The Flower Girl of The Chateau d'Eau Volume I Part 37

"There's no help for it; his wife works beautifully, and I always need her. Go, and bring back a coupe when you come; I will go out to buy a hat."

"Yes, madame.--By the way, what about the grocer opposite?"

"What do we owe him?"

"Ninety-six francs."

"Give him ten francs on account, that is quite enough."

XVIII

THE HOUSE AT NOGENT.--THE REHEARSAL

Everything was made ready at Monsieur Glumeau's country house for the festivities which he had announced long before to his friends and acquaintances. The day was fixed, the invitations issued. They had invited four times as many people as the house could hold; but in default of the house there was a garden, and over and above the garden there was a wood of about two acres; the guests who could not find room in the house had their choice between the wood and the garden; in the country there is always some way to arrange matters.

Monsieur Glumeau's country house was nevertheless quite large and very well arranged. The garden was attractive and well filled with flowers; but the most attractive part of the whole estate was the little wood.

Unfortunately it did not adjoin the garden; it was separated from it by a narrow path, not more than ten feet wide, which was open to the public. But the garden gate was opposite the gate leading into the wood, and the path was so quickly crossed that the separation was hardly noticeable. The one thing that the estate lacked was water; but pending the time when a river should appear, Monsieur Glumeau had had made behind his theatre a small basin, of about the capacity of two casks, in which one might at need have taken a foot bath.

It was in this little wood, enclosed by trellis work, which was supported by stone posts at intervals, that Monsieur Glumeau had conceived the idea of building a small theatre. The stage was supplied with all the accessories: wings, flies, arches, and drop curtain. But when the action of the play took place in a forest, instead of using a rear curtain, they simply used the wings, and the wood itself formed natural scenery, and afforded a lovely prospect which it is impossible to have in the city, even at the grand opera.

The theatre was covered with a board roof, which sheltered the scenery and the actors from possible storms. But as there was no auditorium, as the spectators simply sat or stood under the trees, in front of the drop curtain, it was most important for them that the weather should be fine, for rain would very speedily drive the audience away and leave the auditorium empty.

The friends who had accepted parts in the plays that were to be given came twice a week to pa.s.s the day with Glumeau, in order to rehea.r.s.e.

Very often the time pa.s.sed away and there was no rehearsal; the men played billiards or bouillotte, the women went out to ride, with or without donkeys; sometimes someone sat at the piano and sang. They dined very late and remained at the table a long while. When they left it, they had not the slightest desire to study their parts; but they began to dance a polka or a waltz; thus it was that almost all the rehearsals were held, but they enjoyed themselves, so that the desired result was attained.

But when they realized that the great day was near at hand, they began to say to themselves: "We really must rehea.r.s.e."--Monsieur Glumeau, who had been very well for some time, was in a charming mood and fluttered from one to another, looking at his feet; he gave counsel and advice to everyone, and insisted that they should introduce spoken pantomime in the plays and dancing in the pantomime; he transformed everything into a ballet.

The performance decided upon consisted of _il et Nez_, a farce in one act, with three characters, to be played by Madame Dufournelle, young Astianax, and Monsieur Mangeot.

This piece, being easy to rehea.r.s.e, and having almost no mise-en-scene, was almost learned; young Astianax declared that it would go as if it were on wheels, and that it was not necessary to give any more thought to it.

The second play was also a farce: _Il y a plus d'un Ane a la Foire._--In this there were seven characters, four men and three women; the men's parts were entrusted to Messieurs Glumeau, Mangeot, Astianax and Kingerie; the actresses were Mesdemoiselles Eolinde, Polymnie and Mangeot.

Monsieur Glumeau had the most important part, that of Pincette, created with much success by Serres at the Folies-Dramatiques. It was very long, and Monsieur Glumeau had decided that it was quite useless to try to drive it into his head, where he was certain that he could never succeed in introducing it; but he relied on the prompter to supplement his memory, and proposed to replace such parts of the dialogue as he did not know by pantomime and dancing.

But it was for the third play that they reserved all the striking effects, all the surprises, all the finest scenery and most amazing costumes that they had. This play was _Roderic et Cunegonde_, or _L'Ermite de Montmartre_, or _La Forteresse de Moulinos_, or _Le Revenant de la Galerie de l'Ouest_, an excellent parody of melodramas, in four tableaux, _larded_, as the book says, with dancing, fighting, manuvring, conflagrations and destruction.

This play, the action of which takes place wherever you choose, allows the most fanciful costumes to be used. Wooden swords and daggers had been made, with which the combats were to be fought. Chambourdin, who was very intimate with several dramatic artists, had promised to bring the costumes; the non-speaking parts were to be represented by the gardener and his family and anyone else who chose. The elite of the troupe took part in this play: Mademoiselle Eolinde played Cunegonde, her brother, Roderic, and Monsieur Glumeau took the part of the tyrant Sacripandos; the leader of the brigands, Detroussandos, was entrusted to a young druggist of most promising talent, named Fourriette, who insisted upon always rehearsing his fights with the wooden swords.

