Act II, Scene ix | A CADET (seated at a table, glass in hand): |  Cyrano! | | (Cyrano turns round): | | The story! |
| CYRANO: | | In its time! |
| (He goes up on Le Bret's arm. They talk in low voices.) |
| THE CADET (rising and coming down): | | The story of the fray! 'Twill lesson well | | (He stops before the table where Christian is seated): | | This timid young apprentice! |
| CHRISTIAN (raising his head): | | 'Prentice! Who? |
| ANOTHER CADET: | | This sickly Northern greenhorn! |
| CHRISTIAN: | | Sickly! |
| FIRST CADET (mockingly): | | Hark! | | Monsieur de Neuvillette, this in your ear: | | There's somewhat here, one no more dares to name, | | Than to say 'rope' to one whose sire was hanged! |
| CHRISTIAN: | | What may that be? |
| ANOTHER CADET (in a terrible voice): | | See here! | | (He puts his finger three times, mysteriously, on his nose): | | Do you understand? |
| CHRISTIAN: | | Oh! 'tis the. . . |
| ANOTHER: | | Hush! oh, never breathe that word, | | Unless you'd reckon with him yonder! |
| (He points to Cyrano, who is talking with Le Bret.) |
| ANOTHER (who has meanwhile come up noiselessly to sit on the table—whispering | | behind him): | | Hark! | | He put two snuffling men to death, in rage, | | For the sole reason they spoke through their nose! |
| ANOTHER (in a hollow voice, darting on all-fours from under the table, where | | he had crept): | | And if you would not perish in flower o' youth, | | —Oh, mention not the fatal cartilage! |
| ANOTHER (clapping him on the shoulder): | | A word? A gesture! For the indiscreet | | His handkerchief may prove his winding-sheet! |
| (Silence. All, with crossed arms, look at Christian. He rises and goes over | | to Carbon de Castel-Jaloux, who is talking to an officer, and feigns to see | | nothing.) |
| CHRISTIAN: | | Captain! |
| CARBON (turning and looking at him from head to foot): | | Sir! |
| CHRISTIAN: | | Pray, what skills it best to do | | To Southerners who swagger?. . . |
| CARBON: | | Give them proof | | That one may be a Northerner, yet brave! |
| (He turns his back on him.) |
| CHRISTIAN: | | I thank you. |
| FIRST CADET (to Cyrano): | | Now the tale! |
| ALL: | | The tale! |
| CYRANO (coming toward them): | | The tale?. . . | | (All bring their stools up, and group round him, listening eagerly. Christian | | is astride a chair): | | Well! I went all alone to meet the band. | | The moon was shining, clock-like, full i' th' sky, | | When, suddenly, some careful clockwright passed | | A cloud of cotton-wool across the case | | That held this silver watch. And, presto! heigh! | | The night was inky black, and all the quays | | Were hidden in the murky dark. Gadsooks! | | One could see nothing further. . . |
| CHRISTIAN: | | Than one's nose! |
| (Silence. All slowly rise, looking in terror at Cyrano, who has stopped— | | dumfounded. Pause.) |
| CYRANO: | | Who on God's earth is that? |
| A CADET (whispering): | | It is a man | | Who joined to-day. |
| CYRANO (making a step toward Christian): | | To-day? |
| CARBON (in a low voice): | | Yes. . .his name is | | The Baron de Neuvil. . . |
| CYRANO (checking himself): | | Good! It is well. . . | | (He turns pale, flushes, makes as if to fall on Christian): | | I. . . | | (He controls himself): | | What said I?. . . | | (With a burst of rage): | | MORDIOUS!. . . | | (Then continues calmly): | | That it was dark. | | (Astonishment. The cadets reseat themselves, staring at him): | | On I went, thinking, 'For a knavish cause | | I may provoke some great man, some great prince, | | Who certainly could break'. . . |
| CHRISTIAN: | | My nose!. . . |
| (Every one starts up. Christian balances on his chair.) |
| CYRANO (in a choked voice): | | . . .'My teeth! | | Who would break my teeth, and I, imprudent-like, | | Was poking. . .' |
| CHRISTIAN: | | My nose!. . . |
| CYRANO: | | 'My finger,. . .in the crack | | Between the tree and bark! He may prove strong | | And rap me. . .' |
| CHRISTIAN: | | Over the nose. . . |
| CYRANO (wiping his forehead): | | . . .'O' th' knuckles! Ay,' | | But I cried, 'Forward, Gascon! Duty calls! | | On, Cyrano!' And thus I ventured on. . . | | When, from the shadow, came. . . |
| CHRISTIAN: | | A crack o' th' nose. |
| CYRANO: | | I parry it—find myself. . . |
| CHRISTIAN: | | Nose to nose. . . |
| CYRANO (bounding on to him): | | Heaven and earth! | | (All the Gascons leap up to see, but when he is close to Christian he controls | | himself and continues): | | . . .With a hundred brawling sots, | | Who stank. . . |
| CHRISTIAN: | | A noseful. . . |
| CYRANO (white, but smiling): | | Onions, brandy-cups! | | I leapt out, head well down. . . |
| CHRISTIAN: | | Nosing the wind! |
| CYRANO: | | I charge!—gore two, impale one—run him through, | | One aims at me—Paf! and I parry. . . |
| CHRISTIAN: | | Pif! |
| CYRANO (bursting out): | | Great God! Out! all of you! |
| (The cadets rush to the doors.) |
| FIRST CADET: | | The tiger wakes! |
| CYRANO: | | Every man, out! Leave me alone with him! |
| SECOND CADET: | | We shall find him minced fine, minced into hash | | In a big pasty! |
| RAGUENEAU: | | I am turning pale, | | And curl up, like a napkin, limp and white! |
| CARBON: | | Let us be gone. |
| ANOTHER: | | He will not leave a crumb! |
| ANOTHER: | | I die of fright to think what will pass here! |
| ANOTHER (shutting door right): | | Something too horrible! |
| (All have gone out by different doors, some by the staircase. Cyrano and | | Christian are face to face, looking at each other for a moment.) |
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