prise the Duke.

METTERNICH.

You scandalize me.

GENTZ.

His mother's going out. There's dancing.

[_He hands_ METTERNICH _a letter which he has
taken out of a pocket-book_.]

Read--
From Fouche's son.

METTERNICH.

[_Reading the letter._] August the twentieth,
Eighteen hundred and thirty--

GENTZ.

He'd transform--

METTERNICH.

Good Viscount of Otranto!

GENTZ.

Our Duke of Reichstadt to Napoleon Two.

METTERNICH.

[_Handing back the letter._]

A list of partisans?

GENTZ.

Yes.

METTERNICH.

Make a note.

GENTZ.

Do we refuse?

METTERNICH.

Without destroying hope.
Ah, but my little Colonel serves me well
To keep these Frenchmen straight. When they forget
Their Metternich, and lean too much to the left,
I let him show his nose out of his box, and--crack!--
When they come right, I pop him in again!

GENTZ.

When can one see the springs work?

METTERNICH.

Now.

[_Enter the French_ ATTACHE.

METTERNICH.

The Envoy
Of General Belliard. Welcome, sir.
[_Hands him papers._] The papers.
We accept in principle King Louis Philip;
But don't let's have too much of '99,
Or we might crack a little egg-shell!

THE ATTACHE.

Sir,
Are you alluding to Prince Francis Charles?

METTERNICH.

The Duke of Reichstadt? Oh, sir, as for me,
I don't admit his father reigned.

THE ATTACHE.

[_Generously._]
I do.

METTERNICH.

So I'll do nothing for the Duke. Yet--

THE ATTACHE.

Yet?

METTERNICH.

Yet, should you give too loose a reign to freedom,
Permit yourself the slightest propaganda,
Let Monsieur Royer-Collard come too often
And bare his bosom to your king; in short,
If your new kingdom's too republican,
We might--our temper's not angelical--
We might remember Francis is our grandson.

THE ATTACHE.

Our lilies never shall turn red.

METTERNICH.

And while
They keep their whiteness bees shall not approach them.

THE ATTACHE.

'Tis feared in spite of you the Duke may hope.

METTERNICH.

No.

THE ATTACHE.

Things are happening.

METTERNICH.