Le Système Ribadier

It depicts a husband's stratagem for escaping the marital home to engage in extramarital intrigue, by hypnotising his wife.

Ribadier however possesses the gift of hypnotism – the eponymous system – and he profits from it by putting his wife to sleep at the time of his escapades.

It turns out to belong to the amorous coachman Gusman who has been climbing up past the window to visit the maid Sophie.

For a fee, Gusman readily admits that he has been climbing in to see a woman who received him eagerly; Ribadier and Thommereux are aghast and confront Angèle.

[8] A comment piece in the same paper said, "I saw, from one end of the evening to the other, only radiant faces, pretty eyes wet with joyful tears, shoulders shaken by violent spasms, mouths wide with laughter, gloves spilt by clapping".

[9] The Paris correspondent of the London paper The Era commented that although Feydeau's new piece did not rival Champignol malgré lui in exuberant fun, it was still a worthy successor to his other successful play of 1892, Monsieur chasse!, being "highly amusing, full of droll scenes".

[13] An adaptation into English, His Little Dodge was presented in London in 1896 starring Weedon Grossmith, Fred Terry, Alfred Maltby and Ellis Jeffreys and running for 81 performances.