is
I am your most humble servant, my dear Senor Fontanares.

Quinola
This is he, polished, dry, cold as marble.

Fontanares
Good-day, Senor Magis. (Cuts himself a piece of bread.)

Mathieu Magis
You are a sublime hero, and as far as I am concerned, I wish you all
sorts of good luck.

Fontanares
And is this the reason why you try to bring upon me all sorts of bad
luck?

Mathieu Magis
You snap me up very sharply; you do wrong, you forget that in me there
are two men.

Fontanares
I have never seen the other.

Mathieu Magis
I have a heart, away from my business.

Fontanares
But you are never away from your business.

Mathieu Magis
I am always filled with admiration at the sight of your struggle.

Fontanares
Admiration is the passion which is the most easily exhausted.
Moreover, you never make any loans on sentiment.

Mathieu Magis
There are sentiments which bring profit, while others cause ruin. You
are animated by faith; that is very fine, but it is ruinous. We made
six months ago certain little agreements; you asked of me three
thousand ducats for your experiments--

Quinola
On the condition, that you were to receive five thousand in return.

Fontanares
Well?

Mathieu Magis
The payment was due two months ago.

Fontanares
You demanded it by legal process two months ago, the very next day
after it was due.

Mathieu Magis
I did it without thought of annoying you, merely as a formality.

Fontanares
And what do you want now?

Mathieu Magis
You are to-day my debtor.

Fontanares
Eight months gone already? It has passed like a dream! And I was
proposing to myself this evening the solution of the problem how to
introduce cold water, so as to dissolve the steam! Magis, my dear
friend, assist me in this matter, be my protector, and give me a few
days more?

Mathieu Magis
As many as you desire.

Quinola
Do you mean it? This is the first appearance of the other man. (To
Fontanares) Senor, I shall make the gentleman my friend. (To Magis) I
appeal to the two Magises and ask if they will give us the sight of a
few doubloons!

Fontanares
Ah! I begin to breathe freely.

Mathieu Magis
That can easily be managed. I am to-day not merely your money-lender,
I am money-lender and co-proprietor, and I wish to draw out my share
in the property.

Quinola
Double man, and triple dog!

Mathieu Magis
Capital has nothing to do with faith--

Quinola
Or with hope and charity; crowns are not Cathol