Part 7 (1/2)

SECOND CHILD Please, will you wrap them for us?

RAGUENEAU [starting, aside] There goes one of my bags! [To the children.] You want them wrapped, do you? [He takes one of the paper bags, and as he is about to put in the patties, reads.] ”No otherwise, Ulysses, from Penelope departing....” [He takes one of the paper bags, and as he is about to put in the patties, reads.] ”No otherwise, Ulysses, from Penelope departing....” Not this one! Not this one! [He lays it aside and takes another. At the moment of putting in the patties, he reads.] ”Phbus of the aureate locks...” [He lays it aside and takes another. At the moment of putting in the patties, he reads.] ”Phbus of the aureate locks...” Not that one! Not that one! [Same business.] [Same business.]

LISE [out of patience] [out of patience] Well, what are you waiting for? Well, what are you waiting for?

RAGUENEAU Here we are. Here we are. Here we are. [He takes a third bag and resigns himself.] The sonnet to Phyllis! ... It is hard, all the same.

LISE It is lucky you made up your mind. [Shrugging her shoulders.] [Shrugging her shoulders.] Nicodemus! Nicodemus!33 [She climbs on a chair and arranges dishes on a sideboard. [She climbs on a chair and arranges dishes on a sideboard. ] ]

RAGUENEAU [taking advantage of her back being turned, calls back the children who had already reached the door] [taking advantage of her back being turned, calls back the children who had already reached the door] Psst! ... Children! Give me back the sonnet to Phyllis, and you shall have six patties instead of three! Psst! ... Children! Give me back the sonnet to Phyllis, and you shall have six patties instead of three! [The children give back the paper bag, joyfully take the patties and exeunt. [The children give back the paper bag, joyfully take the patties and exeunt. RAGUENEAU RAGUENEAU smoothes out the crumpled paper and reads declaiming.] ”Phyllis!” smoothes out the crumpled paper and reads declaiming.] ”Phyllis!” ... Upon that charming name, a . grease-spot! ... ... Upon that charming name, a . grease-spot! ... ”Phyllis!” ... [Enter brusquely ”Phyllis!” ... [Enter brusquely CYRANO.] CYRANO.]

SCENE III.

Cyrano, Lise, Ragueneau, then the Mousquetaire

CYRANO What time is it?

RAGUENEAU [bowing with eager deference] [bowing with eager deference] Six o'clock. Six o'clock.

CYRANO [with emotion] [with emotion] In an hour! In an hour! [He comes and goes in the shop.] [He comes and goes in the shop.]

RAGUENEAU [following him] Bravo! I too was witness....

CYRANO Of what?

RAGUENEAU Your fight.

CYRANO Which?

RAGUENEAU At the Hotel de Bourgogne.

CYRANO [with disdain] [with disdain] Ah, the duel! Ah, the duel!

RAGUENEAU [admiringly] [admiringly] Yes,-the duel in rhyme. Yes,-the duel in rhyme.

LISE He can talk of nothing else.

CYRANO Let him! ... It does no harm.

RAGUENEAU [thrusting with a spit he has seized] ”At the last line, I hit!” ”At the last line I hit!” [thrusting with a spit he has seized] ”At the last line, I hit!” ”At the last line I hit!”-How fine that is! [With growing enthusiasm [With growing enthusiasm .] .] ”At the last line, I ”At the last line, I- CYRANO What time, Ragueneau?

RAGUENEAU [remaining fixed in the att.i.tude of thrusting, while he looks at the clock] [remaining fixed in the att.i.tude of thrusting, while he looks at the clock] Five minutes past six.- Five minutes past six.-”I hit!” [He recovers from his duelling posture.] Oh, to be able to make a ballade! Oh, to be able to make a ballade!

LISE [to [to CYRANO, CYRANO, who in pa.s.sing her counter has absentmindedly shaken hands with her] who in pa.s.sing her counter has absentmindedly shaken hands with her] What ails your hand? What ails your hand?

CYRANO Nothing. A scratch.

RAGUENEAU You have been exposed to some danger?

CYRANO None whatever.

LISE [shaking her finger at him] [shaking her finger at him] I fear that is a fib! I fear that is a fib!

CYRANO From the swelling of my nose? The fib in that case must have been good-sized.... [In a different tone.] [In a different tone.] I am expecting some one. You will leave us alone in here. I am expecting some one. You will leave us alone in here.

RAGUENEAU But how can I contrive it? My poets shortly will be coming ...

LISE [ironically] For breakfast!

CYRANO When I sign to you, you will clear the place of them.-What time is it?

RAGUENEAU It is ten minutes past six.

CYRANO [seating himself nervously at [seating himself nervously at RAGUENEAU's RAGUENEAU's table and helping himself to paper] table and helping himself to paper] A pen? A pen?

RAGUENEAU [taking one from behind his ear, and offering it] [taking one from behind his ear, and offering it] A swan's quill. A swan's quill.

A MOUSQUETAIRE [with enormous moustachios, enters; in a stentorian voice] [with enormous moustachios, enters; in a stentorian voice] Good-morning! Good-morning! [LISE goes hurriedly to him, toward the back.] [LISE goes hurriedly to him, toward the back.]

CYRANO [turning] [turning] What is it? What is it?

RAGUENEAU A friend of my wife's,-a warrior,-terrible, from his own report.

CYRANO [taking up the pen again, and waving [taking up the pen again, and waving RAGUENEAU RAGUENEAU away] away] Hus.h.!.+ ... [ Hus.h.!.+ ... [To himself.] Write to her, ... fold the letter, ... hand it to her, ... and make my escape.... [Throwing, down the pen.] Coward! ... But may I perish if I have the courage to speak to her, ... to say a single word.... [To [To RAGUENEAU.] What time is it? RAGUENEAU.] What time is it?

RAGUENEAU A quarter past six. CYRANO [beating his breast] [beating his breast] A single word of all I carry here! ... Whereas in writing ... A single word of all I carry here! ... Whereas in writing ... [He takes up the pen again.] [He takes up the pen again.] Come, let us write it then, in very deed, the love-letter I have written in thought so many times, I have but to lay my soul beside my paper, and copy! Come, let us write it then, in very deed, the love-letter I have written in thought so many times, I have but to lay my soul beside my paper, and copy! [He writes.] [He writes.]

SCENE IV.

Ragueneau, Lise, the Mousquetaire, Cyrano, writing at the little table; the Poets, dressed in black, their stocking sagging and covered in mud [Beyond the gla.s.s-door, shadowy lank hesitating shabby forms are seen moving. Enter the poets, clad in black, with hanging hose, sadly mud-splashed.]

LISE [coming forward, to to RAGUENEAU] Here they come, your scare-crows ! RAGUENEAU] Here they come, your scare-crows !

FIRST POET [entering, to [entering, to RAGUENEAU] Brother in art! ... RAGUENEAU] Brother in art! ...

SECOND POET [shaking both [shaking both RAGUENEAU's RAGUENEAU's hands] hands] Dear fellow-bard.... Dear fellow-bard....

THIRD POET Eagle of pastrycooks, [sniffs the air], [sniffs the air], your eyrie smells divine! your eyrie smells divine!

FOURTH POET Phbus34 turned baker! turned baker!

FIFTH POET Apollo35 master-cook! master-cook!

RAGUENEAU [surrounded, embraced, shaken by the hand] [surrounded, embraced, shaken by the hand] How at his ease a man feels at once with them! How at his ease a man feels at once with them!