A BALL AT THE HOUSE OF MAN
_A ball is going on in the great hall of the spacious house
of MAN. The hall is a large, high, rectangular room with
perfectly smooth white walls and ceiling and a light-coloured
floor. There is a certain lack of harmony in the parts, the
doors, for example, being disproportionately small as compared
with the windows. In consequence of this the hall produces a
strange and somewhat irritating impression, an impression of
something inharmonious, something incomprehensible, something
non-essential and intrusive. The room is pervaded by a chilly
whiteness, its monotony being broken only by a row of windows
along the rear wall. These are very high, reaching almost to
the ceiling, and are close together. Through them the night
shows dark and gloomy. Not a single gleam of light, not one
bright spot, is visible in the empty caverns enclosed by
the frames. The wealth of MAN is shown by the abundance of
gilding. There are gilded chairs and very broad gilded frames
on the pictures. These are the only furnishings and the only
decoration of the immense room. The hall is illuminated by
three chandeliers in circular form, with electric lights set at
wide intervals around them. Near the ceiling the room is very
bright, but lower down the light is noticeably less, so that
the walls appear greyish._
_The ball at the house of MAN is at its height. An orchestra
of three is playing. The musicians bear a striking resemblance
to their instruments. Thus, the one with a fiddle resembles a
fiddle, having a very thin neck and a small head with a topknot
drooping to one side. His body is somewhat bent. Over his
shoulder, underneath the fiddle, a handkerchief is carefully
spread. The flutist resembles a flute. He is very long and
very thin, with a long-drawn-out face and long-stretched-out
thin legs. The one with the bass viol resembles a bass viol.
He is short, has drooping shoulders, is very broad below the
waist, and wears broad pantaloons. They play with an infinite
painstaking which is very conspicuous. They keep time by
shaking their heads and swaying their bodies. The tune during
the entire ball is always the same. It is a rather brief polka
of two musical phrases, with dancing notes, cheerful but very
empty. The instruments are slightly out of tune with each other
and consequently there is between them, as well as between the
successive notes, a strange incoherence and, as it were, empty
spaces._
[Music]
_The young girls and young men, all of them very handsome,
well-formed, and elegant, are dancing a dreamy dance._
_In contrast to the loud and jerky sounds of the music, their
dancing is very smooth, silent, and light. During the first
musical phrase they circle about; during the second one they
separate and reunite gracefully and a trifle artificially._
_Along the wall on the gilded chairs sit the GUESTS in rigid,
formal attitudes. They move stiffly, scarcely turning their
heads. They also speak stiffly—there is no whispering nor
smiling—without looking at each other, and utter, jerkily and
abruptly, only such words as are given in the text. Their
hands seem to be broken at the wrist and hang in an attitude
of stupid pride. In spite of the extreme and sharply marked
differences in their faces, they all wear a similar expression
of self-satisfaction, arrogance, and sodden reverence for the
wealth of MAN._
_The girls who are dancing wear white gowns; the men are
dressed in black. The GUESTS wear black, white, and bright
yellow._
_In the corner nearest the spectators, which is darker than the
other corners, the BEING IN GREY, called HE, stands motionless.
The candle in his hand is already reduced by two thirds and
burns with a vivid yellow flame, throwing yellow patches of
light on his stony face and chin._
CONVERSATION OF THE GUESTS
I must observe that it is a very great honour to be a guest at the ball
of Man.
You might add that this honour is bestowed upon very few. The whole city
tried to get invitations, but very few received them. My husband, my
children, and I are all very proud of the honour which highly respected
Man has bestowed upon us.
I even feel a sort of pity for those who couldn’t come. All night they
will lie awake from envy and to-morrow they will slander us and tell how
people are bored at the balls of Man.
They have never seen this brilliancy.
You might add, this amazing wealth and luxury.
Precisely what I mean: this charming, care-free joy. If this is not joy,
then I should like to know where joy is.
Enough. You cannot convince people who are tortured by envy. They will
tell us that we did not sit on gilded chairs—that there were no gilded
chairs at all!
And they will say that they were just ordinary, cheap chairs bought at a
second-hand store.
And that there was no electric light but simply tallow candles.
Why not say candle-ends?
Or wretched night-lamps. Oh, slander! slander!
And they will barefacedly deny that there are gilded cornices in the
house of Man.
And that the pictures have broad, gilded frames. It seems to me I can
hear the gold jingling.
You see it glitter; that is sufficient, I should say.
I have rarely had opportunity to enjoy such music as one hears at the
balls of Man,—this divine harmony which wafts the soul to higher spheres.
Music ought to be good when it costs so much. You should not forget that
this is the best orchestra in the city and that it plays on the most
élite occasions.
