"Something out of your tragedy."
"Ah! you are writing a tragedy?"
"Yes, monsieur."
"What is your subject?" asked M. Parseval de Grandmaison.
"Christine...."
"A good subject! Somebody has written one on the same theme.... Very poor! ah! very poor!"
"Pardon me, messieurs, I would much rather recite you something other than lines out of my tragedy." The lines of my tragedy were dramatic lines, which would probably not be very much to the taste of these gentlemen. "I would far rather," I added, "recite you an ode."
"Oh! oh! an ode!" said M. Parseval de Grandmaison."
"Oh! oh! an ode!" said M. Pieyre.