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Pamela Giraud: A Play in Five Acts, a play by Honore de Balzac |
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Act 2 - Scene 5 |
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_ ACT II - SCENE FIFTH The same persons, Antoine and Jules (the latter led in by police agents.)
M. AND MME. ROUSSEAU. My son! MME. DU BROCARD. My nephew! DUPRE. Yes, I see what it is--doubtless a search-warrant. They wish to look over his papers. ANTOINE. Here he is. (Jules appears in the centre, followed by the police and a magistrate; he rushes up to his mother.) JULES. O mother! My good mother! (He embraces his mother.) Ah! I see you once more! (To Mme. du Brocard) Dear aunt! MME. ROUSSEAU. My poor child! Come! Come--close to me; they will not dare-- (To the police, who approach her) Leave him, leave him here! ROUSSEAU. (rushing towards the police) Be kind enough-- DUPRE. (to the magistrate) Monsieur! JULES. My dear mother, calm yourself! I shall soon be free; yes, be quite sure of that, and we will not part again. ANTOINE. (to Rousseau) Sir, they wish to visit M. Jules's room. ROUSSEAU. (to the magistrate) In a moment, monsieur. I will go with you myself. (To Dupre, pointing to Jules) Do not leave him! (He goes out conducting the magistrate, who makes a sign to the police to keep guard on Jules.) JULES. (seizing the hand of De Verby) Ah, general! (To Dupre) And how good and generous of you, M. Dupre, to come here and comfort my mother. (In a low voice) Ah! conceal from her my danger. (Aloud, looking at his mother) Tell her the truth. Tell her that she has nothing to fear. DUPRE. I will tell her that it is in her power to save you. MME. ROUSSEAU. In my power? MME. DU BROCARD. How can that be? DUPRE. (to Mme. Rousseau) By imploring him to disclose the names of those who have led him on. DE VERBY. (to Dupre) Monsieur! MME. ROUSSEAU. Yes, and you ought to do it. I, your mother, demand it of you. MME. DU BROCARD. Oh, certainly! My nephew shall tell everything. He has been led on by people who now abandon him to his fate, and he in his turn ought-- DE VERBY. (in a low voice to Dupre) What, sir! Would you advise your client to betray--? DUPRE. (quickly) Whom? DE VERBY. (in a troubled voice) But--can't we find some other method? M. Jules knows what a man of high spirit owes to himself. DUPRE. (aside) He is the man--I felt sure of it! JULES. (to his mother and aunt) Never, though I should die for it--never will I compromise any one else. (De Verby shows his pleasure at this declaration.) MME. ROUSSEAU. Ah! my God! (Looking at the police.) And there is no chance of our helping him to escape here! MME. DU BROCARD. No! that is out of the question. ANTOINE. (coming into the room) M. Jules, they are asking for you. JULES. I am coming! MME. ROUSSEAU. Ah! I cannot let you go. (She turns to the police with a supplicating look.) MME. DU BROCARD. (to Dupre, who scrutinizes De Verby) M. Dupre, I have thought that it would be a good thing-- DUPRE. (interrupting her) Later, madame, later. (He leads her to Jules, who goes out with his mother, followed by the agents.) _ |
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