This music runs in your head for a long time. It certainly takes the ear
captive. My children on returning from the balls of Man hum the tune for
a long time.
I sometimes think I hear it on the street. I look around, but there are
no musicians and no music.
And I hear it in my dreams.
I must say that I am particularly pleased with the painstaking manner
in which the musicians play. They understand how much money they have
received for their music, and they wish to give some return for it. That
is perfectly proper.
They work as hard as if they had themselves entered into their
instruments.
Rather say their instruments have entered into them.
How costly!
How gorgeous!
How brilliant!
How costly!
_For some time, in different parts of the room, the two
expressions_, “How costly!” “How gorgeous!” _are repeated
abruptly with a sound resembling a bark._
Aside from this hall Man has fifteen magnificent rooms, and I have seen
them all. The dining-room has a fireplace so huge that whole logs can be
burned in it. There are magnificent reception-rooms and a boudoir. The
sleeping chambers are roomy, and above the heads of the beds—just think
of it—are baldachins!
Yes, isn’t it amazing! Baldachins!
Do you hear? Baldachins!
Allow me to continue. For his little son there is a beautiful, bright
room finished in wood of a golden yellow colour. The sun seems always to
shine in it.
Oh, such a charming boy! He has curls like the sun’s rays.
Quite true. When you look at him you involuntarily think: What, has the
sun risen?
When you look at his eyes you think: Why, autumn is over and the blue sky
has come again!
Man loves his son passionately. For horseback riding he has bought him a
pony, a cunning, snow-white pony. My children——
Allow me to continue, I beg of you. Have I spoken yet of the bath?
No, no!
Ah, the bath!
Yes, the bath!
Yes, hot water all the time. Then, farther on, is the library of Man
himself, and there you see nothing but books, books, books! They say he
is very wise, and you could infer that from his books.
I once saw the garden. Have you seen it?
No, I have not had that pleasure.
Well, I saw the garden, and I must say that it charmed me. Just picture
to yourself lawns of emerald, incredibly smooth, and down the middle two
paths sprinkled with fine, red sand. Then flowers, even palms!
Even palms?
Yes, even palms. And all the trees are clipped, too, some of them like
pyramids, others like green columns. And there is a fountain, and
shining, coloured globes, and in the midst of the green grass stand
little plaster-of-paris gnomes and mountain goats.
How costly!
How gorgeous!
_For some time they repeat abruptly_: “How costly!” “How
gorgeous!”
Man did me the honour of showing me his stables and his carriage houses,
and I expressed my unqualified approval of his horses and carriages. In
particular, the automobile made a peculiarly deep impression on me.
And—think of it!—he has as many as seven servants! A man and woman cook,
two chambermaids, gardeners, the——
You left out the coachman.
Oh, yes, of course, the coachman.
And they themselves do nothing. They are so important.
Everybody agrees that it is a great honour to be a guest of Man.
But don’t you find this music somewhat monotonous?
Dear me, no! I don’t find it so, and I am surprised that you do. Don’t
you see what kind of musicians these are?
As for me, I should like to hear this music all my life long. There is
something in it which thrills me.
And me.
And me.
Under its spell how delightful it is to give oneself up to sweet dreams
of bliss——
And to be wafted away in them to the interstellar spheres.
How fine!
How costly!
How gorgeous! [_They repeat these exclamations._
I see a commotion at the doors yonder. Man will now pass through the hall
with his Wife.
The musicians are becoming completely exhausted.
There they are!
They’re coming! Look, they’re coming!
_In the low, double door at the right appear MAN, his WIFE, his
FRIENDS, and his ENEMIES. They cross the hall diagonally, going
toward the door at the left. The dancers, continuing to dance,
divide their ranks and make way for them. The musicians play
with desperate loudness and discordancy._
_MAN has grown much older. In his long hair and his beard
are traces of grey, but his face is manly and handsome, and
he walks with a calm dignity and a certain reserve. He looks
straight ahead, apparently not observing those about him. His
WIFE, leaning on his arm, is still beautiful, though she also
has grown older. She, too, apparently does not see what is
going on about her, and with a somewhat strange, almost fixed,
gaze looks straight before her. Both are richly dressed._
_Immediately behind MAN walk his FRIENDS. They all resemble
one another, having noble faces, open, high foreheads, and
honest eyes. As they walk proudly forward with chests thrown
out and with confident, firm tread, they look from side to side
condescendingly and with a slightly scornful air. All have
white roses in their buttonholes._
_A little way behind them come the ENEMIES of MAN. They also
resemble one another closely. All have depraved faces, low
foreheads, and long, monkey-like arms. They walk restlessly,
jostling each other, crouching, hiding behind each other, and
casting sidewise under their brows keen, sneaking, envious
glances. In their buttonholes are yellow roses._
_In this manner they pass slowly, without speaking, across
the hall. The sound of the footsteps, the music, and the
exclamations of the guests produce a confused and markedly
inharmonious noise._
THE GUESTS
There they are! There they are! What an honour!
