(He strikes her with all his strength. She falls to the ground, then, rising, she stands before him, motionless.
The Deserter: None of your fine airs with me!
We are alone in this place, we two! You are my dog, I can kill you if I choose,
One by one I can cut off your limbs with my knife if such should be my humor. Do you hear?
Now it is my turn!
Ah! Ah! So you do not recognise me? I had a place in the palace, in the kitchens! Eh? You didn't trouble your pretty head about the likes of me! It was I who seasoned the dishes to suit your gullet.
And you thought of me no more than if I had been a rat, or a snake in the cranny of a wall.
But I, I knew you well and I hated you, believe me! Oh!
And here you are in my hands and I can do with you as I will.
The Princess: What have I done?