We are backstage at the Josefstadt theatre, the wings providing our forestage with a partial view of the Josefstadt stage beyond. The transition between Act Two and Act Three should be made without an intermission. The effect should be that the scenery of Act Two should now be seen to be cleared from the stage of the Josefstadt by the opera stage-hands. The stage-hands get the space into a ‘rehearsal state’ while the orchestra, unseen, is tuning up. The characters in the rehearsal are to be a Hussar (Tenor) and a girl (Soprano). They are in resplendent costume. They will be rehearsing a duet – ‘The False Hussar’. The transition is being supervised by a Stage Manager. During the transition Christine hurries on holding sheets of music. She hands these to the Stage Manager, or possibly to an orchestra manager.

Stage Manager Are those the corrections?

Christine Yes, can I watch the rehearsal from here?

Stage Manager Yes, all right.

He takes the pages off stage, towards the orchestra. ‘The False Hussar’ gets under way. It begins with a verse which we did not hear in Act One, as follows:

Tenor (sings)

Beautiful lady, hail to thee

Surely an angel you must be

How can a man believe his eyes?

How came you here from paradise?

Angel be mine and I’ll be yours

Home have I come from foreign wars

Fighting the Turks on land and sea

Will you not comfort me?

The Tenor is without his tunic. This is brought on by Mizi, who hurries in during this first verse.

Christine Mizi, have you heard anything?

Mizi What? – Oh, them. How should I know? Too busy.

Mizi takes the tunic ‘on stage’ and as the Soprano starts singing the chorus she fits the Hussar’s tunic on to the Tenor, helping him to do it up.

Soprano (sings)

Christine No message? Nothing?

Mizi No.

Christine And you’ve had no letter?

Mizi Why should I get a letter?

Christine It’s been two days.

Mizi Exactly. Two days, what’s the fuss? You look awful. Your father’s bound to notice you’ve been crying.

Christine I’ve told him.

Mizi What?

Christine Everything.

Mizi Well, what’s the difference? One only has to look at you anyway. Does he know who it is?

Christine Yes. I told him last night.

Mizi What did he say?

Christine Nothing. He wasn’t angry.

Mizi He must think Fritz will marry you.

The Soprano has now sung the chorus and her own verse, which is the same verse Mizi sang in Act One. Beginning ‘Hail and farewell, my gay Hussar’. At the end of her verse, the Tenor prepares to take up his own chorus.

Tenor (sings)

But at this point there is a mishap in the rehearsal – for example, the Tenor knocks over some insecurely fastened part of the stage set. The song breaks down in disorder. Stage-hands appear to effect repairs. The Stage Manager hurries on to apologize to the unseen ‘Maestro’. Mizi and Christine continue their conversation with hardly a pause.

Mizi You know what I think?

Christine What?

Mizi That this story of theirs about a trip is a fraud.

Christine How?

Mizi They probably haven’t gone anywhere.

Christine Yes, they have. I know they have. I went past his house yesterday – the shutters were closed – he’s not there.

Mizi All right, so they’re away. But they’re not coming back, not to us anyway.

Christine You say it so calmly.

Mizi Well, tonight or tomorrow or in six months – it all comes to the same thing.

Christine You don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know Fritz. He’s not what you think. I saw what he was like when he came to see me. He only pretends – sometimes – not to care, but he loves me. Yes, I know, it’s not for ever, I do know that – but it won’t stop overnight. He’s my Fritz and he’ll come back.

Mizi You’ve convinced me. He’s probably gone to the country to ask his aged parents for permission to marry.

The repair has now been made, and the duet reassembles itself and picks up with the orchestra. The duet continues with the beginning of the Tenor chorus – ‘Sweetheart, please don’t send me away’.

Christine Mizi … do me a favour.

Mizi Don’t worry so much. What do you want?

Christine Go round to Theodore’s after rehearsal. It’s not very far – just look in and ask if he’s back yet. If he’s not there they might know when he’s expected.

Mizi I’m not running after any man.

Christine He doesn’t need to know anything about it. Perhaps you’ll bump into him by accident.