How handsome he is!
What a manly face!
Look! Look!
He doesn’t even glance at us.
He doesn’t see us.
We are his guests.
What an honour! What an honour!
And she, look, look!
How beautiful she is!
How proud!
Do just look at her diamonds!
Diamonds! Diamonds!
Pearls! Pearls!
Rubies!
How gorgeous! What an honour!
Honour! Honour! Honour!
[_They repeat the exclamations._
And there come the Friends of Man.
Look, look! There are the Friends of Man.
What noble faces!
What a proud walk!
They bask in his fame.
How they love him!
How faithful they are to him!
What an honour to be a Friend of Man!
They look upon everything as if it were their own.
They feel at home here.
What an honour!
Honour! Honour! Honour!
[_They repeat the exclamations._
And there are the Enemies of Man!
Look, look! The Enemies of Man!
They walk like whipped dogs.
Man has humbled them.
He has muzzled them.
See how they wag their tails.
How they slink along!
They jostle each other.
Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha!
[_They laugh._
What villainous faces!
What greedy glances!
Cowards!
Envious!
They are afraid to look at us.
They feel that we are at home here.
We must scare them still more.
Man will be grateful to us.
Scare them, scare them!
Boo! Boo!
_They shout at the ENEMIES of MAN, intermingling the cry_ “Boo!
Boo!” _with their laughter. The ENEMIES crowd together and cast
timid but sharp glances from side to side._
They are going out! They are going out!
What an honour!
They are going out!
Boo! Boo! Ha! Ha! Ha!
They’re gone! They’re gone! They’re gone!
_The procession disappears through the door at the left. A
period of silence follows. The music is not so loud, and the
dancers gradually fill the room._
Where did they go?
I think they went to the dining-room. They are serving dinner there.
Probably they will soon invite us, too. Don’t you see some one looking
for us?
Indeed, it’s high time. If one dines too late, one sleeps badly.
For my part, I dine very early.
A late dinner sits heavy on the stomach.
The music is still playing.
And they are still dancing. I am surprised that they can hold out so long.
How gorgeous!
How sumptuous!
Do you know for how many persons the table is laid?
I had no chance to count. The butler came in and I took occasion to
withdraw.
It cannot be that they have forgotten us.
Man, you see, is so proud, and we are so petty.
Your remark is quite uncalled for. My husband says that we show him
honour by attending. We are quite wealthy ourselves.
If you take into account the reputation of his Wife——
Don’t you see some one looking for us? Perhaps they are looking for us in
the other rooms.
How rich——
In my opinion one may quite easily become rich by handling other people’s
money carelessly.
Silence! Only his Enemies say that——
Well, there are perfectly honourable people among them. I am bound to say
that my husband——
Dear me! How late it is!
Apparently there is some misunderstanding. I cannot believe that they
have simply forgotten us.
Evidently you understand life and human nature very little, if you think
that.
I am surprised. We ourselves are quite wealthy——
I think I heard some one calling us.
You only imagined it. No one called us, and, to speak frankly, I don’t
understand why we have come to a house with such a reputation. One should
be careful in the selection of one’s associates.
_A SERVANT IN LIVERY appears at the door._
SERVANT. Man and his Wife invite their honoured guests to come to table.
_The GUESTS rise hastily._
What a gorgeous livery!
He has invited us!
I said there was some misunderstanding.
Man is so kind. Probably they are themselves not yet seated.
I asked whether there was not some one looking for us.
What a livery!
They say the dinner is magnificent.
Nothing can be bad in the house of Man.
What music! What an honour to be at the ball of Man!
Let those envy us who——
How gorgeous!
How sumptuous!
What an honour!
What an honour!
_Repeating these words they withdraw one after another, and
the hall becomes empty. The dancers, couple after couple, stop
dancing, and without speaking walk out after the other guests.
For some little time afterward one couple circle about, but
they, too, soon follow the others. The musicians, however,
continue to play with the same desperate painstaking._
_A lackey extinguishes the chandeliers, leaving only one light
in the farthest chandelier, and goes out. In the dimness that
ensues, the figures of the musicians can be seen as vague,
wavering forms, their bodies rocking with their instruments.
The BEING IN GREY stands out sharply. The flame of the candle
flickers and illuminates his stony face and chin with a bright,
yellowish light._
_Without raising his head, he turns and, illuminated by the
flame of the candle, walks with calm and silent footsteps
across the hall to the door through which MAN passed, and
disappears through it._
_Curtain._