from The Lost Letter  

ACT II

SCENE V

ZOE

(alone; nervous, she takes out the newspaper and reads)

“In tomorrow’s issue of our gazette we shall reproduce an interesting sentimental letter from a notable of our town to a lady of great influence. Beginning tomorrow, the original will be at the disposal of those curious to see it in our newsroom. This is all for today. A bon entendeur, salut!…” (She walks up and down agitated, then stops as if struck by sudden inspiration.) We must vote for Caţavencu. There’s no doubt about it, no time for thinking. To fight against such a scoundrel, who holds us in his hand so tight, would be childish…It would be madness… Fănică…must agree…he must… What of it, after all Caţavencu may be as good a deputy as any other… But where is Fănică? Where could he be?…

SCENE VI

Zoe and Tipătescu coming from the back

TIPĂTESCU

Zoe! There you are!

ZOE

Fănică, I was waiting for you… What have you done? You had Caţavencu arrested. Have you thought well of what you have done? How did it cross your mind to do such a thing? Why did you do it?

TIPĂTESCU

(nervous)

Why? Why? You ask me why? Because of your foolish act, to avoid the catastrophe caused by your negligence. Such distraction! Such carelessness! To throw a love letter carelessly in your pocket like a hanky, and lose it as if it were an ordinary piece of paper, a handbill you throw away after the show… I never expected such a lack of judgment, to tell you the truth! What the heck, you’re a grown woman, you’re no longer a child. Such negligence cannot be found even in novels and plays!

ZOE

Judge me, Fănică, judge me… (Cries.) Yes, you’re right… I was a child… I did an unbelievable stupid thing; but know it must be fixed. Fănică, if you love me, if you cared for me for one single moment of your life, save me… save me from humiliation! You’re a man, you don’t care! To you, the revelation of our intrigue wouldn’t be a disaster… But to me… Fănică, think about it, think. (Cries.)

TIPĂTESCU

That is precisely why I made sure about Caţavencu…

ZOE

It’s no use, Fănică; Caţavencu may die today, but tomorrow his gazette is going to publish our letter anyway. My God! Think how they’ll be snatching the paper from one another, how they’ll be tearing me apart, and laugh!… A week, a month, a year this affair is going to be their only talk… In this small town, where men and women and children have no other amusement but gossip, even without reason…The more so when there is one… And what a reason, Fănică!… What a roar! What a scandal! What infernal chronicles!… And me, Fănică, what am I going to do in the meantime? Die? I’ll die if you want so… Because I’ll never be able to live after all that!

TIPĂTESCU

Then, if there is no choice… Zoe! Zoe! You love me…

ZOE

I love you, but save me.

TIPĂTESCU

Let us elope…

ZOE

(drawing back)

Are you out of your mind? How about Zaharia? How about your position? How about the even hotter scandal that would break out behind us?…

TIPĂTESCU

(discouraged)

Then there’s nothing left to do?

ZOE

Yes there is!

TIPĂTESCU

What?

ZOE

Let’s support Caţavencu’s candidature!

TIPĂTESCU

(starting)

No way!

ZOE

Let’s vote for him!

TIPĂTESCU

Never.

ZOE

We must.

TIPĂTESCU

Over my dead body! Are you thinking what you’re saying? This is the message I got hold of a few minutes ago; the rascal who found your letter, the drunkard I met yesterday, brought it to the telegraph. It’s an anonymous message. I stopped it and ordered the telegraph to halt every communication without my express permission; but how can I know what an encoded message contains?… Here it is: “Betrayal! The prefect and his people are betraying the party for the nifilist Caţavencu whom they intend to elect for the second section. Betrayal, betrayal, three times betrayal… Several members of the party…” Whatever may happen, we cannot support the scoundrel, no, no, no!… Tell me, shall we look for, find another way?

ZOE

(devastated)

I don’t see another way…There is no other way.

