his is no time for laughter.
Elmire. Why?
Orgon. I see my error by what he said;
I gave him my lands. Something's wrong with my head!
Elmire. You gave him . . .
Orgon. Yes and they can't be restored,
But there's something else that troubles me more.
Elmire. What is that?
Orgon. I'll tell you soon, but first there's
A certain box I want to find upstairs.

ACT V
SCENE I
Orgon, Cleante

Cleante. Where are you rushing?
Orgon. Who knows?
Cleante. It might make sense
To begin by having a conference
About everything that has happened lately.
Orgon. That box of papers troubles me greatly;
More than all the rest, it's cause for distress.
Cleante. Why are those papers important to possess?
Orgon. My unfortunate friend Argus, when he
Put them into my hands, swore me to secrecy.
He chose to rely on me as he fled,
And these papers, according to what he said,
Are crucial to both his life and his wealth.
Cleante. Then why didn't you keep them to yourself?
Orgon. It was a matter of conscience, you see,
So I consulted Tartuffe in secrecy,
And his arguments came to persuade me
That he should keep the box for security,
So I could deny having it on hand.
And thus I'd have a subterfuge on demand
With which my conscience might muddle through
In swearing to things that I knew weren't true.
Cleante. You're in trouble, judging by appearances;
Both the deed of gift and these confidences
Are, to tell you my thoughts quite honestly,
Measures that you took very thoughtlessly.
They might put you in jail with such evidence,
And since that man has it, it makes no sense
To drive him away through your imprudence,
You need to regain his full confidence.
Orgon. With what a fair appearance and touching zeal
He hides a wicked soul and a heart of steel!
And I, who received him begging and broke . . .
That's it, I renounce all such pious folk.
Henceforth, I will hold them as wholly evil
And do my best to send them to the devil.
Cleante. It's just like you to get carried away!
You can never stick to the middle way.
To reason rightly is too much bother;