_A Bugbear_

_A Peace-maker_

_The Playwright_

_A Soldier_

_Two Hussars_

_Two Lovers_

_Servants_

_Musicians_

_A Peasant_

_The Prompter_

_A Shoemaker_

_A Historian_

FISCHER

MuLLER

BoTTICHER

LEUTNER

WIESENER

WIESENER'S NEIGHBOR

_Elephants_

_Lions_

_Bears_

_An officer_

_Eagles and other birds_

_A rabbit_

_Partridges_

_Jupiter_

_Terkaleon_

_The Machinist_

_Spirits_

_Monkeys_

_The Public_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: #LUDWIG TIECK# VOGEL VON VOGELSTEIN]

PROLOGUE

_The scene is laid in the pit, the candles are already lighted, the musicians are gathered in the orchestra. The theatre is filled, people talking in confusion, some arriving, etc_.

FISCHER, MuLLER, SCHLOSSER, BoTTICHER, _in the pit_

FISCHER.

Say, but I am curious, Herr Muller, what do you think of today's play?

MuLLER.

I should be more likely to expect the sky to fall in than to see such a play at our theatre.

FISCHER.

Do you know the play?

MuLLER.

Not at all. A strange t.i.tle that: _Puss in Boots_. I do hope they're not going to present that child's play at the theatre.

SCHLOSS.

Why, is it an opera?

FISCHER.

Anything but that; the bill says: _A Fairy-tale for Children_.

SCHLOSS.

A fairy-tale? But in Heaven's name, we're not children, are we, that they want to present such pieces for us? They certainly won't put an actual cat on the stage, will they?