au? Which Godeau?

Minard
Why the Godeau who has come back from the Indies.

Mercadet
From the Indies?

Violette
And who is paying all your debts.

Mercadet
What is this? I never expected to strike a Godeau of this kind.

Pierquin
He has gone crazy!

(All the other creditors gather at the back of the stage. Verdelin
approaches them, and speaks in a low voice.)

Verdelin (returning to Mercadet)
It's true enough! All are paid in full!

Mercadet
Paid? Every one of them? (Goes from one to the other and looks at the
bank-notes and the drafts they have.) Yes, all settled with--settled
in full! Ah! I see blue, red, violet! A rainbow seems to surround me.

SCENE FOURTEENTH

The same persons, Mme. Mercadet, Julie (entering at one side) and De
la Brive (entering at the other side).

Mme. Mercadet
My friend, M. Godeau, feels himself strong enough to see you all.

Mercadet
Come, daughter, wife, Adolphe, and my other friends, gather round me,
look at me. I know you would not deceive me.

Julie
What is the matter, father?

Mercadet
Tell me (seeing De la Brive come in) Michonnin, tell me frankly--

De la Brive
Luckily for me, sir, I followed the advice of madame--otherwise you
would have had two Godeaus at a time, for heaven has brought back to
you the genuine man.

Mercadet
You mean to say then--that he has really returned!

Verdelin
Do you mean to say that you didn't know it after all?

Mercadet (recovering himself, standing before the table and touching
the notes)
I--of course I did. Oh, fortune, all hail to thee, queen of monarchs,
archduchess of loans, princess of stocks and mother of credit! All
hail! Thou long sought for, and now for the thousandth time come home
to us from the Indies! Oh! I've always said that Godeau had a mind of
tireless energy and an honest heart! (Going up to his wife and
daughter) Kiss me!

Mme. Mercadet (in tears)
Ah! dear, dear husband!

Mercadet (supporting her)
And you, what courage you have shown in adversity!

Mme. Mercadet
But I am overcome by the happiness of seeing you saved--wealthy!

Mercadet
But honest! And yet I must tell you my wife, my children--I could not
have held out much longer--I was about to succumb--my mind always on
the rack--always on the defensive--a giant might have yielded. There
were moments when I longed to flee away-- Oh! For some place of
repose! Henceforth let us live in the country.

Mme. Merc