COURTHEZON. It must cost more. CAROLINE [_shrugs_] I daresay. [_Pause_]. You are going to have a lovely night for your journey. How bright the moon is! One can see as clearly as if it were broad daylight. COURTHEZON [_suddenly remembering_] There now! I was just going to forget! I brought a letter for M. Dupont from the office. It came after he left. It’s about the printing contract for the Prefecture. CAROLINE. For the Prefecture. He’ll want to see that directly he comes in. COURTHEZON. And now I really must be off. Good-bye, Mlle. Caro. CAROLINE. Good-bye, M. Courthezon. [_He goes out_]. _After Courthezon’s departure Caroline returns to her seat. She makes a slight sign of the cross, closes her eyes and sits motionless, praying silently. After a few seconds she again crosses herself, but does all this very quietly. Lignol comes in through the glass doors, giving his arm to Julie. Antonin and M. and Madame Mairaut follow._ ANTONIN. We shall be more comfortable here than in the garden. It’s getting rather chilly. [_To Lignol_] You can smoke. LIGNOL. We really could have stayed out quite well. ANTONIN. And given Julie cold, eh? JULIE. My dear, I assure you— ANTONIN. Oh, yes, I know. But you aren’t wrapped up enough. [_He touches her arm_] In that thin dress you’ve simply nothing on. Just feel, Lignol, feel. JULIE [_protesting_] My dear! MME. MAIRAUT. What a charming frock you have on, my dear. Quite delightful. JULIE. It came from Madame Raimond. MME. MAIRAUT [_to Mairaut_] From Madame Raimond? I thought she made all her own dresses. LIGNOL [_to Julie_] You know, madame, that you have not convinced me yet. JULIE. Admitting that I am wrong—[_They go towards the garden door with Antonin, talking_]. MME. MAIRAUT [_to Mairaut_] And _you_ urged on that marriage. MAIRAUT. I! MME. MAIRAUT. When she was at home she never went to a dressmaker. And now! It’s too much. And we shall have the river in here before long. That wall is bound to go. MAIRAUT. Do you think so? MME. MAIRAUT. We shall have the whole house about our ears. And that fool— MAIRAUT. What fool? MME. MAIRAUT. Your son, of course, who has put in electric light. ANTONIN [_from the garden door, to Lignol_] You didn’t know I’d had electric light put in. We have lots of water power, you see. I ought to have turned it on before. Look. [_He touches a button and turns up the light_]. LIGNOL. That’s better. [_They talk on_]. MME. MAIRAUT. If the river rises another couple of inches down will come four hundred feet of that wall. MAIRAUT. It’s not as bad as that. MME. MAIRAUT. Oh, you have let yourself be nicely done. MAIRAUT. Come, come. MME. MAIRAUT. The girl is utterly useless. She can do nothing. And the house will cost more in repairs than it is worth. When I think I was idiot enough to listen to you. [_She listens_]. What was that? MAIRAUT. I hear nothing. MME. MAIRAUT. The wall! Listen! [_They listen intently_].