Act II, Scene vii | RAGUENEAU: |  Can we come in? |
| CYRANO (without stirring): | | Yes. . . |
| (Ragueneau signs to his friends, and they come in. At the same time, by door | | at back, enters Carbon de Castel-Jaloux, in Captain's uniform. He makes | | gestures of surprise on seeing Cyrano.) |
| CARBON: | | Here he is! |
| CYRANO (raising his head): | | Captain!. . . |
| CARBON (delightedly): | | Our hero! We heard all! Thirty or more | | Of my cadets are there!. . . |
| CYRANO (shrinking back): | | But. . . |
| CARBON (trying to draw him away): | | Come with me! | | They will not rest until they see you! |
| CYRANO: | | No! |
| CARBON: | | They're drinking opposite, at The Bear's Head. |
| CYRANO: | | I. . . |
| CARBON (going to the door and calling across the street in a voice of | | thunder): | | He won't come! The hero's in the sulks! |
| A VOICE (outside): | | Ah! Sandious! |
| (Tumult outside. Noise of boots and swords is heard approaching.) |
| CARBON (rubbing his hands): | | They are running 'cross the street! |
| CADETS (entering): | | Mille dious! Capdedious! Pocapdedious! |
| RAGUENEAU (drawing back startled): | | Gentlemen, are you all from Gascony? |
| THE CADETS: | | All! |
| A CADET (to Cyrano): | | Bravo! |
| ANOTHER (shaking his hands): | | Vivat! |
| CYRANO: | | Baron! |
| THIRD CADET: | | Come! | | I must embrace you! |
| CYRANO: | | Baron! |
| SEVERAL GASCONS: | | We'll embrace | | Him, all in turn! |
| CYRANO (not knowing whom to reply to): | | Baron!. . .Baron!. . .I beg. . . |
| RAGUENEAU: | | Are you all Barons, Sirs? |
| THE CADETS: | | Ay, every one! |
| RAGUENEAU: | | Is it true?. . . |
| FIRST CADET: | | Ay—why, you could build a tower | | With nothing but our coronets, my friend! |
| LE BRET (entering, and running up to Cyrano): | | They're looking for you! Here's a crazy mob | | Led by the men who followed you last night. . . |
| CYRANO (alarmed): | | What! Have you told them where to find me? |
| LE BRET (rubbing his hands): | | Yes! |
| A BURGHER (entering, followed by a group of men): | | Sir, all the Marais is a-coming here! |
| (Outside the street has filled with people. Chaises a porteurs and carriages | | have drawn up.) |
| LE BRET (in a low voice, smiling, to Cyrano): | | And Roxane? |
| CYRANO (quickly): | | Hush! |
| THE CROWD (calling outside): | | Cyrano!. . . |
| (A crowd rush into the shop, pushing one another. Acclamations.) |
| RAGUENEAU (standing on a table): | | Lo! my shop | | Invaded! They break all! Magnificent! |
| PEOPLE (crowding round Cyrano): | | My friend!. . .my friend. . . |
| Cyrano: | | Meseems that yesterday | | I had not all these friends! |
| LE BRET (delighted): | | Success! |
| A YOUNG MARQUIS (hurrying up with his hands held out): | | My friend, | | Didst thou but know. . . |
| CYRANO: | | Thou!. . .Marry!. . .thou!. . .Pray when | | Did we herd swine together, you and I! |
| ANOTHER: | | I would present you, Sir, to some fair dames | | Who in my carriage yonder. . . |
| CYRANO (coldly): | | Ah! and who | | Will first present you, Sir, to me? |
| LE BRET (astonished): | | What's wrong? |
| CYRANO: | | Hush! |
| A MAN OF LETTERS (with writing-board): | | A few details?. . . |
| CYRANO: | | No. |
| LE BRET (nudging his elbow): | | 'Tis Theophrast, | | Renaudet,. . .of the 'Court Gazette'! |
| CYRANO: | | Who cares? |
| LE BRET: | | This paper—but it is of great importance!. . . | | They say it will be an immense success! |
| A POET (advancing): | | Sir. . . |
| CYRANO: | | What, another! |
| THE POET: | | . . .Pray permit I make | | A pentacrostic on your name. . . |
| SOME ONE (also advancing): | | Pray, Sir. . . |
| CYRANO: | | Enough! Enough! |
| (A movement in the crowd. De Guiche appears, escorted by officers. Cuigy, | | Brissaille, the officers who went with Cyrano the night before. Cuigy comes | | rapidly up to Cyrano.) |
| CUIGY (to Cyrano): | | Here is Monsieur de Guiche? | | (A murmur—every one makes way): | | He comes from the Marshal of Gassion! |
| DE GUICHE (bowing to Cyrano): | | . . .Who would express his admiration, Sir, | | For your new exploit noised so loud abroad. |
| THE CROWD: | | Bravo! |
| CYRANO (bowing): | | The Marshal is a judge of valor. |
| DE GUICHE: | | He could not have believed the thing, unless | | These gentlemen had sworn they witnessed it. |
| CUIGY: | | With our own eyes! |
| LE BRET (aside to Cyrano, who has an absent air): | | But. . .you. . . |
| CYRANO: | | Hush! |
| LE BRET: | | But. . .You suffer? |
| CYRANO (starting): | | Before this rabble?—I?. . . | | (He draws himself up, twirls his mustache, and throws back his shoulders): | | Wait!. . .You shall see! |
| DE GUICHE (to whom Cuigy has spoken in a low voice): | | In feats of arms, already your career | | Abounded.—You serve with those crazy pates | | Of Gascons? |
| CYRANO: | | Ay, with the Cadets. |
| A CADET (in a terrible voice): | | With us! |
