Esther. Not so far; all like their father. My! But it's dull to-night.
Juliette. There's nobody here but women.
Jenny. [To Tobacco] Did you stop at the bank?
Tobacco. I certainly did. [Making notes in a pocketbook] Let me see how we come out. With five thousand francs in Turks, if we can sell like last week, it's an investment; we clear a hundred francs.
Jenny. That's handsome.
Tobacco. I might get a new dress for the act.
Jenny. What for? To throw your money away, eh, playing the clown? Don't you think you look funny unless you wear silk?
Tobacco. The Russian has a new suit every night.
Jenny. Yes, and people aren't laughing at him any more on account of his clothes. An artist like you is not in the same class with that Russian. Mr. Jacob is an idiot if he pays that man six thousand francs.
Tobacco. Mr. Jacob won't pay me ten thousand. Now he wants to throw me out, but the public will only laugh at Tobacco. There is only one Tobacco. So he puts the Russian in the second half as the feature, and I am down in the first for the third number. And the audience comes early to see me and they go home early so as not to see the Russian. The public are the ones who pay the artists, the managers don't pay them. An artist is not able to name his own figure.
Jenny. Mr. Jacob is a rogue. He behaves as if this were a barroom.
Cornac enters.
Cornac. Mr. Ruhu! Mr. Ruhu! Hurry up! Come quick! Nero very excited. Break the bar of his cage. No let us put on the howdah.
