“I do know a person of that name, but perhaps it is not the same man. My Bélan is married, it is true, but I lost sight of him a long while ago. I know nothing whatever about him.” “Oh! it’s probably this man.” “He must look a fool!” cried a young guest. “It seems to me that to be a betrayed husband must give a man a queer look!” “That is a young man’s reflection,” said the Englishman. “If such things could be read on the face, the French would laugh much less at them.” “Messieurs, I once played Sganarelle in _Le Cocu Imaginaire_; it was at Bordeaux. I played it afterward at Paris; but this that I am going to tell you about happened at Bordeaux. It was a performance that had been planned long before, and I was not to be in it. But all of a sudden the amateur who was to play Sganarelle became involved in a disastrous failure; he lost two hundred thousand francs. You can imagine that he didn’t care to act in theatricals then. The company was in dire perplexity, when Molé, who was one of them, said: ‘Pardi! I know a man who can help us out of the scrape if he will; he is a friend of mine, who acts like a little angel, and he happens to be in Bordeaux at this moment.’ And everybody said: ‘Oh! bring us your friend! Bring us your friend!’ Molé came to me and said: ‘Will you play Sganarelle in _Le Cocu Imaginaire_?’ I answered: ‘Why not?’ “‘You will restore life to some charming women, whom you will embrace--Do you know the part?’ “‘No.’ “‘It is very long.’ “‘I will know it to-morrow.’ “‘I defy you to do it!’ “‘What will you bet?’ “‘A truffled turkey!’ “‘Done.’--The next day I played Sganarelle and I had a tremendous success!” “I believe, messieurs, that I brought this newspaper in order to read it to you; and if you will permit me----” That devil of a man would not be denied; and although I knew very well that it was about the Bélan whom I knew, I was not at all curious to hear the report of his suit. Luckily, the mistress of the house entered the salon at that moment. After saluting everybody, she went to Mademoiselle Derbin. “Mon Dieu! if I dared, mademoiselle--if it would not offend you, I----” “What is it, madame?” “We have a new guest, a French lady who has been here since morning. She has come to take the waters, and anyone can see that she is not travelling for pleasure solely, for she seems to be very ill, to suffer a great deal.” “Is it the young lady whom I saw this morning?” asked the Englishman. “Yes, my lord.” “She has a very interesting air.” “But what can I do, madame?” asked Caroline.