st in the proposed marriage of his son. He is
incapable of feeling jealous of his wife. There is something very
serious in these circumstances; I am either a ruined man or my fortune
is made. (Exit.)

SCENE SIXTH.
The Duke and the Marquis.

The Duke
To marry a woman who does not love you is a mistake which I shall
never allow you to commit, Albert.

The Marquis
But there is nothing that indicates that Inez will reject me; and, in
any case once she is my wife, it will be my object to win her love,
and I believe, without vanity, that I shall succeed.

The Duke
Allow me to tell you, my son, that your barrack-room ideas are quite
out of place here.

The Marquis
On any other subject your words would be law to me; but every era has
a different art of love--I beg of you to hasten my marriage. Inez has
all the pliability of an only daughter, and the readiness with which
she accepts the advances of a mere adventurer ought to rouse your
anxiety. Really, the coldness with which you receive me this morning
amazes me. Putting aside my love for Inez, could I do better? I shall
be, like you, a Spanish grandee, and, more than that, a prince. Would
that annoy you, father?

The Duke (aside)
The blood of his mother shows itself all the time! Oh! Louise has
known well my tender spot! (Aloud) Recollect, sir, that there is no
rank higher than the glorious title, Duc de Montsorel.

The Marquis
How have I offended you?

The Duke
Enough! You forget that I arranged this marriage after my residence in
Spain. You are moreover aware that Inez cannot be married without her
father's consent. Mexico has recently declared its independence, and
the occurrence of this revolution explains the delay of his answer.

The Marquis
But, my dear father, your plans are in danger of being defeated. You
surely did not see what happened yesterday at the Spanish
ambassador's? My mother took particular notice there of this Raoul de
Frescas, and Inez was immensely pleased with him. Do you know that I
have long felt, and now at last admit to myself, that my mother hates
me? And that I myself feel, what I would only say to you father, whom
I love, that I have little love for her?

The Duke (aside)
I am reaping all that I have sown; hate as well as love is
instinctively divined. (To the marquis) My son, you should not judge,
for you can never understand your mother. She has seen my blind
affection for you, and she wishes to correct it by severity. D