GEORGE DANDIN

OR

THE HUSBAND OUTWITTED

ACT I

SCENE I

GEORGE DANDIN

AH! what a strange being a lady of high degree is ! What a striking lesson my marriage is to all peasants who wish to raise themselves above their condition, and to ally themselves, in the way I have, to a gentleman's house. Nobility in itself is good, it is assuredly to be taken into consideration; but it is accompanied by so many objectionable circumstances, that it is best not to come near it. I have learnt that to my cost, I know how noblemen act when we enter into their families. Alliance with us has very little to do with the case: it is our goods only they marry. I should have done much better, rich as I am, had I married a good, honest, country wench, than take a wife who holds herself above me, is ashamed to bear my name, and thinks that with all my wealth I have not bought the rank of her husband. George Dandin, George Dandin, you have committed the greatest folly in the world. My house is now hateful to me: I never enter it without finding there something that annoys me.

SCÈNE II

GEORGE DANDin, Lubin

DAN. (voyant sortir Lubin de chez lui) Que diantre ce drôle-là vient-il faire chez moi?

LUB. Voilà un homme qui me regarde.

DAN. Il ne me connaît pas.

LUB. Il se doute de quelque chose.

DAN. Ouais! il a grand' peine à saluer.

LUB. J'ai peur qu'il n'aille dire qu'il m'a vu sortir de là dedans.

DAN. Bonjour.

LUB. Serviteur.

DAN. Vous n'êtes pas d'ici, que je crois?

LUB. Non je n'y suis venu que pour voir la fête de

demain.

DAN. Hé! dites-moi un peu, s'il vous plaît, vous venez de là dedans?

LUB. Chut!

DAN. Comment?
LUB. Paix!

DAN. Quoi donc?

LUB. Motus! Il ne faut pas dire que vous m'ayez vu

sortir de là.

DAN. Pourquoi ?

LUB. Mon Dieu ! parce.

DAN. Mais encore?

LUB. Doucement. J'ai peur qu'on ne nous écoute. DAN. Point, point.

LUB. C'est que je viens de parler à la maîtresse du logis, de la part d'un certain Monsieur qui lui fait les doux yeux, et il ne faut pas qu'on sache cela? Entendez-vous?

DAN. Oui.

LUB. Voilà la raison. On m'a enchargé de prendre garde que personne ne me vît, et je vous prie au moins de ne pas dire que vous m'ayez vu.

SCENE II

GEORGE DANDIn, Lubin

DAN. (seeing Lubin come out of his house) What the deuce does that rascal want in my house?

LUB. That man is looking at me.

DAN. He does not know me.

LUB. He suspects something.

DAN. Ah! He makes a great pother about taking off

his hat.

LUB. I am afraid he will say he saw me come out

of the house.

DAN. Good day.

LUB. Your servant.

DAN. You do not belong here, I believe?

LUB. No, I only came to see the fete to-morrow.

DAN. Come! just tell me, please, did you not come out of that house?

LUB. Hush!

DAN. Why?

LUB. Be quiet!

DAN. What is the matter?

LUB. Mum's the word! You must not say you saw

me come out from there.

DAN. Why?

LUB. Good gracious! because.

DAN. Come, now!

LUB. Gently, I am afraid they will hear us.

DAN. Oh no!

LUB. Because I have just been speaking to the mistress of the house on behalf of a certain gentleman who has cast eyes on her, and no one must know about it. You understand?

DAN. Yes.

LUB. That is the reason. I have been warned to take care no one sees me. I must beg you not to say you have seen me.

DAN. Je n'ai garde.

LUB. Je suis bien aise de faire les choses secrètement comme on m'a recommandé.

DAN. C'est bien fait.

LUB. Le mari, à ce qu'ils disent, est un jaloux qui ne veut pas qu'on fasse l'amour à sa femme, et il ferait le diable à quatre, si cela venait à ses oreilles : vous comprenez bien?

DAN. Fort bien.

LUB. Il ne faut pas qu'il sache rien de tout ceci.
DAN. Sans doute.

LUB. On le veut tromper tout doucement: vous entendez bien ?

DAN. Le mieux du monde.

LUB. Si vous alliez dire que vous m'avez vu sortir de chez lui, vous gâteriez toute l'affaire : vous comprenez bien?

DAN. Assurément. Hé! comment nommez-vous celui qui vous a envoyé là dedans?

LUB. C'est le seigneur de notre pays, Monsieur le vicomte de chose . . Foin! je ne me souviens jamais comment diantre ils baragouinent ce nom-là, Monsieur Cli... Clitandre.

DAN. Est-ce ce jeune courtisan qui demeure.
LUB. Oui auprès de ces arbres.

DAN. (à part) C'est pour cela que depuis peu ce Damoiseau poli s'est venu loger contre moi; j'avais bon nez sans doute, et son voisinage déjà m'avait donné quelque soupçon.

LUB. Testigué! c'est le plus honnête homme que vous ayez jamais vu. Il m'a donné trois pièces d'or pour aller dire seulement à la femme qu'il est amoureux d'elle, et qu'il souhaite fort l'honneur de pouvoir lui parler. Voyez s'il y a là une grande fatigue pour me payer si bien, et ce qu'est au prix de cela une journée de travail où je ne gagne que dix sols. DAN. Hé bien! avez-vous fait votre message? LUB. Oui, j'ai trouvé là dedans une certaine Claudine, qui tout du premier coup a compris ce que je voulais, et qui m'a fait parler à sa maîtresse.

DAN. I will take care.

LUB. I want to do things secretly, as I have been ordered.

DAN. You are quite right.

LUB. The husband, from what people say, is jealous, and will not allow any one to make love to his wife; there would be the devil to pay if this came to his ears; you quite understand?

DAN. Perfectly.

LUB. He must not know anything about all this.
DAN. Certainly not.

LUB. They wish to take him in on the sly you see what I mean?

DAN. Exactly.

LUB. If you go and say you have seen me come out of his house, you will spoil the whole affair: you quite understand?

DAN. Quite, I say. What is the name of the man who sent you here?

LUB. He is the lord of our manor, Viscount something... Chut! I never remember how the deuce they jabber that name, Monsieur Cli... Clitandre.

DAN. Is it that young courtier who lives ...
LUB. Yes; near those trees.

DAN. (aside) That is why the smart, young fop has come to live close to me; I am not blind, I had already suspected something by his coming to live

so near me.

LUB. I tell you he is the most affable man you ever saw. He gave me three gold pieces simply to go and tell the lady he is in love with her, and longs for the honour of a few words with her. That was good pay for so little trouble: just compare it with a day's work, for which I only earn ten coppers.

DAN. Well! have you delivered your message? LUB Yes. I found in there a certain Claudine who understood at once what I wanted, and let me have a word with her mistress.