| DE GUICHE (looking at the cadets, ranged behind Cyrano): | | Ah!. . .All these gentlemen of haughty mien, | | Are they the famous?. . . |
| CARBON: | | Cyrano! |
| CYRANO: | | Ay, Captain! |
| CARBON: | | Since all my company's assembled here, | | Pray favor me,—present them to my lord! |
| CYRANO (making two steps toward De Guiche): | | My Lord de Guiche, permit that I present— | | (pointing to the cadets): | | The bold Cadets of Gascony, | | Of Carbon of Castel-Jaloux! | | Brawling and swaggering boastfully, | | The bold Cadets of Gascony! | | Spouting of Armory, Heraldry, | | Their veins a-brimming with blood so blue, | | The bold Cadets of Gascony, | | Of Carbon of Castel-Jaloux: |
| Eagle-eye, and spindle-shanks, | | Fierce mustache, and wolfish tooth! | | Slash-the-rabble and scatter-their-ranks; | | Eagle-eye and spindle-shanks, | | With a flaming feather that gayly pranks, | | Hiding the holes in their hats, forsooth! | | Eagle-eye and spindle-shanks, | | Fierce mustache, and wolfish tooth! |
| 'Pink-your-Doublet' and 'Slit-your-Trunk' | | Are their gentlest sobriquets; | | With Fame and Glory their soul is drunk! | | 'Pink-your-Doublet' and 'Slit-your-Trunk,' | | In brawl and skirmish they show their spunk, | | Give rendezvous in broil and fray; | | 'Pink-your-Doublet' and 'Slit-your-Trunk' | | Are their gentlest sobriquets! |
| What, ho! Cadets of Gascony! | | All jealous lovers are sport for you! | | O Woman! dear divinity! | | What, ho! Cadets of Gascony! | | Whom scowling husbands quake to see. | | Blow, 'taratara,' and cry 'Cuckoo.' | | What, ho! Cadets of Gascony! | | Husbands and lovers are game for you! |
| DE GUICHE (seated with haughty carelessness in an armchair brought quickly by | | Ragueneau): | | A poet! 'Tis the fashion of the hour! | | —Will you be mine? |
| CYRANO: | | No, Sir,—no man's! |
| DE GUICHE: | | Last night | | Your fancy pleased my uncle Richelieu. | | I'll gladly say a word to him for you. |
| LE BRET (overjoyed): | | Great Heavens! |
| DE GUICHE: | | I imagine you have rhymed | | Five acts, or so? |
| LE BRET (in Cyrano's ear): | | Your play!—your 'Agrippine!' | | You'll see it staged at last! |
| DE GUICHE: | | Take them to him. |
| CYRANO (beginning to be tempted and attracted): | | In sooth,—I would. . . |
| DE GUICHE: | | He is a critic skilled: | | He may correct a line or two, at most. |
| CYRANO (whose face stiffens at once): | | Impossible! My blood congeals to think | | That other hand should change a comma's dot. |
| DE GUICHE: | | But when a verse approves itself to him | | He pays it dear, good friend. |
| CYRANO: | | He pays less dear | | Than I myself; when a verse pleases me | | I pay myself, and sing it to myself! |
| DE GUICHE: | | You are proud. |
| CYRANO: | | Really? You have noticed that? |
| A CADET (entering, with a string of old battered plumed beaver hats, full of | | holes, slung on his sword): | | See, Cyrano,—this morning, on the quay | | What strange bright-feathered game we caught! | | The hats | | O' the fugitives. . . |
| CARBON: | | 'Spolia opima!' |
| ALL (laughing): | | Ah! ah! ah! |
| CUIGY: | | He who laid that ambush, 'faith! | | Must curse and swear! |
| BRISSAILLE: | | Who was it? |
| DE GUICHE: | | I myself. | | (The laughter stops): | | I charged them—work too dirty for my sword, | | To punish and chastise a rhymster sot. |
| The CADET (in a low voice, to Cyrano, showing him the beavers): | | What do with them? They're full of grease!—a stew? |
| CYRANO (taking the sword and, with a salute, dropping the hats at De Guiche's | | feet): | | Sir, pray be good enough to render them | | Back to your friends. |
| DE GUICHE (rising, sharply): | | My chair there—quick!—I go! | | (To Cyrano passionately): | | As to you, sirrah!. . . |
| VOICE (in the street): | | Porters for my lord De Guiche! |
| DE GUICHE (who has controlled himself—smiling): | | Have you read 'Don Quixote'? |
| CYRANO: | | I have! | | And doff my hat at th' mad knight-errant's name. |
| DE GUICHE: | | I counsel you to study. . . |
| A PORTER (appearing at back): | | My lord's chair! |
| DE GUICHE: | | . . .The windmill chapter! |
| CYRANO (bowing): | | Chapter the Thirteenth. |
| DE GUICHE: | | For when one tilts 'gainst windmills—it may chance. . . |
| CYRANO: | | Tilt I 'gainst those who change with every breeze? |
| DE GUICHE: | | . . .That windmill sails may sweep you with their arm | | Down—in the mire!. . . |
| CYRANO: | | Or upward—to the stars! |
| (De Guiche goes out, and mounts into his chair. The other lords go away | | whispering together. Le Bret goes to the door with them. The crowd | | disperses.) |
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No Fear Vocabulary is a fun, easy guide to building a strong vocabulary quickly and using words effectively.
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No Fear English Grammar is a step-by-step guide to English grammar presented in a fresh, lively tutorial.
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