TIPĂTESCU

Then…

ZOE

Then… (sobbing) leave me, leave me in my misfortune… let me die, overcome with shame… Kill me, who loved you, who sacrificed everything for you… That’s where it brought me! So much for the value of your promises! You brought me to death, because (determined) I’m going to kill myself before the scandal breaks out, today, now, right here! You brought me to death, and you can save me, and you let me die… (Cries.)

TIPĂTESCU

Zoe! Zoe!

ZOE

Leave me alone… If your ambition, if your political trifles come before my embarrassment, my life, let me… Let me die… (Cries.) Die certain that for eight long years you have been lying to me every minute, that you have never loved me, never, never…

TIPĂTESCU

Zoe! Let’s see, let’s think it over…

ZOE

There is no time to think, Fănică! Every minute that passes for me is one step closer to destruction… You must decide!

TIPĂTESCU

(fighting with himself)

Decide! Decide…

ZOE

(sobbing)

A short while ago I was on Lipscani street and I found out about Caţavencu’s arrest. I ran like mad to the news room. This is the article prepared by their committee. (She hands him the paper. Tipătescu reads it slowly.) Now you understand what we must expect after his arrest, don’t you?

TIPĂTESCU

This man is gambling his life!

ZOE

He’s not gambling his, Fănică, but mine; I’m telling you again… It’s one or the other: either you love me and I live on, and then fighting against Caţavencu is hopeless – you must yield to me; or you don’t, and then I’ll die, and if you let me die, after I die come what may… (Shattered:) I made up my mind… (Suddenly all her energy returns:) Yes, I made up my mind, but I will not die without fighting against all odds (with intensifying energy) and I will fight! I’ll fight against you with all my might, you ungrateful, heartless man! It’s you I must fight, because now you’re the biggest snag, which keeps me from redeeming my peace!… Yes, I’m determined, and I must overcome everything, including you… I’m so determined that I ordered Ghiţă a few minutes ago to release Caţavencu and invite him in on my behalf…

TIPĂTESCU

You crazy woman! What have you done?

ZOE

I’ve done what I thought had to be done. If you don’t want to support Caţavencu, if you don’t want to vote for him to save me, then I, who want to be saved, will support him, and I’ll vote for him…

TIPĂTESCU

What?

ZOE

Yes, I’ll vote for him. I’m for Caţavencu, my husband with all his votes must be for Caţavencu. In short, who fights Caţavencu will have to fight me… Come on, Fănică, fight, crush me, you who said you loved me! Let’s see! (Walks to the right.)

TIPĂTESCU

Zoe!

ZOE

Leave me alone! (Exit.)

TIPĂTESCU

(watching her go out)

Zoe! Zoe! (He goes after her. The stage is empty for a moment.)

ACT IV

SCENE V

Tipătescu, Zoe, then Pristanda

ZOE

(going downstairs hurriedly)

Have you heard, Fănică? Have you? Your honest Mr. Agamiţă, who prevails, who triumphs, is keeping the letter… What should the honest Caţavencu do now, who did not prevail, who is now biting his fingers, chewing his rage, and stalking me from who knows what hole? (Nervous:) Ah! Thinking of it makes me shudder! What is Caţavencu doing? Where is the snake hiding? Wherefrom is he going to throw his venom at me?

TIPĂTESCU

Zoe! Zoe! Be a manness…

ZOE

(sobbing)

I can’t, I can’t any more. Dandanache’s words sapped all my strength, they broke my heart… Ah! I’m scared out of my wits. (She hides her face.)

PRISTANDA

(running in from the left)

Dame Joiţica! Dame Joiţica!…

TIPĂTESCU

Ghiţă!

ZOE

(starting)

Ghiţă… What is it? Speak!

PRISTANDA (halting)

Dame Joiţica, I wanted to…

ZOE

(simmering)

Speak out, don’t torture me! What is it? He published it? Let me see it! (very nervous:) Let me see it!

TIPĂTESCU

Zoe! You’re crazy!

PRISTANDA

(to himself)

Pure crazy!

ZOE

Yes, I’m crazy! And it’s you I must thank for this!

