LIGNOL [laughs] Don’t mention it. You weren’t so shy at dinner.
ANTONIN [to Julie, smiling] Come. Wives must obey, you know. [She kisses him]. And now go and see about that beer.
JULIE. Mayn’t I send the servant?
ANTONIN. She doesn’t know where it is. It’s not unpacked yet. [To Lignol] It’s a wedding present. We are going to broach it tonight.
LIGNOL. Not for me. I must go in a moment.
ANTONIN. I wasn’t thinking of you, my dear fellow. You’re a friend. These formal entertainments are reserved for acquaintances. For the Pouchelets, in fact. M. Pouchelet has just been elected a Departmental Councillor. He and his wife are paying their first visit here tonight.
LIGNOL. So late?
ANTONIN. On their way back from the Préfet’s. They are dining there, and we are near neighbors. They are very well off, very influential. Useful people altogether. What was I saying? [To Julie] Oh yes, the beer: that girl will never be able to find it. Besides, I’d rather you went. She would only break the bottles. [Julie pouts]. Wives must obey, you know.
JULIE. Very well. I shall be back before you go, M. Lignol. [She goes out].