Mizi Why don’t you do it yourself? – go round to Fritz’s place

Christine I daren’t. He hates anything like that. And I’m sure he can’t be back. But Theodore might be and he’d know. Please, Mizi.

Mizi You’re such a baby sometimes.

Christine Do it for me. Go on. It’s not asking a lot.

Mizi Well, if it means so much to you. But it won’t do any good. They’re not at home.

Christine And you’ll come and tell me?

Mizi All right.

Christine Thank you, Mizi, you’re a friend.

Mizi Yes, I am. Now go home and I’ll see you later.

Christine Thank you.

Now the duet goes wrong again, for different reasons. The Tenor, singing the chorus solo, explains the reason, improvising out of his song.

Tenor (sings)

So singing, he has taken off the tunic and tossed it back to Mizi who catches it and hurries away in guilty confusion to, no doubt, make it less tight. The orchestra of course has broken down. The Tenor leaves the stage in a huff. The Soprano follows him. Members of the orchestra start crossing our stage from the direction of the musicians’ pit. Among them is Herr Weiring.

Herr Weiring Christine –

Christine What’s the matter? What is it?

Herr Weiring I want you to go home. Don’t stop on the way.

Christine Father …?

Herr Weiring Just go home.

Christine You’re angry.

Herr Weiring Of course not. It’s my fault. Please go home. I’ll come after rehearsals.

Christine What are you talking about? What’s happened? I thought you understood.

Herr Weiring I do understand. I understand everything.

Christine What?

Herr Weiring Go home.

Christine Not till you tell me.

Herr Weiring I will tell you. It needs time.

Christine I’ll wait.

The Musicians, Stage-hands, etc., have been progressively moving off stage and now Christine and Herr Weiring are alone.

Herr Weiring Listen. The whole thing is a mistake. I’ve thought about it. You’re so young.

Christine Why are you saying this? What has changed?

Herr Weiring It’s all wrong. It’s delusion. Listen to me – it’s best to forget all about it. It’s just you and me again.

Christine Stop talking like this. I confided in you. You can turn me out if you like but don’t tell me it’s a mistake –

Herr Weiring Turn you out? How can you say that? You only have me to protect you, and I failed you. We’ll start again. You’ll take singing lessons. There’s a lot more to life. Being together. You and I. And summer’s coming – we can go out to the country –

Christine What are you talking about?

Herr Weiring Listen, damn you! You get more than one chance of happiness, don’t you? You don’t think everything stops the first time you get it or lose it?

Christine Why should I have to lose it?

Herr Weiring And it was never happiness anyway – do you think that I don’t know? It was misery.

Christine You’ve heard something.

Herr Weiring No – nothing. But that man was playing with you, believe me, you’ve lost nothing. What do you know about him? Nothing. What did he know about your feelings? Did he appreciate you? Forget him. You’ll meet someone decent, someone of your own kind and be happy.

She breaks away.

Where are you going?

Christine To find him. He can tell me himself.

Herr Weiring Don’t be stupid. He’s not there –

Christine I’ll sit on his doorstep –

Herr Weiring I won’t let you – for God’s sake –

Christine Then tell me what you know.

Herr Weiring What is there to know? I know that I love you, that you’re my only child, that you belong with me – and I should never have let you –

Christine That’s enough! – Let go of me!

They see that Theodore has entered, with Mizi behind him. Theodore is wearing his Dragoons uniform.

Theo …? What’s happened? Where is he? Tell me.

Theodore Christine, he …

Christine Tell me, can’t you.

Herr Weiring He’s dead.

Christine (ignoring him) Don’t you dare say that, Theo. Tell me really.

Herr Weiring He’s dead, my darling …

Christine Theo …

Theodore nods.

Theodore Yes, he is.

Christine For God’s sake tell me, Theodore.

Theodore He’s dead.

Christine Yes. Of course he is. Don’t touch me. Tell me.

Theodore What else is there to tell?

Christine I don’t know anything. I don’t know what’s happened.

Theodore It was an accident. Well, a sort of …

Christine What? – Come on, Theo, do you think you have to spare me now? What difference does it make? How did it happen? Father …? (to Mizi) You know, don’t you?

Mizi He was killed.

Christine What do you mean he was?