PRISTANDA

(trying to soothe her)

No, dame Joiţica, it’s nothing, nothing was published… The Howl didn’t even come out today… After Caţavencu’s flight, the eggheads started a brawl, then took to fisticuffs, jabbed father Pripici, and forgot about the paper… Gone is the independent party… it’s gone! (Softly to Zoe, on his way toward Tipătescu:) I’ve got a secret to tell you, right now!

TIPĂTESCU

What did I say? How about Caţavencu?

PRISTANDA

I haven’t found him, master Fănică, he vanished into thin air. (Striking his forehead as if suddenly remembering something:) Oh, I forgot something! Please forgive me, master Fănică… The minister… No, the ministers, all seven of them, want you at the telegraph right now… That’s why I was desperately looking for you…

TIPĂTESCU

At the telegraph? What else do they want from me?

PRISTANDA

I don’t know, but the telegraph has been tapping for an hour now, master Fănică, you’ve got to go.

TIPĂTESCU

Oh, damned politics! Zoe, take heart, I’m going…

ZOE

Go.

TIPĂTESCU

I’ll be back soon. (He kisses her hand.) Zoe, be good! We’re not lost. Don’t worry. Good bye. (Exit.)

ZOE

Good bye. Ah, how can I be in love with this man?! (She falls musing. Pristanda follows Tipătescu to the door and watches him going away.)

SCENE VI

Zoe, Pristanda

PRISTANDA

(after making sure Tipătescu is away, he returns in a hurry)

Dame Joiţica!

ZOE

(started)

Ah! Ghiţă! You startled me again… What is it? What do you want? Go, leave me alone!

PRISTANDA

Please, dame Joiţica, don’t be mad at me. (Very cautiously:) There is somebody….somebody you know well…waiting for you here… He would like to talk to you… Only to you… That’s why I sent master Fănică to the telegraph, so that you could be alone… I lied to him… The ministers are not calling for him… I know he’ll give me a going-over… thrash me for sending him on a wild goose chase, but let him scold me… thrash me… Ain’t he my boss? Ain’t he my master, who gives bread to me and eleven other souls? I lied to him, but for your good, dame Joiţica… You will invite him in, won’t you, dame Joiţica?

ZOE

(who has been deep in thought and has not listened to Pristanda’s tirade)

Invite whom?

PRISTANDA

Whom, whom? Mr. Nae Caţavencu…

ZOE

(jumps up)

Caţavencu? He’s here? Where is he, Ghiţă? Let him come in at once! Go, bring him in quickly. (She is very anxious.)

PRISTANDA

Aye aye! (Goes to the back on the left, and brings Caţavencu in.) Here you are, esteemed sir, here you are. (He introduces him and exits quickly.)

SCENE VII

Zoe, Caţavencu

ZOE

(darting on him)

Mr. Caţavencu, you wanted to destroy me, and destroyed yourself too in the bargain. Why did you run away, for God’s sake? Why did you vanish? Fănică laid his hands on a policy whose guarantors’ signatures you forged to get five thousand lei from the company… Did you know that?

CAŢAVENCU

I know, madam, he’s got it (dispirited), I know, but what can be done?

ZOE

You crazy man! Have you lost your mind? What can be done, you ask me? You don’t know? I give you the policy; you’ll save my skin, and I’ll save yours. We’ll trade… Give me the letter…

CAŢAVENCU

(disheartened)

Madam, madam! It’s impossible!

ZOE

What?

CAŢAVENCU

Your letter…

ZOE

Well?

CAŢAVENCU

I don’t have it any more!

ZOE

It can’t be!

CAŢAVENCU

I don’t have it any more!

ZOE

You’re lying!

CAŢAVENCU

I’m not! I don’t have it!

ZOE

You rascal! What did you do to it?

CAŢAVENCU

I lost it!

ZOE

(gives a loud cry, looking around in despair)

Ah, why can’t I kill you!

