Cha. (absorbed). Apollo.

Luc. Mr. Apollo.

Cha. Madam! Ah, a thousand pardons. I was absorbed in thinking of my miserable self.

Luc. (getting interested). Have you no relations?

Cha. I had an uncle, a well-known merchant, but he died two years ago.

Luc. And didn’t he leave any thing?

Cha. Oh, dear, yes; he left a very nice fortune. In fact, he adopted this young lady on purpose to do that.

Luc. Oh, that wasn’t right.

Cha. I don’t know that it’s wrong; but it is not on account of this that I owe him a grudge. I heard that the only way in which he could discharge an obligation to a friend of his was by adopting this friend’s daughter, who was left an orphan, a very charming person, I heard; at least, so I was told, for I refused to put my foot inside his house.

Luc. Curious determination!