Theodore He was killed in a duel.

Christine Oh, my God –

Herr Weiring motions the others to leave.

Stay here. Do you think I’m not going to get it out of you. Who killed him?

Theodore No one you know.

Christine I know that, Theo. I know Frau Binder didn’t kill him – Damn you, Theo – I’m entitled to know – he loved me and I have a right to know who killed him.

Theodore What does it matter? He fought a duel. A matter of honour. He was killed.

Christine Honour?

Theodore The usual thing. Well, what I mean is –

Christine What you mean is what? A woman?

Herr Weiring Christine …

Christine Of course. For a woman. (to Mizi) That woman in the box. And her husband killed him. The usual thing. (cries out) He died for her? He loved her?

Theodore Love? No, he was – it was just a madness.

Christine Oh yes – mad about her, crazy for her, driven insane by her. I know about that, it’s what love is, Theo, didn’t you know that?

Herr Weiring Love isn’t that – true love is something else, you’ll find out, Christine –

Christine What was I, then?

Mizi You were a bit of fun on the side, Chrissie, like me for Theo –

Theodore I say, look –

Christine Theodore, have you nothing for me? Didn’t he write anything for you to give me? A message? Nothing at all?

Theodore shakes his head.

And when he came to see me that evening, he already knew. He knew then that he probably wouldn’t ever … He amused himself with me and then went off to get himself killed for the woman he loved. Didn’t he know that I would die for him?

Theodore (remembering with relief) He spoke of you! He really did. In the morning when we drove out together at dawn he also spoke of you.

Christine Also of me! Oh, good. He spoke of her, and him, and you, and his parents, his friends, and me.

Theodore I’m sure he loved you too.

Christine Like you love Mizi? I worshipped him. He was God and salvation and I was his day off.

Theodore (to Mizi) Honestly, you could have spared me this – I’ve had enough upsets these last couple of days.

The Conductor and the Musicians reappear, crossing the stage towards the pit.

Christine Theodore, take me to him – I want to see him for the last time.

Theodore I can’t –

Christine Please – I want a proper last time, you can’t deny me that.

Theodore It’s too late. They buried him this morning.

Christine Buried him? Without even telling me? They shot him and put him in a coffin and took him away and buried him and you didn’t even tell me?

Theodore Listen, I haven’t had a minute! These last two days, you’ve no idea … Don’t forget I was the one who had to tell his parents, I had a lot on my mind, and consider my own feelings too, I was his best friend … and anyway it was all done very quietly, only the relatives and people closest to him –

Christine Only the closest? And what am I, then?

Mizi That’s what they would have wanted to know.

The orchestra is heard tuning up. The Tenor and the Soprano return to the stage. The Tenor is wearing a different tunic. The Stage Manager tries to get the attention of Herr Weiring, indicating that the rehearsal must continue.

Herr Weiring (to the Stage Manager) Yes … yes.

Christine Take me to his grave.

Herr Weiring No, please – Christine –

Stage Manager (generally) Please, ladies and gentle men … Herr Weiring.

Herr Weiring leaves down the steps, followed by the Stage Manager.

Mizi Don’t go, Christine – you may find her there, praying.

Christine I’m not going there to pray.

Theodore Perhaps later when you’re …

Christine When I’m calmer?

Theodore Yes.

Christine Tomorrow? Or in a month when I’m over it? Or six months when I’m in love again? Damn you, Theo.

Theodore I’m very sorry. I thought you understood. Everyone else did. How was I to know that …

Christine What? That I loved him? You shit-bucket, Theo. You fat, ugly, ignorant, lecherous, dirty-fingered God’s gift to the female race, your breath stank of stale women when you kissed me, I was nearly sick!

The duet has now started again. The Tenor and the Soprano are now singing together and alternately, and the music and the dialogue are organized together so as to leave the end of the chorus still to be sung after Christine’s exit. The last words of the play are thus the sung words:

Sweetheart, won’t you dally, do
Or I’ll die,
Or I’ll die for love of you.

Christine leaves, pausing on her way to listen to the duet for a few moments. Mizi and Theodore remain, immobile, listening as the duet continues. Slow curtain.