The company followed Madame Glumeau to the enclosure facing the stage. All the seats were very soon occupied, but most of the men took their places behind, and leaned against the trees. The creaking of the trellis work which enclosed the auditorium indicated that there was also an audience outside, which proposed to enjoy the spectacle although uninvited.
The male actors dressed in the billiard room, the ladies in the house. As they were about to begin, they discovered that various indispensable accessories were lacking; thereupon there was much running from the theatre to the house, and from the house to the theatre; one saw nothing but people hurrying back and forth, shouting:
“The basket! we must have a basket!”
“And the letter for Monsieur Astianax!”
“And a table! we must have a table, and a cloth on it!”
“We want a stove,—where’s the stove?”
“There isn’t one; take an empty cask, that will represent a stove well enough!”
“We must have a pie! there’s a supper in the play.”
“Take an empty flower pot, that will do very well for the pie.”
“We want a bottle of champagne.”