CAŢAVENCU

Kill me, madam, kill me, but it’s not my fault!

ZOE

How did you lose it? When did you lose it? Where did you lose it?

CAŢAVENCU

At the squabble, the row the other night, at the meeting, who I don’t know… Snatched my hat off my head… I kept the letter in the lining of the hat…

ZOE

So this is true, you really lost it?

CAŢAVENCU

Yes!

ZOE

You lost my letter… and you don’t have any idea where my letter may have been lost?

CAŢAVENCU

No.

ZOE

No?

CAŢAVENCU

No…

ZOE

(desperate)

Ah, you’re a dead man! Dead…! I may get scot-free… ‘cause I may! But you (fiercely)… you’re dead!… When Fănică had you arrested, I saved your bacon… Now I am arresting you, and you aren’t going to get free until you find my letter… for you may be lucky to find it… Pray to God that I find it… Ah, the tables have turned, Mr. Caţavencu, haven’t they… Your good luck turned its back on you, and it’s coming our way… Ah, you’re finished, yes, finished! (Shouting to the back:) Ghiţă! Ghiţă!

CAŢAVENCU

Madam, for Christ’s sake! (Looks around.)

ZOE

Ghiţă! (To Caţavencu:) Don’t look for a way out! There’s no way out: exposed forgers have no escape… It’s over… Ghiţă! Ghiţă! (Walks to the back calling and runs into the Drunken Citizen.)

SCENE VIII

The same. The Drunken Citizen with Caţavencu’s white hat.

THE CITIZEN

(enters and comes downstage in a good mood)

It’s not Ghiţă, it’s me…

ZOE

What are you looking for?

CAŢAVENCU

(to himself)

My hat!

THE CITIZEN

You, dame Joiţica!

ZOE

What can you possibly want from me?

THE CITIZEN

Hey, look who’s there, Mr. Nae! My humblest respects!

ZOE

(nervous)

What do you want? Say it!

THE CITIZEN

What I want is well and good. I have a word: a thousand years of peace! (Zoe gestures nervously:) I… Dame Joiţica, I found a letter.

ZOE

Which you let the honorable Mr. Caţavencu steal from you…

CAŢAVENCU

(crushed)

Madam!

THE CITIZEN

Forget about that one! I’ve found another!

ZOE

What do I care!

THE CITIZEN

Don’t get angry, dame Joiţica, you see… I haven’t told you all. You see, before I got into politics, as it were, I mean before I took to commerce and became an aproprietor, I used to be a carrier… at the post office… Master Zaharia knows me!

ZOE

So what? Get out and leave me… Ghiţă!

THE CITIZEN

And since then, I say, I deliver the letter as in the anddress. If I can’t find the anddressee, I write on it in pencil: ‘unknown anddressee’, or ‘ain’t there’, or ‘dead’, each to his status, as it were. (Zoe walks back and forth, nervous.) But if I find the anddressee, I give it to the anddressee… For instance now… Two days ago, with the bedlam at city hall, I found a hat…

ZOE

(walks downstage)

A hat?

THE CITIZEN

A hat, yes, this one… And today, as I was pulling it down my head to fit it, as it was too tight, I took its lining out to let it out… and guess what I found inside?

ZOE

A letter!

CAŢAVENCU

A letter!

THE CITIZEN

A letter, yes, Mr. Nae… Shall we go for a plum brandy?…

ZOE

(very excited)

Show it to me!

THE CITIZEN

It’s from master Fănică; the anddressee is you.

ZOE

Give it to me, give it to me at once!

CAŢAVENCU

I’m lost, by all means!

ZOE

Hurry up, if you have it!

THE CITIZEN

I have it, I haven’t lost it… I haven’t stumbled upon (hiccups and points at Caţavencu) the honorable again! (He takes the letter out of the hat and gives it to Zoe.)

CAŢAVENCU

(aside)

Ah, the scoundrel!

ZOE

(snatched the letter)

Aha!

