On the wall near the QUEEN'S room
hangs an old shield rusty with disuse. A bust of Zeus stands on a
pedestal against the right wall. There are low coffers about
the room from which hang the ends of vivid colored robes. The
scene is bathed in intense sunlight.
TSUMU is massaging the QUEEN.
HELENA. There's no doubt about it.
TSUMU. Analytikos says there is much doubt about all things.
HELENA. Never mind what he says. I envy you your complexion.
TSUMU [falling prostrate before HELENA]. Whom the Queen envies
should beware.
HELENA [annoyed]. Get up, Tsumu. You make me nervous tumbling
about like that.
TSUMU [still on the floor]. Why does the great Queen envy Tsumu?
HELENA. Get up, you silly. [She kicks her.] I envy you because
you can run about and never worry about getting sunburnt.
TSUMU [on her knees]. The radiant beauty of the Queen is
unspoilable.
HELENA. That's just what's worrying me, Tsumu. When beauty is so
perfect the slightest jar may mean a jolt. [She goes over and
looks at her reflection in the shield.] I can't see myself as
well as I would like to. The King's shield is tarnished.
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