SCENE FIFTH. Vautrin, the Duchesse de Christoval and Inez.
The Duchess (to her daughter)
My child, you have reason to thank the general very warmly.
Inez To thank you, sir? My father tells me, that among other missions you have received is that of marrying me to a certain Signor Amoagos, without any regard to my inclinations.
Vautrin
You need not be alarmed, for his name here is Raoul de Frescas.
Inez
What! He, Raoul de Frescas!—why then his persistent silence?
Vautrin Does it need an old soldier to interpret the heart of a young man? He wished for love, not obedience; he wished—
Inez
Ah, general, I will punish him well for his modesty and distrust.
Yesterday, he showed himself readier to swallow an affront than to
reveal the name of his father.
Vautrin But, mademoiselle, I am still uncertain as to whether the name of his father is that of a man convicted of high treason, or of a liberator of America.
Inez
Ah! mother, do you hear that?
Vautrin (aside)
How she loves him! Poor girl, she does not deserve to be imposed upon.