ABSTRACT
A large drawing room in which one of the three windows opens over a terrace full of honeysuckle. Very bright summer night. The moon illuminates the space where the characters sit. The back remains dark. One can barely discern shapes of heavy, ancient furniture. At the center of this half-darkness, a tall psyche mirror in empire style, supported on each side by the long necks of swans with brass beaks. A hazy reflection of light on the mirror, but, seen from the lit terrace, this reflection does not seem to come from the moon; it rather appears to emanate from the mirror itself like a light which might be its own. THE MOTHER, aged 45, lively eyes, a tender mouth; a young face under gray hair. She wears an elegant black robe and a shawl of white lace. Sensual voice. TERROR-STRICKEN, her son, aged 20. He is thin, as if floating in his loose shirt of pure white twill. His complexion is wan, his eyes are fixed. His straight black hair gleams on his forehead. He has even features which recall his mother's beauty, a little like a dead man who resembles his own portrait. Heavy, slow voice. The two characters sit in front of the open door.
