At midday, Monsieur Floridor came to escort them to the theatre, where the rest of the troupe was waiting for them. The aspect of the little hall, which they reached through a dovecote, where the box-office was located, amused Dubourg mightily, while Ménard collided with two old hogsheads which did duty as mountains. The troupe manifested the greatest respect for the two new-comers, who rehearsed book in hand. Dubourg did not say a word that the others did not exclaim: "How well that was declaimed! what talent!" It was the same with Ménard; and the tutor, bewildered by the applause that was lavished upon him, was persuaded that he possessed a hitherto unsuspected talent for acting. "Do you take snuff while you are acting?" queried Floridor. "Why not? I take the part of a king, and the King of Prussia took snuff; witness that box, which----" "In Poland," interposed Dubourg, "we take as much of it as we please on the stage; it's a recognized thing; indeed, it's a matter of tradition in many rôles." "How glad I am!" said the constable's wife, who played Phèdre; "I didn't dare to take it when I was the princess." "In that case," said the carpenter's apprentice, "I'll put a little quid in my mouth when I play Aricie, as Monsieur Boleslas deigns to allow it." "Whatever you please; great artists indulge in innumerable whims." "_Non est magnum ingenium, sine mixtura dementiæ_," observed Ménard. "Do you hear him? that's Polish," said the manager to his troupe. Three days were occupied with rehearsals; at last, the day of the performance arrived. Ménard knew only his first speech by heart; but he knew that very well, and Dubourg had told him that that was enough. The latter did not know a word of his part, but he was not at all disturbed. On the morning of the performance, he took care to secure the hundred francs which Floridor had agreed to pay, saying that it was the custom in Poland. The little manager counted out the sum, and Dubourg put it in his pocket. The costumes they were to wear in _Phèdre_ were brought to the inn. "Don't we dress at the theatre?" Dubourg asked the manager. "We have no dressing-rooms, so everybody dresses at home; but the weather is fine, and there's no inconvenience in that." "Do you mean that I must walk through the town dressed as Hippolyte?" "The theatre is only a few steps from the inn, and you can play the part in boots, as Hippolyte is a hunter." "True." "In default of a bow, which we haven't, you will carry an old musket, which I have had brought here for you; the ramrod will represent the arrows." "That will do very well." "As for the wig, I think you will be pleased; as Hippolyte must have hair falling over his neck, I have prepared a Louis XIV wig, which will fill the bill perfectly."