eir?

Mademoiselle de Vaudrey
Now I can deeply sympathize with your hopes; ah! how glad I should be
if you were right in your suspicions and this young man were indeed
your son. But what is the matter with you?

The Duchess
He is, I fear, ruined; for I have brought him under the notice of his
father, who will-- But stay, something must be done! I must find out
where he lives, and warn him not to come here to-morrow morning.

Mademoiselle de Vaudrey
Leave the house at this hour! Louise, you are mad!

The Duchess
Come, we must save him at any price.

Mademoiselle de Vaudrey
What do you propose doing?

The Duchess
Neither of us can leave the house to-morrow without being noticed. We
must forestall the duke by bribing my chambermaid.

Mademoiselle de Vaudrey
Louise, would you resort to such means as this?

The Duchess
If Raoul is the son disclaimed by his father, the child over whom I
have mourned for the last twenty years, I must show them what a wife,
a mother, who has been wrongly accused, can do!

Curtain to the First Act.

ACT II.

SCENE FIRST.
(Scene the same as in preceding act.)
The Duc de Montsorel and Joseph.

The Duke
Joseph, I am not at home excepting to one person. If he comes, you
will show him up. I refer to Monsieur de Saint-Charles. Find out
whether your mistress will see me. (Exit Joseph.) The awakening of a
maternal instinct, which I thought had been utterly extinguished in
her heart, amazes me beyond measure. The secret struggle in which she
is engaged must at once be put a stop to. So long as Louise was
resigned our life was not intolerable; but disputes like this would
render it extremely disagreeable. I was able to control my wife so
long as we were abroad, but in this country my only power over her
lies in skillful handling, and a display of authority. I shall tell
everything to the king. I shall submit myself to his dictation, and
Madame de Montsorel must be compelled to submit. I must however bide
my time. The detective, whom I am to employ, if he is clever, will
soon find out the cause of this revolt; I shall see whether the
duchess is merely deceived by a resemblance, or whether she has seen
her son. For myself I must confess to having lost sight of him since
my agents reported his disappearance twelve years ago. I was very much
excited last night. I must be more discreet. If I keep quiet she will
be put off her guard and reveal her se