CAŢAVENCU

(in a low voice, to the Drunken Citizen, who has just passed him by)

You bastard, you’ve just thrown your luck to the dogs! I could have made you somebody!

THE CITIZEN

I couldn’t… The anddressee and domicile are known. (Points at Zoe.)

ZOE

(getting over the first emotions)

Sir, you are an honest man, an admirable man, a man without peer. What is your name, if you please? Tell me, my gratitude…

THE CITIZEN

I don’t have to tell you my name! Master Zaharia knows me, we were together on February 11*! I’m just an ordinary citizen, that’s what I am…

ZOE

How can I thank you? What can I offer you?

THE CITIZEN

You tell me who to vote for. See, there’s only a quarter of an hour left before the polling closes… Who shall I vote for?…

CAŢAVENCU

(bitter)

Vote for Mr. Agamiţă Dandanache.

ZOE

(turns to him with an expression full of contempt and menace)

Mr. Caţavencu! You can still talk! And ironically, at that! Oh, aren’t you tough, oh my…

THE CITIZEN

Dame Joiţica, is he true?

ZOE

Yes, he is; vote for Mr. Agamiţă Dandanache; he’s true, it may be the only truth Mr. Caţavencu has told in his whole life…

THE CITIZEN

Then I’ll go vote (he is about to exit)… What’s his name again?

ZOE

Mr. Caţavencu, will you do me a favor and write it down on the ballot for this virtuous citizen. (Caţavencu doesn’t budge.) Please… (She shows him the letter. Caţavencu sits at the table, writes on a ballot and passes it to the Drunken Citizen.) May I? (She takes the ballot.) “Agamiţă Dandanache”… Bravo, Mr. Caţavencu, you’re a truthful man…

THE CITIZEN

(takes the ballot)

I’m leaving, it’s getting late.

ZOE

(sees him out)

Please, sir, remember I’ll be grateful any time…

THE CITIZEN

(in a hurry)

It’s getting late… The polling’s closing. (Exits with the ballot.)

(Zoe saw him out very cordially; she comes back, stops at the back, opens her bodice, tucks the letter in, fastens it again, and comes to the front slowly, heading straight for Caţavencu. With every step she makes, Caţavencu’s joints give more way; when she is very close, she stands stiffly before him; he falls on his knees.)

SCENE IX

Zoe, Caţavencu

CAŢAVENCU

Forgive me, forgive me…

ZOE

Stand up, you’re a man, aren’t you ashamed! (Harshly:) Stand up!

CAŢAVENCU

(stands up, mortified)

Forgive me…

ZOE

(with dignity)

You’re an evil man… You have proven it… I am a good woman… And I shall prove it. Now I’m happy… I couldn’t care less if you wanted to do me harm and couldn’t. god didn’t help you, because you’re bad; and since I want him to always help me, I shall be good, as I have always been.

CAŢAVENCU

(humbled)

Madam!

ZOE

Do not tremble! Upon my word of honor, you’re saved…

CAŢAVENCU

Let me kiss your hands… My devotion…

ZOE

On one condition: after the elections, there’ll be a public manifestation… I want you to be its leader.

CAŢAVENCU

(brisk and submissive)

I’ll be its leader…

ZOE

You shall preside over the popular banquet in the city hall gardens…

CAŢAVENCU

(as above)

I’ll preside…

ZOE

You’ll party with the people…

CAŢAVENCU

(same as before)

I’ll party…

ZOE

And you’ll come here with the whole lot to pay respects, in the name of the voters, to the elected deputy and the prefect…

CAŢAVENCU

Yes.

ZOE

Are we understood?

CAŢAVENCU

Yes.

ZOE

Go sit at the end of the table; brighten up, this is not the last Chamber!

CAŢAVENCU

Madam, Mrs. Trahanache, you’re an angel…

ZOE

Thank you, you’re so gallant, but hurry up…

CAŢAVENCU

I’m going, I’m going, and watch me do it, you’ll love it! I kiss your hands, kiss your hands!… (Exits quickly, confused, at the back.)