Rossi, the manager, who said he would put it on directly, when I told him
I was going to make him a present of the play. I named the actors of my
choice, and asked him to bring them to dine with me at my inn, that I
might read the play and distribute the parts.

As will be guessed, my invitation was accepted, and Rosalie enjoyed
dining with the actors and actresses, and especially hearing herself
called Madame Casanova every moment. Veronique explained everything she
did not understand.

When my actors were round me in a ring, they begged me to tell them their
parts, but I would not give in on this point.

"The first thing to be done," said I, "is for you to listen attentively
to the whole piece without minding about your parts. When you know the
whole play I will satisfy your curiosity."

I knew that careless or idle actors often pay no attention to anything
except their own parts, and thus a piece, though well played in its
parts, is badly rendered as a whole.

They submitted with a tolerably good grace, which the high and mighty
players of the Comedie Francaise would certainly not have done. Just as I
was beginning my heading the Marquis de Grimaldi and the banker Belloni
came in to call on me. I was glad for them to be present at the trial,
which only lasted an hour and a quarter.

After I had heard the opinion of the actors, who by their praise of
various situations shewed me that they had taken in the plot, I told
Costa to distribute the parts; but no sooner was this done than the first