Glass of Water

Upon multiple readings of The Glass of Water, I finally found a few places that seem like they could be the “fat” inserted by the translator. The first place occurs on page 71 of Act II, Scene I. The Duchess says, “Here, madame, are the dispatches from the general, and which, in spite of the effect produced by Bolingbroke’s speech….(She stops short in perceiving ABIGAIL.) The following lines could have been added by the translator:

Queen. Yes, yes…go on!

Duchess. I am waiting until the young lady has left.

Abigail. Your Majesty wishes me to retire?

Queen. No…for I have some order to give you presently. Read your book about Parliament, dear. (To the DUCHESS, as ABIGAIL, amused, reads.) You were saying, Duchess?

Duchess (With ill humor). Very well…

While this section is certainly entertaining, it is not absolutely essential to the plot. These few lines do demonstrate the Duchess’s disdain for Abigail and the Queen’s defiance against the Duchess. However, this exchange does not change the Duchess’s actions, and the scene carries on as it otherwise would.

The second section that could have been added by the translator occurs toward the beginning of Act III, Scene I. On page 93, Bolingbroke asks, “You sent for me?” The following dialogue on pages 93-94 is the possible section:

Abigail. Yes, I…

Bolingbroke. I was busy with the ministry…

Abigail. With the what?

Bolingbroke. The Tory ministry. Oh, it won’t be long now.

Abigail. On the contrary…it’s a great deal further off than you think.

Bolingbroke. What’s the matter?

Immediately after this section, Abigail says, “Listen…I was here in the Queen’s boudoir…just about to speak to her of Arthur…” The reason I chose the above section is that it seems to interrupt the flow of dialogue and does not provide information that becomes relevant later on. In my opinion, the scene would flow more smoothly if Bolingbroke says, “You sent for me?” and Abigail immediately says, “Listen…I was here…” I’m not sure if these guesses are correct, but I suppose we’ll find out…