The Lovable Cheat

A bailiff arrives to confiscate Claude Mercadet's property as security for unpaid debts. Letters from Pierquin, Goulard, and Violette warn that he will be jailed unless debts are paid. The family faces collapse as their mansion is revealed to be built on straw.

Claude schemes to host a lavish reception to impress the Count de la Brive and lure his creditors into a settlement. He hopes Julie’s betrothal will trigger money from the creditors, and he still counts on his former partner Godeau to repay what he owes. He orders Justin to invite creditors and the Count to the next day’s gathering.

Thérèse entertains the bailiff, who is getting drunk on Claude's wine. Claude tells Julie that they are bankrupt and insists she should marry the Count to resolve the finances. Julie, initially excited, becomes disappointed when she learns the Count is her prospective husband.

The Count confirms he will attend the reception, bringing along one of Claude's creditors, Goulard. Claude scrambles to delay payments and even obtains a 500-franc loan to pay off creditors waiting in the kitchen. The plan hinges on the Count's wealth and future arrangements.

Julie reveals she loves Jacques Minard, a bank clerk, prompting Claude to investigate him as a possible gold digger. He questions the young man to protect Julie from poverty-driven suitors. Meanwhile, plans for the reception proceed.

Violette arrives with a bad cold, and Claude gives her a dubious medicine. He persuades her to invest five thousand francs in marketing the medicine. This sly investment is meant to raise funds for the family's debts.

Jacques comes to meet Julie; Claude tells him the family may soon be ruined. Jacques does not back away from the match; instead, he agrees with Claude that Julie should marry the Count due to their poverty. Julie misinterprets Jacques's stance as rejection.

The Count arrives and proclaims his enormous wealth, confessing only a small debt. Meanwhile, Claude learns much of his own property is marked as confiscated. The two deceivers realize they have been playing the same game and decide to marry anyway to maintain appearances against their creditors.

Pierquin and other creditors prepare to enter Claude's house, while Justin tries to keep them out by claiming they are at the wrong house. Pierquin doesn't accept the lie and enters through a window. He accuses the Count and Claude of swindling and demands immediate settlement.

The creditors threaten imprisonment and demand payment; they threaten to send Claude and the Count to prison. The crisis deepens as the prospect of prison becomes real, forcing a last-ditch plan to save face and funds.

Claude reveals he has persuaded Jacques to step aside, and the plan shifts to using a fake Godeau who will arrive from America with cash. This ruse is meant to stall the creditors until payment can be arranged. Jacques returns with the intent to help pay debts.

Justin announces the supposed Godeau at the reception, and the creditors rejoice at the prospect of cash. In a burst of moral conscience, Claude contemplates confessing the deception, but Julie, Pauline, and Jacques insist that Godeau is real. The tension centers on whether the man is genuine or a fake.

Claude receives a message from the real Godeau, who promises to pay all debts in full the next day. The creditors grow hopeful, and the Count’s assistance becomes pivotal. Claude plans to arrange payments and bring the affair to a close.

Grateful for the Count’s help, Claude lends him money to restore him as a creditor. This marks Claude’s long-cherished dream of becoming a creditor himself. The debts are to be settled the following day, restoring some stability to the Mercadet household.