— 8 —
Oh! to be so good to her,
I am the cause of all my ills.
calling with some annoyance
Serpina!
Serpina is heard trilling and singing
Voice of Serp. There are three in bed
La Nina is staying.
Double reeds, timpani, harpsichords
La Nina, to my delight,
Wake up, for mercy's sake!
Ub. Eh! I'm doing the chorus,
Menire blows the stove.
the voice repeats the song
And you, you stupid thing, to Vespone
Did you perhaps lose the blender?
Go.
Ves. wanting to speak
Ub. covering his mouth Crickets!
Ves. wanting to speak
Ub. Not a word! I'm already boiling
With disgust. . . .
Ves. wanting to speak
Ub. Go, you fool! break your neck.
pushes Vesp. out of the room
It's true; I cared for
This little maidservant;
I have never been harsh to her;
And I sometimes caressed her.
But in the end, this is known,
We, gentlemen, show kindness to our servants.
Which, whatever it may be, for no reason,
Then the servant becomes the master.
turning to the door and chewing
I suppose he's dead now.
Serp. at the door to Vesp. haughtily
Are you quite done? Must you
