"We'll arrange the scene tomorrow." And with that they dragged on again and rehearsed their parts with as much listlessness and as fine an indifference as ever.

During the dispute between manager and author Fontan and the rest had been taking things very comfortably on the rustic bench and seats at the back of the stage, where they had been chuckling, grumbling and saying fiercely cutting things.

But when Simonne came back, still smarting from her blow and choking with sobs, they grew melodramatic and declared that had they been in her place they would have strangled the swine.

She began wiping her eyes and nodding approval.

It was all over between them, she said.
She was leaving him, especially as Steiner had offered to give her a grand start in life only the day before.