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+The Project Gutenberg EBook of Frederique; vol. 1, by Charles Paul de Kock
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Frederique; vol. 1
+
+Author: Charles Paul de Kock
+
+Release Date: December 17, 2011 [EBook #38331]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK FREDERIQUE; VOL. 1 ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed
+Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was
+produced from images available at The Internet Archive)
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+
+[Illustration: frontispiece (Copyright 1905 by G. Barrie & Sons)]
+
+
+A GENTLEMEN'S DINNER AT DEFFIEUX'S
+
+
+"Now, then, messieurs, as one should never be ungrateful, as one should
+bestow at least a single thought on those who have made one happy, I
+drink to my mistresses, messieurs, to whom I bid a last farewell
+to-day!"
+
+
+
+
+NOVELS
+
+BY
+
+Paul de Kock
+
+VOLUME V
+
+FREDERIQUE
+
+VOL. I
+
+PRINTED BY ARRANGEMENT WITH
+
+[Illustration: colophon]
+
+GEORGE BARRIE'S SONS
+
+THE JEFFERSON PRESS
+
+BOSTON NEW YORK
+
+_Copyrighted, 1903-1904, by G. B. & Sons._
+
+
+
+
+
+FREDERIQUE
+
+I--A GENTLEMEN'S DINNER AT DEFFIEUX'S
+
+II--THE CHAPTER OF CONFIDENCES.--THREE SOUS
+
+III--BLIND-MAN'S-BUFF.--AT THE WINDOWS.--IN A BALLOON
+
+IV--THE LOST KEY
+
+V--FILLETTES, GRISETTES, AND LORETTES
+
+VI--MONSIEUR FOUVENARD'S BONNE FORTUNE.--THE GINGERBREAD WOMAN
+
+VII--MADEMOISELLE MIGNONNE
+
+VIII--AN EXPEDIENT
+
+IX--THE WEDDING PARTY IN THE FRONT ROOMS
+
+X--A PINCH OF SNUFF.--A FAMILY TABLEAU
+
+XI--MADAME FREDERIQUE
+
+XII--THE WEDDING PARTY IN THE REAR ROOM
+
+XIII--THE BRIDE AND GROOM AND THEIR KINSFOLK
+
+XIV--A YOUNG DANDY.--A DELIGHTFUL HUSBAND
+
+XV--A VAGABOND
+
+XVI--MADAME LANDERNOY
+
+XVII--MADAME SORDEVILLE AND HER RECEPTION
+
+XVIII--BARON VON BRUNZBRACK
+
+XIX--THE LITTLE SUPPER PARTY
+
+XX--BETWEEN THE PIPE AND THE CHAMPAGNE
+
+XXI--CONFIDENCES
+
+XXII--MONSIEUR DAUBERNY
+
+XXIII--A MOMENT OF FORGETFULNESS
+
+XXIV--COQUETRY AND BACCARAT.--A FIASCO
+
+XXV--A YOUNG MOTHER
+
+XXVI--THE SQUIRREL
+
+XXVII--A CONSULTATION
+
+XXVIII--A WORD OF ADVICE.--AN ASSIGNATION
+
+XXIX--AN ENCOUNTER ON THE CHAMPS-ELYSEES
+
+XXX--CONFIDENCE IS OF SLOW GROWTH
+
+XXXI--DISAPPOINTED HOPES
+
+XXXII--A REVELATION
+
+
+
+
+I
+
+A GENTLEMEN'S DINNER AT DEFFIEUX'S
+
+
+"A lady said to me one day:
+
+"'Monsieur Rochebrune, would it be possible for you to love two women at
+once?'
+
+"'I give you my word, madame,' I answered, frankly, 'that I could love
+half a dozen, and perhaps more; for it has often happened that I have
+loved more than two at the same time.'
+
+"My reply called forth, on the part of the lady in question, a gesture
+in which there was something very like indignation, and she said, in a
+decidedly sarcastic tone:
+
+"'For my part, monsieur, I assure you that I would not be content with a
+sixth of the heart of a man whom I had distinguished by my favor; and if
+I were foolish enough to feel the slightest inclination for him, I
+should very soon be cured of it when I saw that his love was such a
+commonplace sentiment.'
