The Lucky Man | Page 7

one tell you that dividing your love between twenty coquettes makes you neither more attractive nor more happy. Your feelings should be faithful to the most loveable lady in the kingdom. Believe me, sir, and you will be believing an affectionate girl totally in your interests: Be happy while you can. There will come a time when the desire to be happy will only meet with despair. You will not always be attractive, and you won't always find a Laura to love you.
Cadwell: My sword.
Jenny: Fifty thousand francs and Laura! In these days a pretty sum. It ought to be very tempting to you--and I don't know anybody else who wouldn't be tempted by all that.
Cadwell: My purse.
Jenny: Truly sir, it's useless for you to say or do something, to put to use the merit you have, and you have great merit if one believes the consensus--I intend to become the greatest lady in Paris if I can get you to fifty thousand francs and Laura.
Cadwell: My wig.
Jenny: What I am saying to you must be very unpleasant for you not to reply one word to me.
Cadwell: How do I look, Jenny?
Jenny: Oh! Not very good at all. You enrage me.
Cadwell: My gloves, my hat. (to Jenny) Goodbye, Jenny. (to Bendish as he leaves) Hey, Bendish.
Bendish: Sir?
Cadwell: (whispering in Bendish's ear) Listen.
(Exit Cadwell)
Jenny: (aside) On my oath, there's a villainous man. (to Bendish) And you, you imagine that I am used to your coldness and lack of love?
Bendish: I love moralists--they put me to sleep.
Jenny: Go, go, traitor, I will teach you.
Bendish: (interrupting her) You don't know what you are saying.
Jenny: What, a girl like me, a man like you. Rascal. Infamous!
Bendish: Leave, leave, these pretty names, these illustrious names, to the unworthy master I serve--give me softer ones, more agreeable.
Jenny: Give you sweet names!
Bendish: Ah, pardon, child. I have my head full of Cadwell's follies.
Jenny: (interrupting him) And your own?
Bendish: That without thinking what I do--
Jenny (interrupting him) Very obliging way of justifying yourself. I will hold you to account.
Bendish: I will reply with the same words he said to me when I tried to censure his conduct.
Jenny: I believe it. You know that I have my complaints about you and that I find you very bad--
Bendish: How do I look, Jenny?
Jenny: Ah, traitor! You copy Cadwell. But don't think that I am crazy enough to copy Laura.
Bendish: Goodbye, child. I bid you good day.
Jenny: Plague on the fool!
CURTAIN
ACT II. Scene: Same as Act I. Time: A short time later.
Lackey: I'm going to find out if one can see, madam.
Arabella: Eh! My child--tell me a bit, I beg you, Cadwell--is he here?
Lackey: I don't know. I don't believe so. Shall I ring, madam?
Arabella: Yes, ring. (Lackey pulls a bell cord) (Aside) Where can Cadwell be? His conduct doesn't satisfy me any more. He has the gift of tasting everything he finds agreeable the very moment he finds it. And the lack of promptness he shows to see me ruins the pleasure I got from the watch he sent me this morning.
(Enter Jenny)
Jenny: (to Lackey) Well! Who the devil made you ring so loud?
Lackey: (exiting) One asks for madam.
Arabella: (to Jenny) What's Laura doing?
Jenny: She hasn't slept for the whole night. She's just been drowsing for a whole hour. If you wish I will go tell her--
Arabella: (interrupting) No, Jenny, I will wait till she wakes.
Jenny: Or till Cadwell returns?
Arabella: Why Cadwell?
Jenny: To keep you company while waiting for Laura.
Arabella: I've nothing to do with Cadwell.
Jenny: And now, madam, pardon me for speaking so freely, there's a rumor about that you don't hate him--
Arabella: Me?
Jenny: All the world says that he loves you, at least.
Arabella: All the world has lied, Jenny. It is true that certain understandings between people do result in passions. I hold myself no more guilty of loving him than of having inspired love. Really, when you hear such foolishness-- But who can take pleasure in spreading rumors like that? Cadwell himself hasn't any part in it?
Jenny: Why, madam,--what stops you? What makes you angry today is the glory of most women. And the pleasure of being told they are loved leads some to being very loving.
Arabella: I don't know those people, Jenny, and Cadwell would be of all men the one about whom I would least have it said.
Jenny: They say he's the Don Juan of London.
Arabella: Not mine.
Jenny: Still he has wit.
Arabella: I find him somewhat silly--and the most annoying personality.
Jenny: (interrupting her) He's well built.
Arabella: What difference? I cannot stand him.
Jenny: As for writing, nobody writes better.
Arabella: What do you say? It's true that I haven't seen his letters, but then as to his manners, I believe he's incapable of doing anything good.
Jenny: Ah--I know of so many difficulties that cannot be arranged.
Arabella: Eh!