Glumeau shot through his guests like an arrow and offered his arm to the baroness, who accepted it. They adjourned to the dining-room and took their seats at the table in the order established by the cards. Madame de Grangeville naturally was seated beside the host, and Monsieur Camuzard was on her other side. Madame Glumeau had seated Monsieur de Merval beside herself, so that that gentleman was at some distance from the baroness; not so far, however, that his eyes did not meet hers from time to time; and, strange to say, at such times Monsieur de Merval always lowered his first. When their appetites were appeased sufficiently to permit the guests to be agreeable, or at least to try to appear so, the conversation became animated, and they turned at last to the subject which had led to that festivity--the performance to be given on Monsieur Glumeau’s little stage in the country, and the distribution of parts. “Unless something better is suggested, we propose to give _La Forêt Périlleuse_,” said Madame Glumeau. “Very good,” said Chambourdin; “but in addition to the speaking parts, we must have robbers, a band of robbers.” “We will find some,” said Glumeau; “robbers are not what we lack.” “The deuce! are they abundant in the neighborhood of your country house?” “Don’t joke, Chambourdin; if you do, nothing will ever be decided, and we must arrange everything to-day; we go into the country next week, and we must give the play at the end of June, no later.” “Of course, with a theatre in the woods, we mustn’t wait until the bad weather begins.” “Well then, we will say _La Forêt Périlleuse_; my servants and my gardener will be the robbers.” “Oh! very good! excellent!” “I will p--p--play the fair Ca--Ca--the fair Ca--Ca--Camille.” “You are entitled to.” “And my b--b--brother the robber chief.” “Better and better--just as it used to be at Nicolet’s!” “I say, I really believe Chambourdin is laughing at us! What do the company think?” “No indeed! but it’s lawful to laugh, isn’t it?” said Chambourdin; “I don’t imagine that you are going to act with sober faces all the time. Besides, am I not one of your troupe? I will take whatever part you wish--a robber, a tyrant, a victim. But allow me to make one suggestion; instead of your _Forêt Périlleuse_, which is not wonderfully clever, and in which there is only one female part--and that one doesn’t come on in the first act--why don’t you give _Roderic et Cunégonde_? That’s a splendid parody on the fashionable melodrama, and full of wit from end to end; indeed, it’s by the late Martainville, who had wit to sell, so I have been told; for I never knew him.” Chambourdin’s suggestion was generally approved, except by Mademoiselle Eolinde, who regretted the fair Camille; but they gave her the part of Cunégonde, which was more in her line, because there are no long speeches in it. “But there’s a child in _Roderic et Cunégonde_,” said Monsieur Mangeot. “That’s all right! we’ll make one.”