When You’re Driving Through the Moonlight

[ELLA]
When you’re driving through the moonlight on the highway
When you’re driving through the moonlight to the dance

You are breathless with a wild anticipation
Of adventure and excitement and romance

Then at last you see the towers of the palace
Silhouetted on the sky above the park
And below them is a row of lighted windows
Like a lovely diamond necklace in the dark!

[CHARLOTTE]
It looks that way—

[GABRIELLE]
The way you say

[MADAME]
She talks as if she knows

[ELLA]
I do not know
These things are so
I only just suppose...

I suppose that when you come into the ballroom
And the room itself is floating in the air
If you’re suddenly confronted by His Highness
You are frozen like a statue on the stair

You’re afraid he’ll hear the way your heart is beating
And you know you mustn’t make the first advance
You are seriously thinking of retreating—
Then you seem to hear him asking you to dance

You make a bow
A timid bow
And shyly answer “yes”

[MADAME]
How would you know
That this is so?

[ELLA]
I do no more than guess

[CHARLOTTE & GABRIELLE]
You can guess till you’re blue in the face
But you can’t even picture such a man

[CHARLOTTE]
He is more than a prince

[GABRIELLE]
He’s an ace!

[ELLA]
But sisters, I really think I can—

[MADAME]
Can what?

[ELLA]
I think that I can picture such a man

[CHARLOTTE & GABRIELLE]
He is tall

[ELLA]
And straight as a lance

[CHARLOTTE & GABRIELLE]
And his hair—

[ELLA]
Is dark and wavy

[CHARLOTTE & GABRIELLE]
His eyes—

[ELLA]
Can melt you with a glance

[CHARLOTTE & GABRIELLE]
He can turn a girl to gravy!

[ELLA]
And I can imagine it

[GABRIELLE]
I imagine it too!

[CHARLOTTE]
I can imagine it, and I have no imagination!

[MADAME]
I am throwing caution to the wind! I am imagining it as well!

[ELLA]
Imagine what that girl would be feeling when dancing with the Prince!