"Minister," Adèle said brightly. "May I present the guest of honor? He has opinions on your budget cuts."

Adèle’s reaction is never panic. It is mild irritation. She will finish her coq au vin , dab her lips with a napkin, and only then tip her chair back to knock the automaton’s head off with a well-aimed champagne bottle. She pays the bill in exact change. Every time.

The entertainment value was immediate. Adèle led the reanimated, slightly confused Professor Espérandieu—who kept trying to hail a horse-drawn cab—into the Opéra’s grand foyer just as Minister Delacroix was adjusting his monocle.

She is described as fearless, brash, and "thoroughly ill-tempered". She has a dry sense of humor, often rolling her eyes at the incompetence of the men around her.