Pamela Giraud | Page 5

declare to you--
The officer If you go on in this way, and wish to make us believe that this gentleman is Adolph Durand, son of a merchant of--
Mme. Giraud Of Marseilles--
The officer You may all be arrested as his accomplices, locked up in jail this evening, and implicated in an affair from which you will not easily get off. Have you any regard for the safety of your neck?
Giraud A great deal!
The officer Very well! Hold your tongue, then.
Mme. Giraud Do hold your tongue, Giraud!
Pamela Merciful heaven! Why did I not believe him at once!
The sheriff (to his agents) Search the gentleman!
(The agent takes out Jules' pocket handkerchief.)
The officer It is marked with a J and an R. My dear sir, you are not very clever!
Joseph What can he have done? Have you anything to do with it, mademoiselle?
Pamela You are the sole cause of the trouble. Never speak to me again!
The officer Monsieur, here we have the check for your dinner--you dined at the Palais Royal. While you were there you wrote a letter in pencil. One of your friends brought the letter here. His name was M. Adolph Durand, and he lent you his passport. We are certain of your identity; you are M. Jules Rousseau.
Joseph The son of the rich M. Rousseau, whose house we are furnishing?
The sheriff Hold your tongue!
The officer You must come with us.
Jules Certainly, monsieur. (To Giraud and his wife) Forgive the annoyance I have caused you--and you, Pamela, do not forget me! If you do not see me again, you may keep what I gave into your hands, and may it bring you happiness!
Giraud O Lord!
Pamela Poor Adolph!
The sheriff (to his agents) Remain here. We are going to search this attic, and question every one of these people.
Joseph (with a gesture of horror) Ah!--she prefers a criminal to me!
(Jules is put in charge of the agents.)
Curtain to the First Act.

ACT II
SCENE FIRST
(The setting is a drawing-room in the Rousseau mansion. Antoine is looking through the newspapers.)
Antoine and Justine.
Justine Well, Antoine, have you read the papers?
Antoine I am reading them. Isn't it a pity that we servants cannot learn, excepting through the papers, what is going on in the trial of M. Jules?
Justine And yet the master and mistress and Mme. du Brocard, their sister, know nothing. M. Jules has been for three months--in--what do they call it?--in close confinement.
Antoine The arrest of the young man has evidently attracted great attention--
Justine It seems absurd to think that a young man who had nothing to do but amuse himself, who would some day inherit his aunt's income of twenty thousand francs, and his father's and mother's fortune, which is quite double that amount, should be mixed up in a conspiracy!
Antoine I admire him for it, for they were plotting to bring back the emperor! You may cause my throat to be cut if you like. We are alone here--you don't belong to the police; long live the emperor! say I.
Justine For mercy's sake, hold your tongue, you old fool!--If any one heard you, you would get us all arrested.
Antoine I am not afraid of that, thank God! The answers I made to the magistrate were non-committal; I never compromised M. Jules, like the traitors who informed against him.
Justine Mme. du Brocard with all her immense savings ought to be able to buy him off.
Antoine Oh, nonsense! Since the escape of Lavalette such a thing is impossible! They have become extremely particular at the gates of the prison, and they were never particularly accommodating. M. Jules will have to take his dose you see; he will be a martyr. I shall go and see him executed.
(Some one rings. Exit Antoine.)
Justine We will go and see him! When one has known a condemned man I don't see how they can have the heart to--As for me I shall go to the Court of Assizes. I feel, poor boy, I owe him that!
SCENE SECOND
Dupre, Antoine and Justine.
Antoine (aside, as he ushers in Dupre) Ah! The lawyer. (Aloud) Justine, go and tell madame that Monsieur Dupre is waiting. (Aside) The lawyer is a hard nut to crack, I'm thinking. (Aloud) Sir, is there any hope of saving our poor M. Jules?
Dupre I perceive that you are very fond of your young master?
Antoine Naturally enough!
Dupre What would you do to save him?
Antoine Anything, sir!
Dupre That means nothing.
Antoine Nothing?--I will give whatever evidence you like.
Dupre If you are caught in contradicting yourself and convicted of perjury, do you know what you run the risk of?
Antoine No, sir.
Dupre The galleys.
Antoine That is rather severe, sir.
Dupre You would prefer to serve him without compromising yourself?
Antoine Is there any other way?
Dupre No.
Antoine Well! I'll run the risk of the galleys.
Dupre (aside) What devotion is here!
Antoine My master would be sure to settle a