The divorce scene between Richard and his wife, in especial, delighted me immensely. A scene of Schiller had returned to my memory, a scene of marvellous beauty and vigour. I saw how I could apply the scene between Philip II. and Elizabeth, to Richard and Jenny. I will give the two scenes in due course. All this preparatory work was settled between us;--in addition to this, it was decided that Goubaux and Beudin should write the election scene together, for which I had not the necessary data, while Beudin had been present at scenes of this nature in London. Then Goubaux looked at me. "Only one thing troubles me now," he said. "Only one?" "Yes; I see all the rest of the play, which cannot fail to turn out all right in your hands." "Then what is the thing that troubles you?" "The _dénoûment._" "Why the _dénoûment?_ We have got that already." Mawbray comes forward as witness and says to Richard, who is about to sign: 'You are my son, and I am the executioner!' Richard falls to the ground and a fit of apoplexy sends him to the devil, which is the right place for him." "No, that is not it at all," said Goubaux, shaking his head. "What is it then?" "It is the way in which he gets rid of his wife." "Ah!" I said. "And you have no idea how that is to be done?" "I had indeed some idea of making him put poison in her tea." It was now my turn to shake my head. "The death of Jenny must be caused by something in the situation, an act of frenzy, not by premeditation." "Oh, yes! I am well aware of that ... but think of a dagger thrust ... Richard is not an Antony, he does not carry daggers about in his coat pockets!" "Then," said I, "he shall not stab her." "But if he does not poison her or stab her what shall he do?" "Chuck her out of the window!" "What?" I repeated my phrase. "I must have misunderstood you," said Goubaux. "No." "But, my dear friend, you must be out of your mind." "Leave it to me." "But it is impossible!" "I see the scene ... just when Richard thinks Jenny has been carried off by Tompson, he finds her hidden in the cupboard of the very room where they are going to sign the contract; at the same moment he hears the steps of Da Sylva and his daughter on the staircase. In order not to be surprised with Jenny, there is but one way out of the difficulty--to throw her out of the window. So he throws her out of the window." "I must confess you frighten me with your methods of procedure! In the second act, he breaks Jenny's head against the furniture; in the third act he flings her out of the window. . . . Oh! come, come!" "Listen, let me finish the thing as I like--then, if it is absurd, we will alter it." "Will you listen to reason?" "I? Set your mind at rest; when I am convinced, I will, if necessary, reconstruct the whole play from beginning to end." "When will the first act be ready?" "What day of the week is this?" "Monday." _"_ Come and dine with me on Thursday: it will be done."