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THE MAKROPOULOS SECRET Rudolph. You don’t know anything about it, do you?

Only from history.

You can’t tell anything from history. That’s nonsense! Penaia—What did I want to say? [She takes a pinch of something out of a snuff box] Does anybody want some?

What is that?

Nothing, nothing. What was I talking about?

About Emperor Rudolph.

Aha, he was an immoral man! Just wait! I could tell you things about him!

The court is not interested.

Well, anyway, when he started to grow old—he kept looking about for an elixir of life, or something, to make him young again, you see. Then my father came to him and wrote that—that thing—so he could stay young for three