He was persuaded that he
would be drowned in the end. Meanwhile he would drown his vexation
in Burgundy. At least there was abundance of Burgundy. Never in
his life had he found Burgundy so plentiful. Perhaps things were
not as bad as he imagined, after all. He reflected that, when all
was said, he had to thank Scaramouche for the Burgundy. Whilst
fearing the worst, he would hope for the best.
And it was very much the worst that he feared as he waited in the
wings when the curtain rose on that first performance of theirs at
the Theatre Feydau to a house that was tolerably filled by a public
whose curiosity the preliminary announcements had thoroughly
stimulated.
Although the scenario of "Lee Fourberies de Scaramouche" has not
apparently survived, yet we know from Andre-Louis' "Confessions"
that it is opened by Polichinelle in the character of an arrogant
and fiercely jealous lover shown in the act of beguiling the
waiting-maid, Columbine, to play the spy upon her mistress, Climene.
Beginning with cajolery, but failing in this with the saucy
Columbine, who likes cajolers to be at least attractive and to pay
a due deference to her own very piquant charms, the fierce humpbacked
scoundrel passes on to threats of the terrible vengeance he will
wreak upon her if she betrays him or neglects to obey him implicitly;
failing here, likewise, he finally has recourse to bribery, and
after he has bled himself freely to the very expectant Columbine, he
succeeds by these means in obtaining her consent to spy upon Climene,
and to report to him upon her lady's conduct.
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