ing more dear next to God and country, than children to
their parents, children in their turn ought to hold sacred their
parents' wishes and never to disobey them, even after their death. If
you do not remain faithful to this hatred of mine, I think I should
come forth from my grave to curse you!

Pauline (kissing her father)
Oh! you bad, bad man! At any rate, I shall now find out whether you
can keep a secret or not. Swear to me on your honor that you'll not
repeat a syllable of what I told you.

The General
I promise you that. But what reason have you for distrusting Gertrude?

Pauline
If I told you, you would not believe it.

The General
Are you trying to torture your father?

Pauline
No. But which do you place first,--this hatred for traitors, or your
own honor?

The General
They are both first with me, for they are based upon a common
principle.

Pauline
Very well; if you throw away your honor by violating your oath, you
may as well throw away your hatred. That is all I wanted to find out.

The General
If women are angelic, they have in them also something of the
diabolical. Tell me, who has filled the head of such an innocent girl
as you are with ideas like these? This is the way they lead us by
the--

Pauline (interrupting him)
Good-night, father.

The General
You naughty child!

Pauline
Keep my secret, or I will bring you a son-in-law that will drive you
wild.

(Pauline enters her own apartment.)

SCENE EIGHTH

The General (alone)
There must certainly be some key to this enigma! It must be
discovered! Yes, and Gertrude shall discover it!

(Scene curtain.)

SCENE NINTH

(Pauline's chamber; a small plain room with a bed in the centre and a
round table at the left; the entrance is at the right, but there is a
secret entrance on the left.)

Pauline
At last I am alone! At last I can be natural! Married? My Ferdinand
married? If this is so, he is the falsest, foulest, vilest of men! And
I could kill him! Kill him? But I myself could not survive one hour
the knowledge that he was actually married. My stepmother I detest!
And if she becomes my enemy, there will be war between us, and war in
earnest. It would be terrible, for I should tell my father all I know.
(She looks at her watch.) Half-past eleven, and he cannot come before
midnight, when the whole household is asleep. Poor Ferdinand! He has
to risk his life