officer, the Clergy

SCENE: Chateau of the General de Grandchamp, near Louviers, Normandy

TIME: 1829

THE STEPMOTHER

ACT I

SCENE FIRST

(A richly decorated drawing-room; on the walls are portraits of
Napoleon I. and his son. The entry is by a large double glass door,
which opens on a roofed veranda and leads by a short stairway to a
park. The door of Pauline's apartments are on the right; those of the
General and his wife are on the left. On the left side of the central
doorway is a table, and on the right is a cabinet. A vase full of
flowers stands by the entrance to Pauline's room. A richly carved
marble mantel, with a bronze clock and candelabras, faces these
apartments. In the front of the stage are two sofas, one on the left,
the other on the right. Gertrude enters, carrying the flowers which
she has just plucked, and puts them in the vase.)

Gertrude and the General.