The same persons, a sheriff, a police officer and gendarmes.
Giraud
Sir, what right have you to enter an occupied dwelling—the domicile
of a peaceable young girl?
Joseph
Yes, what right have you—?
The sheriff
Young man, don't you worry about our right!—A few moments ago you
were very friendly and slowed us where the unknown might be found, but
now you have suddenly changed your tune.
Pamela
Bit what are you looking for? What do you want?
The sheriff
You seem to be well aware that we are looking for somebody.
Giraud
Sir, my daughter has no one with her but her future husband, M.—
The sheriff
Rousseau.
Pamela
M. Adolph Durand.
Giraud
Rousseau I don't know.—The gentleman I refer to is M. Adolph Durand.
Mme. Giraud
Son of a respectable merchant of Marseilles.
Joseph
Ah! you have been deceiving me! Ah!—That is the secret of your
coldness, and he is—
The sheriff (to the officer of the police)
This does not seem to be the man?
The officer
Oh, yes, I am sure of it! (to the gendarmes) Carry out my orders.
Jules
Monsieur, I am the victim of some mistake; my name is not Jules
Rousseau.
The officer
Oh! but you know his first name, which none of us has as yet
mentioned.
Jules
But I heard some one say it. Here are my papers, which are perfectly
correct.
The sheriff
Let me see them, please.
Giraud
Gentlemen, I assure you and declare to you—
The officer
If you go on in this way, and wish to make us believe that this
gentleman is Adolph Durand, son of a merchant of—
Mme. Giraud
Of Marseilles—
The officer
You may all be arrested as his accomplices, locked up in jail this
evening, and implicated in an affair from which you will not easily
get off. Have you any regard for the safety of your neck?
Giraud
A great deal!
The officer
Very well! Hold your tongue, then.
Mme. Giraud
Do hold your tongue, Giraud!
Pamela
Merciful heaven! Why did I not believe him at once!
The sheriff (to his agents)
Search the gentleman!
(The agent takes out Jules' pocket handkerchief.)
The officer
It is marked with a J and an R. My dear sir, you are not very clever!
Joseph
What can he have done? Have you anything to do with it, mademoiselle?
Pamela
You are the sole cause of the trouble. Never speak to me again!
The officer
Monsieur, here we have the check for your dinner—you dined at the
Palais Royal. While you were there you wrote a letter in pencil. One
of your friends brought the letter here. His name was M. Adolph
Durand, and he lent you his passport. We are certain of your identity;
you are M. Jules Rousseau.
Joseph
The son of the rich M. Rousseau, whose house we are furnishing?
The sheriff
Hold your tongue!
The officer
You must come with us.
Jules
Certainly, monsieur. (To Giraud and his wife) Forgive the annoyance I
have caused you—and you, Pamela, do not forget me! If you do not see
me again, you may keep what I gave into your hands, and may it bring
you happiness!
Giraud
O Lord!
Pamela
Poor Adolph!
The sheriff (to his agents)
Remain here. We are going to search this attic, and question every one
of these people.
Joseph (with a gesture of horror)
Ah!—she prefers a criminal to me!
(Jules is put in charge of the agents.)
Curtain to the First Act.
ACT II
SCENE FIRST
(The setting is a drawing-room in the Rousseau mansion. Antoine is
looking through the newspapers.)
Antoine and Justine.
Justine
Well, Antoine, have you read the papers?
Antoine
I am reading them. Isn't it a pity that we servants cannot learn,
excepting through the papers, what is going on in the trial of M.
Jules?
Justine
And yet the master and mistress and Mme. du Brocard, their sister,
know nothing. M. Jules has been for three months—in—what do they
call it?—in close confinement.
Antoine
The arrest of the young man has evidently attracted great attention—
Justine
It seems absurd to think that a young man who had nothing to do but
amuse himself, who would some day inherit his aunt's income of twenty
thousand francs, and his father's and mother's fortune, which is quite
double that amount, should be mixed up in a conspiracy!
Antoine
I admire him for it, for they were plotting to bring back the emperor!
You may cause my throat to be cut if you like. We are alone here—you
don't belong to the police; long live the emperor! say I.
Justine
For mercy's sake, hold your tongue, you old fool!—If any one heard
you, you would get us all arrested.
Antoine
I am not afraid of that, thank God! The answers I made to the
magistrate were non-committal; I never compromised M. Jules, like the
traitors who informed against him.
Justine
Mme. du Brocard with all her immense savings ought to be able to buy
him off.
Antoine
Oh, nonsense! Since the escape of Lavalette such a thing is
impossible! They have become extremely particular at the gates of the
prison, and they were never particularly accommodating. M. Jules will
have to take his dose you see; he will be a martyr. I shall go and see
him executed.
(Some one rings. Exit Antoine.)
Justine
We will go and see him! When one has known a condemned man I don't see
how they can have the heart to—As for me I shall go to the Court of
Assizes. I feel, poor boy, I owe him that!
SCENE SECOND
Dupre, Antoine and Justine.
Antoine (aside, as he ushers in Dupre)
Ah! The lawyer. (Aloud) Justine, go and tell madame that Monsieur
Dupre is waiting. (Aside) The lawyer is a hard nut to crack, I'm
thinking. (Aloud) Sir, is there any hope of saving our poor M. Jules?
Dupre
I perceive that you are very fond of your young master?
Antoine
Naturally enough!
Dupre
What would you do to save him?
Antoine
Anything, sir!
Dupre
That means nothing.
Antoine
Nothing?—I will give whatever evidence you like.
Dupre
If you are caught in contradicting yourself and convicted of perjury,
do you know what you run the risk of?
Antoine
No, sir.
Dupre
The galleys.
Antoine
That is rather severe, sir.
Dupre
You would prefer to serve him without compromising yourself?
Antoine
Is there any other way?
Dupre
No.
Antoine
Well! I'll run the risk of the galleys.
Dupre (aside)
What devotion is here!
Antoine
My master would be sure to settle a pension on me.
Justine
Here is madame.
SCENE THIRD
The same persons and Madame Rousseau.