Colloquial French. 21 that in half an hour the First Consul Bonaparte will be Emperor Napoleon. Bonaparte.-No. You may believe me or not, as you like, but they remind me of my early years at Brienne. I was happy then. (Enter Foséphine.) Why, Joséphine, what brings you here? Charles, will you leave us? [Exit Charles. 4. A BEAR OF ALL WORK. Lagingeole and Tristapatte are itinerant speculators, who have wandered to the East with a mangy menagerie, all the animals of which have gradually become defunct. Their last loss was a black bear, which had just died. Marécot (the Pasha's Counsellor, anxious about the death of the Pasha's pet bear, aside without seeing the two).—I have done my best to stifle the sad news; and, thank the prophet, the Pasha as yet has no suspicion of what has happened. I left him engaged in watching some little red fish swimming about in a globe, and that will entertain him for at least an hour. (Seeing the two dealers.) Ah! those are the European merchants. Tristapatte (aside to Lagingeole).-Aye, merchants . . . with nothing to sell. Lagingeole (aside to Tristapatte).-Will you be quiet? (Aloud.) The fact is that we possess a complete collection of curious creatures, learned beasts, the rarest animals. Marécot.-Nothing could be more opportune just as we are anxious to give the Pasha a little entertainment, a show of some kind. Lagingeole. A show! I've the very thing for you. (Shows Tristapatte.) I have the honour of introducing to you my comrade here, who dances beautifully on the tight rope. Tristapatte (low, to Lagingeole).-Shut up with that, can't you; its quite untrue. Lagingeole (aside, to Tristapatte).-My dear boy, with a balancing pole you will manage it as well as any one else. l'épaule de Tristapatte et a l'air de le presénter à Marécot.) Eh bien! c'est bon. Il faut vous dire que le Pacha aime beaucoup les bêtes savantes, et nous avions ici un ours blanc qui faisait ses délices. ·Tristapatte (à part).—Un ours! nous qui en possédions un si beau ! Lagingeole (vivement, après avoir révé).-Un ours, ditesvous? J'ai justement ce qu'il vous faut. Tristapatte (bas, à Lagingeole).—Mais tu sais bien qu'il est mort. Marécot.-Comment! Il serait possible! vous auriez notre pareil ? Lagingeole. Oh! exactement semblable, excepté, par exemple, qu'il est noir; mais en fait de talents, la couleur n'y fait rien, et je vous livre celui-là pour le premier ours du monde. Il a fait l'admiration de toutes les cours et ménageries de l'Europe. En ce moment il arrive directement de Paris, où il avait été appelé par souscription pour remplacer l'ours Martin qui était indisposé; mais l'indisposition n'a pas eu de suite. Cet ours, dans le séjour qu'il a fait à Paris, a pris les belles manières et les gentillesses des habitants de cette grande ville. Il boit, il mange, pense et raisonne comme vous et moi pourrions faire. Marécot.--C'est admirable! Lagingeole. Il joue, il danse comme une personne naturelle de l'Opéra. Je n'ai pas encore pu lui apprendre à chanter: cela viendra; mais en revanche il pince de la harpe divinement, et il a manqué de figurer dans une représentation à bénéfice pour le doyen des ours. Marécot (enthousiasme).-Ah! mon ami, mon cher ami, nous sommes sauvés! Je prédis à vous et à votre ours le sort le plus brillant, Par exemple, si celui-là ne devient pas le favori du Pacha! . . . Mais ce n'est pas tout le Pacha aime aussi les poissons; il nous faudrait donc un poisson extraordinaire. Tristapatte. Je vous comprends bien vous ne voudriez pas un roquet de poisson, un goujon, par exemple. Lagingeole.-J'y suis, Monsieur voudrait un beau poisson, un poisson comme on n'en voit pas beaucoup. Marécot.-Un poisson comme on n'en voit guère. Lagingeole (froidement).—J'ai votre affaire: prenez mon ours. Tristapatte on the shoulder, and appears to be introducing him to Marécot.) Yes! yes! I see good. I must inform you that the Pasha is very fond of clever beasts, and we had here a white bear who was his chief delight. Tristapatte (aside).