SECOND MASK. Wasn't marble. THIRD MASK. Stucco. THE DUKE. What! FLAMBEAU. Have a care! An Empire is at stake! A MASK. Much overpraised-- FLAMBEAU. Take care! TIBURTIUS. A middling soldier, But then he rode a camel while in Egypt; What more do you want? A MASK. Gentz imitates him. FLAMBEAU. Lord! ANOTHER MASK. Do it! FLAMBEAU. [_To the_ DUKE.] Remember, you're not here at all! GENTZ. [_Arranging his hair, and striking the conventional attitude._] Curl--eye--hand--There! FLAMBEAU. Old fool! THE DUKE. He mocks him, yet Even the mockery's great, for it evokes him. TIBURTIUS. You know he used to tumble off his horse? FLAMBEAU. That's what the Ultras always said about him. A MASK. His talk was poor. FLAMBEAU. Go on! THE DUKE. Oh, that's the rule. What could these worms and insects talk about If they had not the eagle to abuse? TIBURTIUS. His name was not Napoleon at all. FLAMBEAU. What! TIBURTIUS. That was manufactured. It's so simple! You want to make a sounding name-- FLAMBEAU. You idiot! TIBURTIUS. Which shall creep into history by and by: Take three bright, simple vowels: Na--po--le-- And add a nasal sound: On-- A MASK. Wonderful! TIBURTIUS. Yes: Na--po--le, the lightning; On, the thunder. FLAMBEAU. That's all! A MASK. What was his name? TIBURTIUS. What? Don't you know? A MASK. Why, no. TIBURTIUS. His name was Nicholas. FLAMBEAU. [_Bursting out._] Be damned! SEVERAL MASKS. [_Laughing._] Bravo the Veteran! GENTZ. [_To_ FLAMBEAU.] Nicholas!--Have a quail. FLAMBEAU. [_Taking the dish._] But Nicholas was good at winning battles. A MASK. And what a funny court he scraped together! SECOND MASK. If you talked titles, pedigrees, precedence, There wasn't a soul who had a word to say. FLAMBEAU. Wasn't Cambronne at Court to say the word? A MASK. But--in war-- FLAMBEAU. Oh--! SECOND MASK. What did he do? ANOTHER MASK. Why, wrote reports. A MASK. And always stood about on distant hills. FLAMBEAU. By God--! THE DUKE. Hush! TIBURTIUS. Once a ball was good enough To wound him in the foot at Ratisbon: Enough to make a subject for a picture. FLAMBEAU. [_To the_ DUKE.] Be calm--! THE DUKE. Be calm--! FLAMBEAU. Just take away this knife. TIBURTIUS. In short-- THE DUKE. He'd best be careful what he says. FLAMBEAU. You must put up with it!