A play by Dario Niccodemi
Translated by Robert Rietty

This is a light, sentimental, romantic piece, a duet for two lovers. The key-note is struck in the first description of the setting, which is, we are told, "the garden of an Italian villa, a garden of pine-trees, myrtles, cypresses, marble fountains... and dreams..." Here, as dawn is about to break, a lovely young girl named Anna goes wandering and dreaming. And here she is followed by a young man named Mario. The villa belongs to Anna's family, and she reproaches him for being a trespasser. But her indignation lessens when Mario explains that he must shortly fight a duel. And any girl in the circumstances - but especially a girl of Anna's romantic disposition - is likely to melt a little when she discovers the reason why Mario will soon be risking his life.