Part 19 (2/2)
”I thank you,as was possible to so charhout the meal Instead, she devoted herself with an unusual and devastating assiduity to the suspiring Leandre, that poor devil who could not successfully play the lover with her on the stage because of his longing to play it in reality
Andre-Louis ate his herrings and black bread with a good appetite nevertheless It was poor fare, but then poor fare was the common lot of poor people in that winter of starvation, and since he had cast in his fortunes with a co, he must accept the evils of the situation philosophically
”Have you a name?” Binet asked hi a pause in the conversation
”It happens that I have,” said he ”I think it is Parvissimus”
”Parvissimus?” quoth Binet ”Is that a family name?”
”In such a coe of a fa its least member So I take the name that best becomes in me And I think it is Parvissimus--the very least”
Binet was amused It was droll; it showed a ready fancy Oh, to be sure, they ether on those scenarios
”I shall prefer it to carpentering,” said Andre-Louis Nevertheless he had to go back to it that afternoon, and to labour strenuously until four o'clock, when at last the autocratic Binet announced hiain with the help of Andre-Louis, to prepare the lights, which were supplied partly by tallow candles and partly by la the three knocks were sounded, and the curtain rose on ”The Heartless Father”
A the duties inherited by Andre-Louis from the departed Felicien whoed dressed in a Polichinelle costuereeable to M Binet and himself M Binet--who had taken the further precaution of retaining Andre-Louis' own garainst the risk of his latest recruit absconding with the takings Andre-Louis, without illusions on the score of Pantaloon's real object, agreed to it willingly enough, since it protected hiht possibly be in Guichen
The perforre and unenthusiastic The benches provided in the front half of the market contained some twenty-seven persons: eleven at twenty sous a head and sixteen at twelve Behind these stood a rabble of sos were two louis, ten livres, and two sous By the tihts, and the expenses of his company at the inn over Sunday, there was not likely to be very es of his players It is not surprising, therefore, that M Binet's bonho
”And what do you think of it?” he asked Andre-Louis, as they alking back to the inn after the performance
”Possibly it could have been worse; probably it could not,” said he
In sheer amazement M Binet checked in his stride, and turned to look at his companion
”Huh!” said he ”Dieu de Dien! But you are frank”
”An unpopular for fools, I know”
”Well, I am not a fool,” said Binet
”That is why I aence in you, M Binet”
”Oh, you do?” quoth M Binet ”And who the devil are you to assu? Your assumptions are presuloo up his accounts
But at table over supper a half-hour later he revived the topic
”Our latest recruit, this excellent M Parvissimus,” he announced, ”has the impudence to tell me that possibly our comedy could have been worse, but that probably it could not” And he blew out his great round cheeks to invite a laugh at the expense of that foolish critic
”That's bad,” said the swarthy and sardonic Polichinelle He was grave as Rhadament ”That's bad But what is infinitely worse is that the audience had the inorant pack of clods,” sneered Leandre, with a toss of his handso,” quoth Harlequin ”You were born for love, , as you will have conceived--looked contemptuously down upon the little man ”And you, ere you born for?” he wondered