DUPONT. People say M. Maréchal has a great affection for M. Antonin. MME. MAIRAUT. Yes. MAIRAUT. Very great. DUPONT. He is rich, too, people say. MME. MAIRAUT. So they say. MAIRAUT. However, we haven’t taken him into account, have we? MME. DUPONT. Still, M. Maréchal would naturally leave everything to his nephew. MAIRAUT & MME. MAIRAUT [_together_] Oh, certainly. We can promise that. He will leave him everything he has. MME. DUPONT. M. Maréchal has considerable influence at the Prefecture, has he not? MME. MAIRAUT. No doubt. But all this is really beside the mark. At twentyfive thousand francs we could not— DUPONT. I am sorry. MME. MAIRAUT. We are sorry, too. [_She rises, saying to her husband_] Come, my dear, we must be taking our leave. DUPONT. I might, perhaps, go to thirty thousand. MME. MAIRAUT. I am afraid fifty thousand is the lowest. DUPONT. Let us split the difference. Thirty thousand and my country house at St. Laurent. MME. MAIRAUT. But it is flooded two months out of the twelve. DUPONT. Flooded! Never. MME. MAIRAUT [_to her husband_] Well, my dear, what do you think? MAIRAUT. Antonin is much attached to Mlle. Julie. MME. MAIRAUT. Ah, yes, if it were not for that! [_Seats herself_] My poor boy! [_She weeps_]. MME. DUPONT. My poor little Julie! [_She weeps_]. MAIRAUT [_to Dupont_] You must excuse her. After all, it is her son. DUPONT. My dear sir, I quite understand. MME. MAIRAUT [_wiping her eyes_] And, of course, there would be the other twentyfive thousand in six months. MME. DUPONT. Of course. MME. MAIRAUT. Have you any views as to settlements? DUPONT. On that point I have very definite ideas. MAIRAUT. So have I. DUPONT. The money on each side must be strictly settled. MAIRAUT. Strictly settled? [_A silence of astonishment_]. DUPONT. Yes. MAIRAUT. His and hers? DUPONT. Certainly. You agree? MAIRAUT. Oh, yes, I agree, I agree. Unless you preferred— DUPONT. That all moneys should be held jointly? MAIRAUT. Perhaps that would be— DUPONT. Perhaps so. There is something distasteful, I might almost say sordid, about strict settlements. MAIRAUT. That’s it. Something sordid. DUPONT. They imply a certain distrust. MAIRAUT. Yes, don’t they? Well, that’s agreed, then? DUPONT. Quite. The moneys to be held jointly. All moneys, that is, that may come to them in the future. The first twentyfive thousand, of course, will be settled on Julie. They will form the dot. MME. MAIRAUT. The second twentyfive thousand, which you will pay over in six months, to be held jointly. DUPONT. Yes. We will draw up a little agreement. MAIRAUT. Quite so. _Antonin Mairaut comes in. He is a handsome youth of twenty-eight, very correct in manner. Greetings are exchanged._ MME. MAIRAUT. Antonin. [_To Dupont and Madame Dupont_] You allow me? MME. DUPONT. By all means. MME. MAIRAUT [_She draws Antonin aside and says to him in a low voice_] It’s settled. ANTONIN. How much?