It was the same with Ménard; and the tutor, bewildered by the applause that was lavished upon him, was persuaded that he possessed a hitherto unsuspected talent for acting.
"Do you take snuff while you are acting?" queried Floridor.
"Why not? I take the part of a king, and the King of Prussia took snuff; witness that box, which——"
"In Poland," interposed Dubourg, "we take as much of it as we please on the stage; it's a recognized thing; indeed, it's a matter of tradition in many rôles."
"How glad I am!" said the constable's wife, who played Phèdre; "I didn't dare to take it when I was the princess."
"In that case," said the carpenter's apprentice, "I'll put a little quid in my mouth when I play Aricie, as Monsieur Boleslas deigns to allow it."
"Whatever you please; great artists indulge in innumerable whims."
"Non est magnum ingenium, sine mixtura dementiæ," observed Ménard.
"Do you hear him? that's Polish," said the manager to his troupe.
Three days were occupied with rehearsals; at last, the day of the performance arrived. Ménard knew only his first speech by heart; but he knew that very well, and Dubourg had told him that that was enough. The latter did not know a word of his part, but he was not at all disturbed. On the morning of the performance, he took care to secure the hundred francs which Floridor had agreed to pay, saying that it was the custom in Poland. The little manager counted out the sum, and Dubourg put it in his pocket.