HAR. That is something. Charity, Mr. Simon, demands of us to gratify people whenever we have it in our power. SIM. Evidently. LA FL. (_aside to_ CLÉANTE, _on recognising_ MR. SIMON). What does this mean? Mr. Simon talking with your father! CLE. (_aside to_ LA FLÈCHE). Has he been told who I am, and would you be capable of betraying me? SIM. (_to_ CLÉANTE _and_ LA FLÈCHE). Ah! you are in good time! But who told you to come here? (_To_ HARPAGON) It was certainly not I who told them your name and address; but I am of opinion that there is no great harm done; they are people who can be trusted, and you can come to some understanding together. HAR. What! SIM. (_showing_ CLÉANTE). This is the gentleman who wants to borrow the fifteen thousand francs of which I have spoken to you. HAR. What! miscreant! is it you who abandon yourself to such excesses? CLE. What! father! is it you who stoop to such shameful deeds? (MR. SIMON _runs away, and_ LA FLÈCHE _hides himself_.) SCENE III.--HARPAGON, CLÉANTE. HAR. It is you who are ruining yourself by loans so greatly to be condemned! CLE. So it is you who seek to enrich yourself by such criminal usury! HAR. And you dare, after that, to show yourself before me? CLE. And you dare, after that, to show yourself to the world? HAR. Are you not ashamed, tell me, to descend to these wild excesses, to rush headlong into frightful expenses, and disgracefully to dissipate the wealth which your parents have amassed with so much toil. CLE. Are you not ashamed of dishonouring your station by such dealings, of sacrificing honour and reputation to the insatiable desire of heaping crown upon crown, and of outdoing the most infamous devices that have ever been invented by the most notorious usurers? HAR. Get out of my sight, you reprobate; get out of my sight! CLE. Who is the more criminal in your opinion: he who buys the money of which he stands in need, or he who obtains, by unfair means, money for which he has no use? HAR. Begone, I say, and do not provoke me to anger. (_Alone_) After all, I am not very much vexed at this adventure; it will be a lesson to me to keep a better watch over all his doings. SCENE IV.--FROSINE, HARPAGON. FRO. Sir. HAR. Wait a moment, I will come back and speak to you. (_Aside_) I had better go and see a little after my money. SCENE V.--LA FLÈCHE, FROSINE. LA FL. (_without seeing_ FROSINE). The adventure is most comical. Hidden somewhere he must have a large store of goods of all kinds, for the list did not contain one single article which either of us recognised. FRO. Hallo! is it you, my poor La Flèche? How is it we meet here? LA FL. Ah! ah! it is you, Frosine; and what have you come to do here?