+
+"Well, messieurs, you would never believe how much injury my frankness
+did me, not only with that lady--I had no designs upon her, although she
+was young and pretty; but in society, in the houses which she frequents,
+and at which I myself visit, she repeated what I had said to her; and
+many ladies, to whom I would gladly have paid court, received me so
+coldly at the first compliment that I saw very plainly that they had an
+unfavorable opinion of me--all because, instead of being a hypocrite and
+dissembler, I said plainly what I thought. I tell you, messieurs, it's a
+great mistake to say what you think, in society. I have repented more
+than once of having given vent to those outpourings of the heart which
+we should confide only to those who know us well enough to judge us
+fairly; but, as society is always disposed to believe in evil rather
+than in good, if we have a failing, it is magnified into a vice; if we
+confess to a foible, we are supposed to have dangerous passions.
+Therefore, it is much better to lie; and yet, it seems to me, that, if I
+were a woman, I should prefer a lover who frankly confessed his
+infidelities, to one who tried to deceive me."
+
+"If I were a woman, I should prefer a man who loved nobody but me, and
+would be faithful to me."
+
+"Oh! parbleu! what an idea! It isn't certain, by any means, that all
+women would prefer such a man. There are faithful lovers who are so
+tiresome!"
+
+"And inconstant ones who are so attractive!"
+
+"I go even further, myself, and maintain that the very fact that a man
+is faithful more than a little while makes him a terrible bore. He
+drives his mistress mad with his sighs, his protestations of love; he
+caresses her too much; he thinks of nothing but kissing her. There's
+nothing that women get so tired of as of being kissed."
+
+"Oho! do you think so, my little Balloquet? That simply proves that
+you're a bad kisser, or that you're not popular. On the contrary, women
+adore caressing men; I know what I'm talking about."
+
+"Oh! what a conceited creature this Fouvenard is! Think of it,
+messieurs! he would make us believe that the women adore him!"
+
+"Well! why not?"
+
+"Your nose is too much turned up; women like Roman noses. You can never
+look sentimental with a nose like a trumpet."
+
+"So you think that a man must have a languorous, melancholy air, in
+order to make conquests, do you? Balloquet, you make me tired!"
+
+"I'll give you points at that game whenever you choose, Fouvenard. We
+will take these gentlemen for judges. Tell the waiter to bring up six
+women,--of any condition and from any quarter, I don't care what
+one,--and we'll see which of us two they will prefer. What do you say?"
+
+Young Balloquet's proposal aroused general laughter, and a gentleman who
+sat beside me observed to me:
+
+"It might well be that the ladies wouldn't have anything to say to
+either of them. What do you think?"
+
+"I think that any ladies who would consent to grace our dessert, at the
+behest of a waiter, would do it only on one condition; and men don't
+make a conquest of such women, as they give themselves to everybody."
+
+"Parbleu! messieurs, it is very amiable of us to listen to this
+discussion between Fouvenard and Balloquet as to which of them a woman
+would think the uglier; for my part, I prefer to demand an explanation
+of what Rochebrune said just now. He talked a long while, and I've no
+doubt he said some very nice things; but as I didn't quite understand
+him, I request an explanation of the picture, or the key to the riddle,
+if there is one."
+
+"Yes, yes, the key; for I didn't understand him, either."
+
+"Well, I did; I followed his reasoning: he says that a man can love a
+dozen women at once."
+
+"A dozen! why not thirty-six? What Turks you are, messieurs! Rochebrune
+didn't say that."
+
+"Yes, I did. Isn't it true?"
+
+"Messieurs, I desire the floor."
+
+"You may talk in a minute, Montricourt--after Rochebrune."
+
+"A toast first of all, messieurs!"
+
+"Oh! of course! When the host proposes a toast, we should be boors if we
+refused to honor it.--Fill the cups, waiter!"
+
+"This is very pretty, drinking champagne from cups; it recalls the
+banquets of antiquity--those famous feasts that Lucullus gave in the
+hall of Apollo, or of Mars."
+
+"Yes! those old bucks knew how to dine; every one of his suppers cost
+Lucullus about thirty-nine thousand francs in our money."
