The ZANNI enter.

Lazzo of ‘Bossing Around the Zanni’: TRUFFALDINO bosses around the ZANNI. He makes them take out the clothes to air out. The content gets mixed up.

Bring in the trunks from those rooms. Put them here. Now take out everything.

He takes out a black coat.

I want to see if there is anything in the pockets—sometimes, they have sweets.

He finds a portrait of FLORINDO.

Oh, bello! [Handsome guy!] What a lovely picture. I wonder who this belongs to? He looks familiar, actually he looks a bit like my other master.

FLORINDO: [calling from offstage] Truffaldino!

TRUFFALDINO: Oh, no. [To the ZANNI] Quick, quick, put away the stuff and close it.

FLORINDO: [offstage] Truffaldino! Do I need to get you with another beating?!

TRUFFALDINO: I’m coming.

FLORINDO enters.

FLORINDO: What the hell are you doing?

TRUFFALDINO: Caro Signor, you said to air out your clothes. I was doing my job.

FLORINDO: Did I? And the other trunk, who does it belong to?

TRUFFALDINO: I don’t know nothing. Maybe some other guy?

FLORINDO: Give me my black coat.

TRUFFALDINO: Right away.

FLORINDO finds his own portrait in the coat pocket.

FLORINDO: What’s this?

TRUFFALDINO: [aside] Oh, no! I’ve stuffed up.

FLORINDO: [aside] Oh, heavens, do I deceive myself? Didn’t I give this portrait of me to my dear love, Beatrice? [To TRUFFALDINO] Tell me, how did this come to be in my pocket, when it wasn’t here before?

TRUFFALDINO: [aside] How do I cover this up? Come on, think, think!

FLORINDO: Speak! Answer me. This portrait, how did it come to be in my pocket?

TRUFFALDINO: Caro Signor [Dear sir], the portrait is mine. I hid it in there so I wouldn’t lose it. I’m sorry.

FLORINDO: Where did you get this portrait?

TRUFFALDINO: Um … I inherited it from my master.

FLORINDO: Inherited?

TRUFFALDINO: Sì Signor. I served a master—he died and left me his stuff, most of which I sold, but I kept the picture.

FLORINDO: Oh, no! How long has this master of yours been dead?

TRUFFALDINO: Um, it’s been probably a week. [Aside] I’m just saying the first thing that comes to my head.

FLORINDO: What was your master’s name?

TRUFFALDINO: I don’t know, Signor, he lived in-cognito.

FLORINDO: Incognito? How long did you serve him?

TRUFFALDINO: Not long, ten, twelve days tops.

FLORINDO: [aside] Oh, heavens, I feel faint. I hope it wasn’t Beatrice—what devastation if it were her.

TRUFFALDINO: [aside] He’s lapping it up, I’ll keep going.

FLORINDO: Tell me, was he young, your master?

TRUFFALDINO: Sì Signor, young as.

FLORINDO: Without stubble?

TRUFFALDINO: Not even bum fluff.

FLORINDO: [aside] It was she for sure. Do you know where your master was from?

TRUFFALDINO: I told you he lived in-cognito.

FLORINDO: Yes, but where was he from? Turin, maybe?

TRUFFALDINO: That’s right, from Turin.

FLORINDO: [aside] Every detail is a stab to my heart. [To TRUFFALDINO] And he is definitely dead?

TRUFFALDINO: Absolutely, dead as.

FLORINDO: How did he die?

TRUFFALDINO: Um … he died in an accident, it was awful. He fell in the canal and drowned.