Scene: The masoleum. Dr. Pretorius enters and finds Mrs. Frankenstein. She is sitting alone, holding her knees, lost in thought, but jumps up defiantly when she sees him.

Mrs. Frankenstein: You—you horrible man…is this your doing? To foil our plans to leave this dreadful place and to start a new life?

Dr. Pretorius: It is to foil nothing, my dear… if anything, this will bring your husband the recognition—he deserves…

Mrs. Frankenstein: And what would you know about what he deserves?

Dr. Pretorius: You have met the "monster?"

Mrs. Frankenstein: Yes… it brought me here—he, she, it…

Dr. Pretorius: And where, my dear, do you believe the monster came from? Did it spring from the head of its father? Or do you think perhaps it rolled out from behind some convenient rock? Might it have been delivered by some lost and moronic bird?

I ask you, my beauty… where do you believe this monster was born. How came it to be here?

Mrs. Frankenstein: I cannot believe that my husband had anything to do with such a travesty against God. I think you a more likely candidate for such irresponsible and blasphemous behavior!

Dr. Pretorius: Well, you are not wrong in thinking I have the courage for such business—this is true—but I have not the… talent.
Your husband has, on the other hand, the talent and no courage. It was he created this monster…

Mrs. Frankenstein: I don’t believe you! The idea is preposterous!

Dr. Pretorius: Preposterous, perhaps, but true none the less…

And do you know how he did it? Robbing graves in the middle of the night—preserving bodies of the desecrated corpses in baths of Lysol? And when the time came, and his experiments with lesser creatures were successful, he dissected these bodies and stitched them together like some mad quilt into that ravishing creature we all now refer to as the "monster."

Mrs. Frankenstein is quiet, absorbing the truth of what Pretorius is saying. She becomes more erect, more thoughtful and quiet.

Dr. Pretorius: Can’t you see it? You must have know some of these corpses when they were living—this is, after all, a rather small town—not that many fresh bodies for a resurrectionist to plunder.

Perhaps there are parts of the monster you recognize? Has he not constructed something that pleases his aesthetics? Do you not see his eye, no pun intended, in this creature?

Mrs. Frankenstein: And what is it you intend doing with me?

Dr. Pretorius: Actually, my dear, I would be most pleased to gather your bags from the hallway in your home and drive you to the train station.

Mrs. Frankenstein: Thank you. Perhaps you could bring me some clothes, so that I might dress for travel. I can hardly go like this…

Dr. Pretorius produces one of Mrs. Frankenstein’s bags , which she takes wearily…

Go to ACT IV

Back to ACT II

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