One of 17 copies on Japanese paper (no. VI).
A short piece written for café-théâtre, requiring only four roles, it was staged by Nicole Anouilh at the café-théâtre des Halles, Le Fanal, on 29 October 1974.
It is a stark parable on power without love and a belated confession, tinged with mordant black humor: a thoroughly cynical import-export magnate confesses and dies in a barber’s chair, facing a manicurist to whom he intends to entrust his last words. “The young country girl newly arrived in Paris does not flatter Mr. Barnett, nor does she hide her disgust, but she keeps things in proportion, with tact and frankness. Wonderfully played by Christine Murillo, this scene leaves one wondering about Jean Anouilh’s career. Why did he not always have this complete, subtle grasp of what passes between people?” (Le Monde, 16 November 1974).