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Pamela Giraud: A Play in Five Acts, a play by Honore de Balzac |
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Act 1 - Scene 3 |
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_ ACT I - SCENE THIRD Pamela, M. Giraud and Mme. Giraud.
MME. GIRAUD. How is this, Pamela--you the solace of all our misfortunes, the prop of our old age, our only hope! GIRAUD. A girl brought up on the strictest principles. MME. GIRAUD. Keep quiet, Giraud! You don't know what you are talking about. GIRAUD. Certainly, Madame Giraud. MME. GIRAUD. And besides all this, Pamela, your example was cited in all the neighborhood as a girl who'd be useful to your parents in their declining years! GIRAUD. And worthy to receive the prize of virtue! PAMELA. Then what is the meaning of all these reproaches? MME. GIRAUD. Joseph has just told us that you had a man hidden in your room. GIRAUD. Yes--he heard the voice. MME. GIRAUD. Silence, Giraud!--Pamela--pay no attention to your father-- PAMELA. And do you, mother, pay no attention to Joseph. GIRAUD. What did I tell you on the stairs, Madame Giraud? Pamela knows how we count upon her. She wishes to make a good match as much on our account as on her own; her heart bleeds to see us porters, us, the authors of her life! She is too sensible to blunder in this matter. Is it not so, my child, you would not deceive your father? MME. GIRAUD. There is nobody here, is there, my love? For a young working-girl to have any one in her room, at ten o'clock at night--well--she runs a risk of losing-- PAMELA. But it seems to me that if I had any one you would have seen him on his way up. GIRAUD. She is right. MME. GIRAUD. She does not answer straight out. Please open the door of this room. PAMELA. Mother, stop! Do not come in here,--you shall not come in here!-- Listen to me; as I love you, mother, and you, father, I have nothing to reproach myself with!--and I swear to it before God!--Do not in a moment withdraw from your daughter the confidence which you have had in her for so long a time. MME. GIRAUD. But why not tell us? PAMELA. (aside) Impossible! If they were to see this young man every one would soon know all about it. GIRAUD. (interrupting her) We are your father and mother, and we must see! PAMELA. For the first time in my life, I refuse to obey you!--But you force me to it!--These lodgings are rented by me from the earnings of my work! I am of age and mistress of my own actions. MME. GIRAUD. Oh, Pamela! Can this be you, on whom we have placed all our hopes? GIRAUD. You will ruin yourself!--and I shall remain a porter to the end of my days. PAMELA. You needn't be afraid of that! Well--I admit that there is some one here; but silence! You must go down stairs again to your lodge. You must tell Joseph that he does not know what he is talking about, that you have searched everywhere, that there is no one in my lodging; you must send him away--then you shall see this young man; you shall learn what I purpose doing. But you must keep everything the most profound secret. GIRAUD. Unhappy girl! What do you take us for? (He sees the banknotes on the table.) Ah! what is this? Banknotes! MME. GIRAUD. Banknotes! (She recoils from Pamela.) Pamela, where did you get them? PAMELA. I will tell you when I write. GIRAUD. When you write! She must be going to elope! _ |
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