BEATRICE—Wild Indians!
ALEXANDRA—They’re very fond of him, mother. I am glad he has come, too.
ARSEN—Glad! Professor, Uncle Karl is the nicest man in the world.
GEORG—He used to be a prince, and now he is in Holy Orders. A monk. Wears
a cowl and a hood. And a scapulary.
BEATRICE—Those are mere externals. The essential thing is that he has a
heart of gold and a brain of steel.
GEORG—So he has.
ARSEN—He renounced the world to enter an educational order.
AGI—Yes, your highness, I heard about it.
GEORG—But you never met him.
AGI—I have never had the honor.
GEORG—Well, you’ll have the honor soon.... Mother, you couldn’t possibly
have brought us better news. Not even if you had come to tell us that
Alexandra——
ALEXANDRA—Georg!...
BEATRICE—I shan’t forget to have you punished.
HYACINTH—[_Calling from the garden._] Beatrice!
BEATRICE—Ssh! Wasn’t that someone calling?
HYACINTH—[_From the garden._] Beatrice!
BEATRICE—Just as I thought! It’s Hyacinth shrieking my name. His manners
are appalling.
ARSEN—Uncle Hyacinth!