[A 'porter twinkles, and a sleek brown cat steps
out, followed by a more rotund grey one: it is
Hercule and the Inspector. They signal to the wait
kitties to help,and they unload two cases marked
DOMAINE CHAT LUNATIQUE, RHEIMS, FRANCE - DEMI-SEC
NIP-SHAMPAYNE; then two more of oysters, and one
of lobsters. The poster twinkles and returns.]

[Inspector] Ahh, Hercule, mon ami, what eez a
party wifout nip-shampayne, and lopster?
Waitkitties, pleeze haff zee kitchen-cats put
zeese oysterz on beds ob ice, den shuck zem so zat
zey are on zee haff-shell - and zee shampayne must
awlso be on ice. I weel come into zee kitchen
shortly to consult weef zee chef abowt zee
lopsterz!

[Hercule] But ob cawze we needs shampayne and
lopsterz! Ann Mme. Anaïs! Happy Birfday and
anipurrsary! But where eez yur wink, Tiger and
Allo, Mme. Pitoonya - were eez zee ofur
birfday-boy Sundance? Or eez we early?

--
Musically Yours,

Hercule Lenoir