PRINCESS TOTO.
ARGUMENT.
King Portico is a very dignified monarch, who is keenly alive to a
sense of the ridiculous, and nervously anxious never to place himself
in a false or absurd position. His dignity, however, is continually compromised
by the eccentricities of his daughter, Princess Toto, a young
lady who has no memory whatever, who forgets incidents two minutes
after they have occurred, who is absurdly romantic, and who acts, as
a great many other people do in this world, invariably on the “spur
of the moment.” At the commencement of the piece Princess Toto is
on the point of being married to Prince Caramel, a wealthy potentate, of
extremely mild and gentlemanly deportment, but whose sense of
punctuality is somewhat at fault. All has been prepared for the
wedding, and everything is in readiness except the bridegroom, whom
King Portico has been expecting for the last three days, but who has
not yet arrived. It should be stated that Princess Toto was betrothed
in infancy to Prince Doro, who is supposed to have been devoured by
cannibals. This, however, is a false report, inasmuch as he actually
escapes, and, in point of fact, turns up at King Portico's court to claim
Princess Toto's hand just as the King is giving up all hopes of Prince
Caramel appearing. The King, who is keenly alive to the absurdity
of the figure he will cut if no bridegroom should be available after
all the preparations have been made, suggests that Prince Doro should
take Prince Caramel's place as the bridegroom. Princess Toto, on
seeing Prince Doro, forgets all about her betrothal to Prince Caramel,
and thinks the preparations are for her marriage with Prince Doro.
In fact, as the King remarks, she “mixes up her lovers”; and she
and Prince Doro are duly married, King Portico entreating his Prime
Minister, Zapeter, to break the news of Princess Toto's marriage
with Prince Doro to Prince Caramel when he arrives so diplomatically
that he shall rather like it than otherwise. While the ceremony
is taking place, Prince Caramel, attended by his two friends, Baron
Jacquier and Count Floss, arrives, and is informed by Zapeter that the
Princess is being married to another. He is in despair at the news;
but Zapeter reminds him that, among other eccentricities, the Princess
is absurdly romantic, and that she at this moment is intensely interested
in the fortunes of a certain desperate brigand called Barberini,
who, through his depredations, is the scourge of the surrounding neighbourhood,
and suggests to Prince Caramel to disguise himself as
Barberini, and his followers as the brigand's band, and carry her off to
his mountain home. This plan is executed, with the anticipated
result. Princess Toto (who has forgotten all about her marriage
with Prince Doro) is fascinated with the brigands' description of
their romantic life, and determines to cast her fortune with theirs.
King Portico's distress at the disappearance of his daughter is only
equalled by his sense of the ridiculous appearance he will make in
the eyes of surrounding nations. He determines to follow her, and,
if possible, induce her to return to her home. Feeling convinced
that he can only achieve this through the agency of some artificial
inducement which shall appeal to her romantic nature, he, accompanied
by Zapeter and Jamilek, who disguise themselves as Indians, present
themselves before Princess Toto, who half-an-hour previously has
given her hand to Prince Caramel—believing him to be Barberini the
brigand—and has forgotten all about it. She is charmed with the
unconventional manners of the Indians, and impulsively determines
to join them. They carry her off in triumph, but are followed by
Prince Caramel, who eventually overtakes them in a tropical island.
In the meantime Prince Doro has established his sway over Princess
Toto, and Prince Caramel is compelled to give his hand to Jelly, a
young lady who has tended him during the protracted agonies of the
sea voyage. The King discovers himself to Princess Toto, who
promises never to compromise him again, and all ends happily.