Monsieur Mangeot represented the hermit; the part of the valet Malinot fell as of right to young Kingerie. In order to have a second female part, they had transformed Pet.i.t-Colas into Pet.i.te-Colette, and Mademoiselle Polymnie had accepted this bit of a part, because of the costume. There was also a child's part. The son of Pichet the gardener, a little boy of five, who never blew his nose, but whose parents had promised to do it for him on that day, was employed to represent the son of Roderic and Cunegonde. His father the gardener had undertaken to teach him the few words of which his part consisted; he beat it into his head with an accompaniment of kicks, which gave the little fellow small taste for the theatre. Lastly, the three speaking robbers in the play were to be acted by Chambourdin and two of his friends. As each role would be but four lines, it was hoped that those gentlemen would succeed in learning them.

The great day had arrived; the weather was fine and promised a magnificent day and evening, which were quite indispensable for the success of the party. At daybreak everybody was up at Monsieur Glumeau's country house. Buxom Lolotte, although she did not act, was one of those who had most to do; as mistress of the house, she must overlook everything, see to it that everything needed for the play was provided, and attend to the preparations for the ball which was to follow it, and for the supper which was to follow the ball. For there is no such thing as a successful party without a supper; this principle is so fully admitted that those persons who entertain you without offering you that refection should be cla.s.sed among people who do not know how to entertain.

Those who were to take part in the play were to arrive early, for it was felt that there should be another rehearsal, because there are innumerable things, innumerable details of the mise-en-scene, which one does not notice until the moment of the performance; it is then a little late to rehea.r.s.e them, but the zeal of the actors makes up for the lack of time.

Monsieur Glumeau had risen as light as a feather, he was not conscious of the slightest ailment, and he continued to dance through his roles; frequently confusing that of the tyrant Sacripandos with that of Pincette in the farce. But, after all, it was probable that the audience would not detect that confusion. As he was hurrying to the wood, to cast an eye over his stage, he met his wife, who was returning from a visit to the best caterer in the neighborhood.

"Well, my dear love, we are lucky, we are going to have splendid weather, weather which seems to have been made for us."

"Yes, thank G.o.d! it is fine; but I can't do any more; I am f.a.gged out already; I doubt if I shall be able to stand up to-night."

"Why fatigue yourself so? Haven't you your maid, and the gardener and his wife to do whatever you want?"

"Oh, yes! that would be very nice; things would go splendidly this evening if I trusted to those people! The gardener's wife is so stupid, she has already broken three lamp chimneys and a globe! Her husband is a little drunk already; if he keeps on he will be in fine condition to-night!"

"Don't worry, I will speak to him. But what have you left to do? The supper is to consist almost entirely of cold dishes; you arranged all that in advance, and the caterer knows what he is to send."

"And the dinner, monsieur--isn't it necessary to think of that, too?"

"The dinner? Oh! there will only be our intimate friends, and there is no need of ceremony about that."

"No ceremony, if you please, but there will be at least fourteen or fifteen of us, and it seems to me that we need something for that number!"

"I have difficulty in remembering my song to the tune of Le Macon: 'Je vais la revoir! Ha! ha!'--Never mind, I will execute a pirouette.--I say, Lolotte, I look pretty well, don't I? Isn't my complexion clear?"

"Yes, you are magnificent.--By the way, my dear, I forgot to tell you that I have invited that gentleman who owns the fine estate on the other side of our woods."

"Who? Monsieur Malberg? that man who never speaks to anybody, who never walks where there is likely to be anybody; in short, who lives in his country house like a wolf, never seeing any of his neighbors?"

"I know very well that the people about here say all that; but people are so spiteful, so evil-tongued in these country places! They make a pumpkin of a walnut. This much is certain, that that gentleman has always been very courteous to us; he always bows first when we meet; and he has a very distinguished manner."

"Why do you say that?"

"Why, his whole air, and his dress; and then he employs a mulatto, and that is very distinguished!"

"It doesn't cost any more than other servants.--'Je vais la revoir! Ha!

ha!'"

"And yesterday, during the day, I happened to meet him in the narrow path, and as he stood aside very politely to let me pa.s.s, I said to him: 'Monsieur, we are to have some theatricals to-morrow in our little theatre in these woods; if it would give you any pleasure to come to look on, we should be flattered to have you in our audience.'--He bowed and replied: 'You do me much honor, madame, and I shall try to take advantage of your kind invitation.'"

"Oh! he said that, did he? But he won't come."

"Perhaps not, but I have an idea that he will."

"After all, you did well; there is always room in our theatre, and the larger the audience we have, the more they electrify the actors.--'Je vais la revoir! Ha! ha!'--Tell me what comes next."

"How do you suppose I know? You should learn your part."

"Thanks! Tire out my brain and give myself a fever--I'm no such fool; if I don't know it, I'll say the first thing that comes into my head.--But Astianax and Eolinde,--where are they?"

"They are learning their parts, and it isn't possible to get near them!"

About noon, the actors began to arrive. There were Dufournelle and his wife; the husband carried an enormous bundle, for the ladies all brought their stage costumes and their ball dresses. Next, Mademoiselle Polymnie appeared with her father, Monsieur Camuzard, who also carried a bundle; then Monsieur Mangeot and his sister, each of them with a bundle.

"Why have you brought so many things," said Glumeau, "since Chambourdin promised the costumes?"