+
+"Bah! don't talk to me about your Romans, my dear fellow; I shall never
+take those people for models. They spent a lot of money for one repast,
+but that doesn't prove that they knew how to eat. In the first place,
+they lay on beds at the table! As if one could eat comfortably lying
+down! It's like eating on the grass, which is as unpleasant as can be;
+nobody likes eating on the grass but lovers, and they are thinking of
+something besides eating. As for your cups, they're pretty to look at, I
+agree, but they're less convenient for drinking than glasses, and the
+champagne doesn't foam so much in a cup; and then, you don't have the
+pleasure of making it foam all over again by striking your glass."
+
+"Say what you will, Monsieur Rouffignard, the Romans knew how to live."
+
+"Because they wore wreaths of roses at their meals, perhaps?"
+
+"Well, it isn't so very unpleasant to have flowers on your head."
+
+"Oh! don't talk to me, Monsieur Dumouton; let's all try wearing a wreath
+of roses, and you'll see what we look like--genuine buffoons, paraders,
+and nothing else!"
+
+"Simply because our dress isn't suited to it, monsieur; our style of
+dress is very disobliging, it isn't suited to anything; with the tunic
+and cloak falling in graceful folds, the wreath on the head was not
+absurd. And the slaves who served the ambrosia--in _tableau vivant_
+costumes--weren't they attractive to the eye?"
+
+"Oh, yes! slaves of both sexes! That was refined, and no mistake. I tell
+you that your Romans were infernal debauchees; they put up with--aye,
+cultivated all the vices! Why, monsieur, what do you say to the Senators
+who had the effrontery to propose a decree that Caesar, then fifty-seven
+years of age, should possess all the women he desired?"
+
+    "'Ah! le joli droit! ah! le joli droit du seigneur!'"
+
+"I would like right well to know if he made use of that right."
+
+"_Fichtre!_ he must have been a very great man!"
+
+"Don't you know what used to be said of him: that he was the husband of
+all the women?"
+
+"Yes, and we know the rest."
+
+"I say, you, over there! Haven't you nearly finished talking about your
+Romans?"
+
+"What about our host's toast?--Come, Dupreval, we're waiting; the guns
+are loaded, the matches lighted."
+
+"Silence at the end of the table! Dupreval is going to speak! Great God!
+what chatterers those fellows are!"
+
+"It's not we, messieurs, that you hear; it's the music. Hark, listen!
+they're dancing; there are wedding parties all about us--two or three at
+least."
+
+"What is there surprising in that? Aren't there always wedding feasts
+going on at Deffieux's?"
+
+"For my part, if I kept a restaurant, and had such a class of patrons, I
+would take for my sign: the _Maid of Orleans_."
+
+"Oh! that would be very injudicious: many brides would refuse to have
+their wedding feasts at your place."
+
+"Hush! Dupreval is getting up; he's going to speak."
+
+"As you know, messieurs, this is my last dinner party as a bachelor, for
+I am to be married in a fortnight. Before settling down, before becoming
+transformed into a sedate and virtuous mortal, I determined to get you
+all together; I wanted to enjoy once more with you a few of those
+moments of freedom and folly which have--a little too often,
+perhaps--marked my bachelor days with a white stone. Now, then,
+messieurs, as one should never be ungrateful, as one should bestow at
+least a single thought on those who have made one happy, I drink to my
+mistresses, messieurs, to whom I bid a last farewell to-day!"
+
+"Here's to Dupreval's mistresses!"
+
+"And to our own, messieurs!"
+
+"To the ladies in general, and to the one I love in particular!"
+
+"To their shapely legs and little feet!"
+
+"To their blue eyes and fair hair!"
+
+"I prefer brunettes!"
+
+"To their graceful figures!"
+
+"To the Hottentot Venus!"
+
+"To the destruction of corns on the feet!"
+
+"Oh! of course, Balloquet has to make one of his foolish remarks!"
