"M. Harel had expressed much regret to me; first, because the drama was not _en tableaux_; that style suited the ways of his theatre better, and the success of _Richard_ supported the opinion; secondly, that I had not made Buridan the father of Gaultier and of Philippe, whose mother (Marguerite) was alone known. 'That would complicate the plot,' he said to me. Finally, he thought it improbable that Marguerite, a queen and all-powerful, would not have had Buridan arrested and got rid of, at the first words of his revelation. At the juxtaposition of these two latter objections a sudden ray of light sprang up in me. Let Buridan be the _father_ indeed, by means of a pre-existing intrigue, and let him be arrested by Marguerite, who wanted to rid herself of him; then, at the moment of his greatest peril, let him make himself known, and there would be the opportunity for a magnificent scene--capital! The prison scene was hit upon. "Two days after that on which Janin had given up the drama, like an athlete, exhausted by a task too heavy for him, I took to M. Harel, the manager of the Porte-Saint-Martin, a _scenario_ which was pretty nearly that of _La Tour de Nesle._ I am, however, going to point out the differences. "Orsini was not a tavern-keeper; that was Landry, although both were men belonging to the tower of Nesle. As for Orsini, he was one of those magicians extremely feared in his time under the name of _envoûteurs._ A confidant of Marguerite, he receives at his house the courtiers, a part very much like that of Ruggieri in _Henri III._; it is on that account, I think, that M. Dumas has made him a tavern-keeper instead of Landry. "Secondly, the prison scene was arranged like this so that Buridan might finish his part holding Marguerite's hands, and say to her, 'Délie ces cordes!' Marguerite, falling on her knees obediently, and freeing him with _one single cut._ M. Dumas has _tripled_ that action by causing Buridan only to be unbound after _three attempts._ "He is miles beyond me, as tried talent far exceeds feeble inexperienced effort, as attainment exceeds inexperience.