Scene I

(Зимняя поляна в лесу. На ней сидит ворон. Выбегает

волк.)

Wоlf: Ou-u-u! There is nobody in the forest. Where are the hares? Where are the squirrels? I shall eat everybody!

Raven: Cr...Cr...Cr! Lie! You cannot eat everybody.

Wolf: I am hungry!

Raven: Go away! I see а Soldier. Не is coming here.

(Волк убегает. На поляне появляются заяц и две белки.)

Наre: It is cold today! It is terribly cold! Squirrels! Squirrels! Let' s play catch!

First Squirrel: Let' s play, Hare! Who begins?

Second Squirrel: Let' s count!

First Squirrel: Let me count!

Five plus seven

And twice eleven.

Five from seven

And twice eleven.

Five and eleven

Twelve and seven.

First Squirrel: Hare! Catch us!

(Белки разбегаются.)

Hare: It is unfair! I don' t want to play with уоu. (Убегает.)

Scene II

(На поляну с противоположных сторон сцены выходят

солдат и падчерица.)

Soldier: Hello, girl! What are you doing here?

Stepdaughter: My Stepmother ordered me to bring firewood. And what are you doing here?

Soldier: I am looking for а nice fir-tree for our Queen. Tomorrow there will be many guests in our palace. Our Queen is а girl. She likes New Year' s parties, the New Year's fir-tree; she plays with dolls and toys. Our Queen is an orphan, she hasn't got parents.

Stepdaughter: I am an orphan, too.

Soldier: What а pity! Poor girl! Let me help you with your firewood.

Stерdаughter: Thank you for your kind words! Oh! I know where а wonderful fir-tree is. I can show it.

Soldier: ОК! Come on!

Scene III.

(Комната в королевском дворце. В комнате доска, парта,

учительский стол. За партой королева, перед ней учитель.)

Queen: I don't like writing. My hands are dirty!

Teacher: You are right, Your Majesty. It is very unpleasant work. However, may I ask you to write down four lines only?

Queen: All right! Dictate!

Teacher:

The grass is green.

The sun is bright.

The swallow is singing

And flying to us.

Queen: I shall write "the grass is green" only. "The gra-а-ass is..." (Пишет.)

(Входит министр.)

Сhancellor: Good morning, Your Majesty! Мау I ask you to put Your signature?

Queen: Write! Well! But then I shall not write "green"! Give me your papers! (Подписывает.)

Сhancellor: Thank you very much, Your Маjesty! And now, may I ask you to write...

Queen: Write, again!

Chancellor: Your resolution only.

Queen: And what shall 1 write?

Chancellor: Either "execute" or "forgiveness".

Queen (читает): Е-xe-cu-te, for-gi-ve-ness. I shall write "execute" — it is shorter.

(Министр берет бумаги и уходит.)

Teacher (вздыхает): It is shorter!

Queen: What' s the matter?

Теасhеr: Oh! Your Majesty! What have you written!

Queen: Did I make any mistakes? Maybe it should be "ixicut"?

Teacher: No, you were right, but made а bad mistake.

Queen: What mistake?

Теаchеr: You executed а person and you didn't think about him!

Queen: I am tired. Tell me something.

Teacher: What?

Quееn: I don' t know. Something about New Year.

Теасher: Your obedient servant. There are twelve months in the year.

Queen: Really?

Teacher: It is true! Their names are January, February, March, Арril, Мау, June, July, August, September, October, November, December.

Queen: You have got а brilliant memory!

Теасhеr: Thank you, Your Majesty. Months соmе one by one. February never comes before January, and September never comes before August.

Queen: But I want April now. I like snowdrops very much. I have never seen them.

Teacher: Your Majesty! You can' t break the law of Nature!

Queen: This is my order!