—A bear! and we had such a fine one. Lagingeole (eagerly, after reflecting a moment).-A bear, you say? I have the very thing you want. Tristapatte (aside, to Lagingeole).-But you know he is dead. Marécot. Really! is it possible! you have a bear like ours. Lagingeole.-Oh! exactly like it, with this exception, by the bye, that he is black; but in the matter of accomplishments the colour does not signify, and I offer this one to you, as the best bear going. He has been the wonder of all the courts and ménageries of Europe. At the present moment he is just arriving from Paris, where he had been invited by subscription, to take the place of the Zoological bear, who was unwell; but the illness went off. Now, my bear, in the stay he made in Paris, learnt the courteous and engaging ways of the inhabitants of that great town. He drinks, he eats, thinks and reasons like you or I might. Marécot. That's wonderful. Lagingeole. He performs and dances just like a real professional of the Opera. I have not yet succeeded in teaching him to sing, but it will come; and to compensate for that, he plays the harp delightfully; just missed having to appear in a benefit performance for the senior head bear. Marécot (exhilarated).—My dear friend! my dear friend! you are the saving of us. I prophecy to you and your bear the most glorious fortune. Now, if that one does not become the Pasha's favourite But that is not all. The Pasha is also very fond of fishes, we want besides some quite exceptional fish. Tristapatte.-I quite understand you; you don't want a cur, a scrub of a fish, a gudgeon, for instance. Lagingeole. I see it. You would like a handsome fish, I suppose; such a fish as is not often seen. Marécot.-A fish whose like you seldom see. Lagingeole (coolly).-I've what you want. . . take my bear. Marécot.-Je pourrai fort bien m'arranger de votre ours, mais Tristapatte (à Lagingeole).-Tu n'entends donc pas ce que te dit Monsieur ? Lagingeole.-Comment ? Tristapatte.-Tu dis à Monsieur: Prenez mon ours. Marécot.-Eh bien ? Tristapatte. Eh bien? qui'est-ce que Monsieur t'a demandé? Marécot.-Qu'est-ce que j'ai dit à Monsieur ? Lagingeole.-Qu'est-ce que j'ai répondu? Prenez mon ours. Tristapatte.-Prenez mon ours . . . Il ne sortira pas de là. Marécot.-Votre ours fera donc le poisson? Lagingeole. C'est son état ; c'est un ours marin. Marécot (stupefait).—Un ours marin! Ah! le Pacha en perdra la tête. Mon ami, notre fortune est faite, la vôtre et la mienne. Lagingeole (bas, à Tristapatte).-Entends-tu, notre fortune? (Haut.) Et dites-moi, seigneur Marécot, votre Pacha est-il bon homme ? Marécot.-Il est d'une douceur et d'un laisser-aller qui vous étonneront. Il a bon ton, il a bon air, Pourtant, malgré sa bonhomie, Marécot.-Mais surtout, il n'aime pas à attendre Marécot.-I would willingly come to terms with you about your bear; but . Tristapatte (to Lagingeole).-Don't you hear what the gentleman says to you? Lagingeole.-What then? Tristapatte. You say to the gentleman, take my bear. Marécot.-Well? Tristapatte.-Well? What did the gentleman ask? Marécot.-What was it I said? Lagingeole.-What did I answer? Take my bear. Tristapatte.-Take my bear. . . He seems to stick to it. Marécot.-Your bear then is to be the fish? Lagingeole. Just his line. He is a sea-bear. Marécot (astounded).-A sea-bear! Oh, the Pasha will be off his head with delight. My friend, our fortunes are made yours and mine. Lagingeole (aside to Tristapatte).-Do you hear? our fortune. By-the-bye, will your honour kindly tell me is your Pasha a good sort of fellow? Marécot.-Wonderfully mild and easy going A gentleman in tone and manner. : But yet, despite his good nature, he now and then has the same craze as his cousin, the Bey of Algiers. All of a sudden a fit will seize him; for a mere trifle he will fly out, he'll scold, he'll kill you. but a moment afterwards, the best tempered man in the world. Lagingeole. I know the kind of thing the disease of the country. Marécot. But above all things he dislikes waiting. So make haste to bring your bear. |