+
+"Messieurs, pardon me for interrupting you, but, in proposing a toast
+to my mistresses, pray don't think that I mean to imply that I have
+several. I am no such rake as Rochebrune is, in that respect; one at a
+time is enough for me. I intended simply to address a parting thought to
+those I have had during the whole of my bachelor life. That point being
+settled, I now yield the floor to our friend, who, I believe, was about
+to reply to the questions that had been put to him, when I proposed my
+toast."
+
+Thereupon the whole company turned their eyes toward me, for, I fancy,
+you understand that I am Rochebrune. Perhaps it would not be a bad idea
+for me to tell you at once what I was doing and in whose company I was
+at that moment, at Deffieux's. Indeed, there are people who would have
+begun with that, before introducing you to a dinner party at which the
+guests are still unknown to you; but I like to turn aside from the
+travelled roads--not from a desire to be original, but from taste.
+
+What am I? Oh! not much of anything! For, after all, what does a man
+amount to who has not great renown, great talent, an illustrious
+reputation, or an immense fortune? A clown, a Liliputian, an atom lost
+in the crowd. But you will tell me that the world is made up in larger
+part of atoms than of giants, and that the main thing is not so much to
+fill a large space as to fill worthily such space as one does fill.
+
+Unluckily, I was not wise enough for that. Having come into possession
+of a neat little fortune rather early in life,--about fifteen thousand
+francs a year,--but having neither father nor mother to guide and advise
+me, I was left my own master rather too soon, I fancy; for while the
+reason matures quickly in adversity, the contrary is ordinarily true in
+the bosom of opulence.
+
+You see some mere boys, who are compelled to work in order to support
+their families, exhibit the intelligence and courage of a full-grown
+man. But place those same youths in the lap of Fortune, and they will do
+all the foolish things that come into their heads. Why? Because, no
+doubt, it is natural to love pleasure; and when we are prudent and
+virtuous, it is very rarely due to our own volition, but rather to
+circumstances, and, above all, to adversity. Which proves that adversity
+has its good side. But, with your permission, we will return to myself.
+
+My name is Charles Rochebrune. I am no longer young, having passed my
+thirtieth birthday. How time flies! it is shocking! to be thirty years
+old and no further advanced than I am! Indeed, instead of advancing, I
+believe that I have fallen back. At twenty I had fifteen thousand francs
+a year, and now I have but eight. If I go on like this, in a few years
+more I shall have nothing at all. But have I not acquired some
+experience, some talent, in return for my money? No experience, I fancy,
+as I constantly fall into the same errors I used to be guilty of years
+ago. And talent?--very little, I assure you! because I attempted to
+acquire all the talents, and could never make up my mind to rely on a
+single one. I had a vocation for the arts; the result was that I tried
+them all, and know a little something of each one; which means that I
+know nothing at all of any value. Painter, sculptor, musician, poet, in
+turn, I have grazed the surface of them all, but gone to the root of
+none. Ah! lamentable fickleness of taste, of character! No sooner had I
+studied a certain thing a little while, than the fatal tendency to
+change, which is my second nature, caused me to turn my ambition toward
+some other object. I would say to myself: "I have made a mistake; it is
+not painting that electrifies me, that sets my soul on fire, but
+music."--And I would lay aside my brushes, to bang on a piano; and when
+I had made it shriek for an hour, I would imagine that I was a composer
+and could safely be employed to write an opera.
+
+There is but one sentiment which has never varied, in my case, and that
+is my love for the ladies; and yet they say that in my relations with
+them I have retained my fondness for changing. But if one loves flowers,
+must one pluck only a single one? I love bouquets _a la jardiniere_.
+
+And, after all, who can say that I would not have been constant if I had
+found a woman who loved me dearly, and who continued to love me, no
+matter what happened? This last phrase means many things, which the
+ladies will readily understand. But I have one very great failing as to
+them. I will not confide it to you yet; you will discover it soon
+enough, as you become better acquainted with me.
+
+I said a moment ago that my parents--that is to say, my father--left me
+some property. My mother had had two husbands, and I was the son of her
+second marriage. As she had nothing when she married my father, it is to
+him that I am indebted for the fortune which I have employed so ill
+hitherto.
