INT. LA PREMIÈRE ÉTOILE, DINING ROOM-AFTERNOON

Marianne is dreamily sweeping the floor in the dining room of the cafe while humming We're in the Money. Manon and Anna are waiting tables and Madame Océane looms over her tobacconist's counter like a giant Buddha. Anna stops what she's doing and notices what Marianne is acting odd.

ANNA

(to Madame Océane)

What's wrong with her?

Manon gives a knowing smile.

MANON

Isn't it obvious?

ANNA

Is what obvious?

MADAME OCÉANE

(clapping her hands)

She hasn't had enough to do. Get back to work all of you.

Manon and Anna go back to what they were doing.

EXT. PLACE ST. MICHEL, ST. MICHEL FOUNTAIN-AFTERNOON

It is a cloudy, humid, and stiflingly hot afternoon. Augustin is walking through the Place St. Michel and up to the fountain depicting Saint Michael the Archangel fighting the devil. ANTON is sitting at the edge of the fountain's basin. He has stripped down to his undershirt and is splashing himself with water from the basin. We see that he has a tattoo of a snake on his neck.

Anton stands up when he sees Augustin. The two begin to talk.

ANTON

So, are you in?

Augustin shakes his head "yes."

AUGUSTIN

(to himself)

God help me!

INT. PRIDEAUX HOUSE, BACK PORCH-EVENING.

The back porch of the Prideaux house is a circle of open french doors and long curtains of white gauze blowing in the breeze topped by a white, wedding cake like ceiling hung with a crystal chandelier. Scattered around the room are a few divans, chairs, and coffee tables, and a bar service cart.

Adèle is lounging languidly on the largest of the divans with her arm draped over the back of it.

Charles comes into the room and walks over to the divan. We see that he walks with a stiffness in her right leg. He picks up Adèle's hand and kisses it.

ADÈLE

How was your day?

CHARLES

Busy! Those Germans I've been doing business with are buying up every painting and statue they can get their fat, grubby hands on.

ADÈLE

They've been giving you a lot of business.

CHARLES

Those damn boches are nothing but a bunch of magpies. If they had their way, they'd buy up all of Europe.

He goes over to the service cart and begins to pour two tumblers of cognac. Adèle starts rubbing her temples.

CHARLES

What's wrong?

ADÈLE

This heat is giving me a headache. Can you bring me over an aspirin with that cognac?

Charles brings over the tumbler of cognac and a bottle of aspirin. Adèle uses the cognac to chase down the medicine. A clap of thunder and pounding of raindrops on the roof are heard. Adèle gets up from her divan and she and Charles begin closing the french doors.

INT. PRIDEAUX HOUSE, DINING ROOM-EVENING

Adèle and Charles are sitting in an elegant art deco dining room, eating a delicious looking dinner of steak au poivre.

CHARLES

I have great news. We have tickets to see La Bohème next month.

ADÈLE

That's wonderful. I heard the tickets were sold out already.

CHARLES
Well, not quite. I also invited my friend Madame Mathieu.

ADÈLE

Madame Mathieu, can't say I recognize the name.

CHARLES

I don't think you've met her.

ADÈLE

You seem to have a lot of friends I don't know about.

CHARLES

She's from before we met.

ADÈLE

Whatever you say, Charles, whatever you say.

Charles takes Adèle's hand.

CHARLES

Madame Mathieu is an old ruin and even if she weren't, she wouldn't hold a candle to you.

He kisses her hand.

INT. PRIDEAUX HOUSE, CHARLES'S OFFICE-NIGHT

Charles, dressed in his pajamas, walks into his office late at night. He flips the light switch on.

His office contains a large desk with a leather upholstered wingback chair and a bookshelf which takes up an entire wall. Charles goes to the bookshelf and pulls out an old cigar box and brings it over to the desk.

Inside the box are photographs and mementos: a pair of rose-colored satin baby shoes, a wedding photo of a younger Charles and a sweet-faced blonde woman dated 1913 (the same one that Marianne had in her memento box), a photo of a younger Charles in a World War 1 French army uniform dated 1916, and photo of tow-headed baby in a baptism gown dated 1916.

