[Enter Lucinde, Valère, Géronte, Lucas, Sganarelle, and Jacqueline.
Sganarelle: Is this the patient?
Géronte: Yes. I have but one daughter; I should feel inexpressible grief were she to die.
Sganarelle: Don't let her do anything of the kind. She must not die without a doctor's prescription.
Géronte: You have made her laugh, monsieur.
Sganarelle: It is the best symptom in the world when the doctor makes his patient laugh. What sort of pain do you feel?
Lucinde (replies by signs, putting her hand to her mouth, to her head, and under her chin): Ha, hi, ho, ha!
Sganarelle (imitating her): Ha, hi, ho, ha! I don't understand you.
Géronte: That is what her complaint is, monsieur. She became dumb, without our being able to find out the cause. It is this accident which has made us put off the marriage. The man she is going to marry wishes to wait till she gets better.