DURAND. It is he.
ADÈLE. Such a pig!
THÉRÈSE [Laughing]. Think if it had been poisoned!
DURAND. Alas, if only it had been, you mean!
THÉRÈSE. Yes, you surely wouldn't have minded that, you who have so often talked about shooting yourself—but have never done it!
DURAND. Why didn't you shoot me? That's a direct reproach. Do you know why I haven't done it? To keep you from going into the lake, my dear children.—Say something else unkind now. It's like hearing music—tunes that I recognize—from the good old times—
ADÈLE. Stop such useless talk now and do something. Do something.
THÉRÈSE. Do you know what the consequences may be if you leave us in this shape?
DURAND. You will go and prostitute yourselves. That's what your mother always said she'd do when she had spent the housekeeping money on lottery tickets.
ADÈLE. Silence! Not a word about our dear, beloved mother!