e--

FLAMBEAU.

You idiot!

TIBURTIUS.

Which shall creep into history by and by:
Take three bright, simple vowels: Na--po--le--
And add a nasal sound: On--

A MASK.

Wonderful!

TIBURTIUS.

Yes: Na--po--le, the lightning; On, the thunder.

FLAMBEAU.

That's all!

A MASK.

What was his name?

TIBURTIUS.

What? Don't you know?

A MASK.

Why, no.

TIBURTIUS.

His name was Nicholas.

FLAMBEAU.

[_Bursting out._]

Be damned!

SEVERAL MASKS.

[_Laughing._]

Bravo the Veteran!

GENTZ.

[_To_ FLAMBEAU.]

Nicholas!--Have a quail.

FLAMBEAU.

[_Taking the dish._]

But Nicholas was good at winning battles.

A MASK.

And what a funny court he scraped together!

SECOND MASK.

If you talked titles, pedigrees, precedence,
There wasn't a soul who had a word to say.

FLAMBEAU.

Wasn't Cambronne at Court to say the word?

A MASK.

But--in war--

FLAMBEAU.

Oh--!

SECOND MASK.

What did he do?

ANOTHER MASK.

Why, wrote reports.

A MASK.

And always stood about on distant hills.

FLAMBEAU.

By God--!

THE DUKE.

Hush!

TIBURTIUS.

Once a ball was good enough
To wound him in the foot at Ratisbon:
Enough to make a subject for a picture.

FLAMBEAU.

[_To the_ DUKE.]

Be calm--!

THE DUKE.

Be calm--!

FLAMBEAU.

Just take away this knife.

TIBURTIUS.

In short--

THE DUKE.

He'd best be careful what he says.

FLAMBEAU.

You must put up with it!

THE DUKE.

Not for an Empire!

TIBURTIUS.

In short this hero was--

FLAMBEAU.

Take care! Take care!

TIBURTIUS.

He was a coward.

THE DUKE.

Oh!

THE FRENCH ATTACHE.

No! That's a lie!

ALL.

Eh? What?

TIBURTIUS.

What's that?

ALL.

Who spoke?

GENTZ.

I love a quarrel!

FLAMBEAU.

Aha! Thank God, there was a man among them!

TIBURTIUS.

Who dared--?

THE ATTACHE.

I dared, sir!

GENTZ.

He's the Attache
Of the French Emba