CONSUL. But who is he?
MASTER. Why, that's the new tenant up there on the second floor.
CONSUL. Oh, is that so! What do you think he looked like?
MASTER. I don't know. Musician, conductor, a touch of musical comedy, with a leaning to vaudeville—gambler—Adonis—a little of everything——
CONSUL. Black hair should have gone with that pale complexion of his, but his hair was brown—which means that it had been dyed, or that he wears a wig. A tuxedo at home indicates an empty wardrobe, and the movements of his hands as he dropped the letters into the box suggested shuffling and cutting and dealing—[At this moment waltz music becomes faintly audible from the second floor] Always waltzes—perhaps they have a dancing-school—but it's always the same waltz—what's the name of it now?
MASTER. Why, I think—that's "Pluie d'or"—I know it by heart.
CONSUL. Have you heard it in your own house?
MASTER. Yes, that one and the "Alcazar Waltz."
LOUISE becomes visible in the dining-room, where she is putting things in order and wiping the glassware on the buffet.
CONSUL. Are you still pleased with Louise?