Scene Five
Part of a hallway
and a room in the House of the Vestal Virgins. There is a bed, a dresser,
a table and curtains upstage which separate the room from what we assume
is a bathroom. On the wall is painted a small mural of Romulus and Remus
as babies suckling the teats of a she-wolf. The stage is flooded with moonlight.
CRISTELLE and CATALUNI enter from the right and move to the door CRISTELLE
carries a lantern and opens the door, placing the lamp on the table
CRISTELLE
This will be your room, Lickerania.
Does it compare with one in Cappadocia?
CATALUNI
Oh, yes! It is even lovelier.
And who are these fat little kiddies on the wall?
CRISTELLE
Romulus and Remus, of course!
CATALUNI
Of course! Perverted little
buggers.
(HE sits on
the bed.)
CRISTELLE
I know you are tired from
your long journey. So I'll let you get some sleep.
CATALUNI
Oh, please!
CRISTELLE
What is it?
CATALUNI
I'm afraid of sleeping alone.
CRISTELLE
A big girl like you?
CATALUNI
I've always been afraid of
the dark. Maybe you can just hold me until I doze off.
CRISTELLE
What on earth do you do in
the Temple in Cappadocia?
CATALUNI
We're all afraid of the dark---all
us Vestals. So we have just one bed big enough for six.
CRISTELLE
That must be the oddest Temple
of Vesta in the entire Empire.
CATALUNI
Please.
(CRISTELLE hesitates,
then shrugs her shoulders.)
CRISTELLE
All right, but I wouldn't
want to make a habit of this.
CATALUNI
Why not?
CRISTELLE
And I certainly don't think
we should mention this to the others.
(As CATALUNI stretches
out, SHE lies down beside him. At that moment, a spot illuminates stage
right and we see HELVIDIUS approaching the room. HE taps softly on the
door.)
HELVIDIUS
Lickerania…Lickerania…
(CRISTELLE jumps from the bed.)
CRISTELLE
His eminence! He mustn't
see me!
CATALUNI
(to Cristelle)
Ssshh!
(to the door)
I'm sleeping, your eminence!
HELVIDIUS
But I must talk to you, Lickerania.
(CRISTELLE looks
about for some place to hide, then chooses behind the curtains. CATALUNI
sighs in agitation, rises from the bed.)
CATALUNI
Shit and double shit.
(HE opens the door. HELVIDIUS enters.)
HELVIDIUS
I wanted to make sure you
were comfortable, dear Lickerania.
CATALUNI
(aside)
He woke me up for this!
(to Helvidius)
Oh, yes, I am very comfortable.
(aside)
I was more comfortable
before you knocked on the door.
HELVIDIUS
Is it as nice as in Cappadocia?
CATALUNI
Nicer.
HELVIDIUS
(touching his wig)
What lovely hair you
have, Lickerania.
CATALUNI
Sacred water.
HELVIDIUS
It's so perfect. It looks
almost like a wig.
CATALUNI
They say that about all us
Virgins in Cappadocia.
HELVIDIUS
Do they now?
(HE tears the wig
off Cataluni's head. CATALUNI lets out a yelp, rushes to cover his head
with the blanket on the bed. HELVIDIUS starts ripping his gown off.)
HELVIDIUS
Just what do you think you're
doing? Do you take me for a fool?
(CATALUNI socks him
on the jaw, knocks him out. CRISTELLE rushes from behind the curtains,
sees Helvidius on the floor then regards Cataluni in the process of trying
to put his disguise together again.)
CRISTELLE
You're----!
(SHE starts to scream,
cannot stop screaming. The music builds to a wild crescendo.)
BLACKOUT