ADÈLE V.O.

Charles...

Adèle, dressed in a glamorous nightgown with her hair in curlers and wave clamps, walks into the office, carrying a tray of tea things.

ADÈLE

I brought you your tea.

Charles quickly puts everything back into the cigar box. Adèle begins to pour the tea.

ADÈLE

Remember what the doctor said: a cup of ginger and turmeric tea and two aspirins in the morning and again at night.

Charles rubs his right knee, the source of the stiffness in that leg.

CHARLES

Yes, I remember.

He opens open up the bottle of aspirin tablets Adèle brought in on the tea tray, takes out two tablets and washes them down with the tea.

CHARLES

Do you regret marrying an old invalid yet?

ADÈLE

Stop feeling sorry for yourself.

CHARLES

I'm only forty-five and I already have arthritis; I'm not ready to grow old.

ADÈLE

Charles, you're Dorian Gray and Peter Pan combined.

He takes her hand and kisses it.

CHARLES

Adèle, why are you so good to me?

ADÈLE

I'm your wife. If I'm not good to you, who will be?

She strokes back the hair off of his forehead, then kisses him.

ADÈLE

Good night.

CHARLES

Good Night.

EXT. JEWELRY STORE, FRONT WINDOW-AFTERNOON

It is a blindingly sunny summer afternoon. Rays of sun dance over the diamonds and metals of the jewelry in the shop window, making them sparkle, shine, and glimmer.

Augustin is standing in front of the shop, looking around. At first, he looks like nothing out of the ordinary: an aimless young man loitering around. He keeps looking around, waiting for a moment when no one was looking.

EXT. JEWELRY STORE, ALLEY-AFTERNOON

Augustin steps into an alley which runs alongside the jewelry store, and signals to Anton and a couple other young men who are waiting there.

INT. JEWELRY STORE, SHOWROOM-AFTERNOON

Shoppers look around in glass display cases whose contents look dazzling in the afternoon sun. A young man is looking at a display of engagement rings. A couple of housewives gazing longingly at some diamond collar necklaces and chandelier earrings.

Anton and his gang burst in, guns drawn, bandanas covering their faces. Pandemonium breaks out. Augustin looks on from behind the shop's front display window.

INT. HÔTEL VERTE, MARIANNE'S FLAT-NIGHT

Marianne is sitting by her bay window, darning a pair of silk stockings. Johnny is circled up in a ball by her side. The quiet of the scene is broken by the sound of knocking on her door.

Marianne gets up from her seat and goes to open the door. Louise is standing in her doorway.

LOUISE

Telephone for you, downstairs.

MARIANNE

Thank you, I'll be down in a moment.

INT. HÔTEL VERTE, FRONT HALL- NIGHT

Marianne walks down the stairs into the lobby and goes over to the table that the telephone is placed on.

MARIANNE

Hello

AUGUSTIN V.O.

How are you, Chérie?

EXT. PLACE ST. MICHEL, TELEPHONE BOOTH- NIGHT

Augustin is standing in a telephone booth, holding a telephone transmitter to his mouth.

MARIANNE V.O.

Fine, and you?

AUGUSTIN

Could be better. Hey, are you free Saturday night?

INT. HÔTEL VERTE, FRONT HALL -NIGHT

MARIANNE is sitting on the bottom step of the stairs She is holding the cradle in one hand and while the other hand is holding the transmitter to her mouth.

MARIANNE

I get out of work at six, so yes, I'm free.

AUGUSTIN V.O.

Then I'll pick you up at eight.

EXT. PLACE ST. MICHEL, TELEPHONE BOOTH- NIGHT

Augustin is casually leaning against the wall of the telephone booth.

MARIANNE V.O.

See you then.

AUGUSTIN

Can't wait.

He hangs up the telephone receiver, then clenches his fist in victorious celebration.

AUGUSTIN

Yes!

A/N: what do you think of Adèle and Charles's relationship? What is Charles's deal? Do you buy the attraction between Augustin and Marianne? Is it believable that she would go out with him despite all of his bad boy baggage?