"'The play belongs to me; mine by fair and square contract: I have the right to have it rewritten at my own pleasure, by whomsoever I think fit. And, believe me, I feel sure the author will prefer that you should touch it up rather than any one else.... Besides, let me tell you everything frankly.' "'I warn you that, after that declaration, I shall be on my guard!' "'Exactly so ... You know Janin is rather friendly towards me?' "'Yes.' "'Very well, I begged him to rewrite this play, as it is unactable as it is, and I only took it after he had consented to overhaul it ...' "'Then you do not need me?' "'On the contrary, for it was Janin himself who told me to come to you. He has toiled and moiled at it; he has put marvellous style into it; "I have Janin's MS. in my possession; it is, indeed, perhaps the work on which he best displayed the wealth and flamboyant versatility of his pen. This is so true, that when my drama was done I made use of his work as the gold dust with which to besprinkle my own," but, finally, he was the first to realise that there was no play in what he had done. This morning, he came into my room with an armful of papers, which he flung at me, telling me that you were the only one who could put it into shape, that I should kill him with worry, that he had the cholera and that he was going to apply a score of leeches.' "'Very well, send me all these old papers to-morrow?' "'Will you set at it immediately?' "'I will try; but on one condition.' "'What is it?' "'That I shall not appear at the rehearsals, and that my name shall not figure on the bills; because I am doing this for you and not for myself. So give me your word of honour?' "'My word of honour!'" "I have already mentioned that, at the time M. Harel came to hunt me up, I was suffering from fever, a state of mind, as every one knows, extremely favourable to the concoction of works of the imagination. Therefore, the very same day, my character of Margaret of Burgundy was decided upon, my rôle of Buridan drawn out and part of the plot contrived. Next day M. Harel arrived with his manuscript. "'Here the thing is,' he said. "'What a pity! it comes too late.' "'How is that?' "'Your drama is finished.' "'Bah!' "'Send me your secretary to-night; he shall have the first scene.' "'Ah! my dear friend! You are ...' "' One moment! Let us concern ourselves with business matters now.' "'But you know that, between us ...' "'Ah! it is not of my own I wish to speak; it is of those of your young man.... You have made the young man sign a contract, you told me?' "'Yes.' "'On what conditions?'