Then, when Colson had finished, he said, "Well! why ever don't you act like that, my dear fellow? The public would not hiss you if you did!"
In the interval between the first and second acts of Pierre de Portugal, Lucien Arnault was in the wings; during the second act, Pierre de Portugal, disguised as a soldier of his army, insinuates himself unrecognised into the house of Inès de Castro, who takes him for a common soldier.
Lucien saw Lafond advance in a costume resplendent with gold and jewels.
He ran up to him. "Ah! my dear Lafond," he said, "your costume is all wrong!"
"Have you anything to say against my costume?"
"Rather, I should just think so."
"But it is blatantly new."
"That is precisely what I take exception to: you have put on the garb of a prince, not that of a common soldier."
"Lucien," replied Lafond, "listen to this: I would rather arouse envy than pity." Then, turning haughtily on his heels, no doubt in order to show the back of his costume to Lucien, since he had shown him the front, he said, "They can ring: Pierre de Portugal is ready."
When, five years later, I read Christine before the Théâtre-Français, whether or not Lafond was a member of the committee, or whether he did not care to trouble himself to listen to the work of a beginner, I had the misfortune to read it in his absence. Although, as we shall see in its proper place, the play was rejected, the reading excited some interest, and it was thought that a drama might be made out of it sooner or later.