+
+But, after all, have I employed it so ill, if I have been happy? Ah! the
+fact is that I am not at all certain that I have been really happy in
+this life of dissipation, folly, incessant change, regrets, and hopes so
+often disappointed. I determined to settle down, to do what is called
+making an end of things, which means marrying; albeit marriage is not
+always the end of our follies, and is often the beginning of our
+troubles. I loved my fiancee; I was not madly in love with her, but I
+liked her, and I thought that she was fond of me. An unforeseen
+occurrence broke off my projected marriage, and since then I have
+entirely renounced all such ideas, because a similar occurrence might
+have a similar result. What was it? Ah! that is my secret; I am not as
+yet intimate enough with you to tell you everything.
+
+I seem to have been talking a long while about myself; you must be sadly
+bored. I propose now to make you acquainted with most of the gentlemen
+who were my table companions at Deffieux's; I say "most of them," for
+there were fifteen of us, and I did not know them all.
+
+Let us begin with the host, Dupreval, who was giving the dinner, as he
+told us, to commemorate his final adieu to his bachelorhood.
+
+Dupreval is a solicitor; an excellent fellow, neither handsome nor ugly,
+but a financier, a man of figures and calculations; he is entering into
+marriage as one enters into any large commercial speculation. He will
+certainly keep his word and abandon the follies of a bachelor, or I
+shall be very much astonished; he is a man who will make his way in the
+world; he has a goal--wealth; and he marches constantly toward it, never
+turning aside from the path.
+
+I admire such men, unbending in their determination, and incapable of
+being turned aside from the line of conduct they have marked out for
+themselves; I admire them, but I shall never imitate them. Chance is
+such a fascinating thing, and it is such good fun to trust to it!
+
+Next to Dupreval sat a stout young man, of medium height, but heavily
+built, high-colored, with the bloom and brilliancy of the peach ever on
+his cheeks. Unluckily, that never-failing freshness of complexion was
+his only beauty, if, indeed, such pronounced coloring is a beauty. His
+face beamed with good humor and denoted a leader in merrymaking; his
+mouth was a considerable gulf, and his eyes were infinitesimal; but, by
+way of compensation for occupying so little space, they were constantly
+in motion and very bright, their expression being decidedly bold when
+they rested upon the fair sex. His head was covered with a forest of
+flaxen hair. Such was Monsieur Balloquet, medical student; indeed, I
+believe he was a full-fledged doctor; but he had little practice, or,
+rather, none at all; he thought only of enjoying himself, like many
+doctors of his age. However, I do not mean to speak ill of Balloquet;
+for he was a very good fellow, and we were good friends.
+
+Next to him was a young man of medium height, very thin, and with a very
+yellow complexion. An enormous beard, moustache, and whiskers covered so
+much of his face that one could see little more than his nose, which was
+long and thin, and his eyes, which were sunken and overshadowed by
+eyebrows that threatened to spread like his beard. This gentleman had an
+air of excessive weariness; that was all that one could make out beneath
+the chestnut shrubbery that had overgrown his face. His name was
+Fouvenard. I believe that he was in trade; but his business, whatever it
+was, seemed to have worn him out. But that fact did not prevent him from
+talking all the time of his past conquests and his present love affairs.
+
+At my left was a rotund old party, with an amiable expression, and a
+full-blown, rubicund face. It was Monsieur Rouffignard, auctioneer, who
+was no longer young, but held his own manfully with the young men. He
+did not lag behind at table; indeed, I have an idea that he did not lag
+behind anywhere.
+
+The next beyond was a very good-looking young man named Montricourt. He
+had rather a self-sufficient air, and, if you did not know him well, you
+might have called him conceited; but on talking with him, you found him
+much more agreeable than his pretentious costume would lead you to
+suppose.
+
+Next came a man of thirty-six to forty years of age, rather ugly than
+handsome, with a round face, smooth hair, a shifty eye, and an equivocal
+smile, who spoke very slowly, and always seemed to reflect upon what he
+was going to say. His tone was honeyed, and his manners excessively
+polite. He was a clerk at the Treasury, by name Monsieur Faisande. When
+someone, at the beginning of the dinner, said a few words that were a
+trifle free in tone, I noticed that he frowned, as a lady might have
+done who had strayed among us by mistake. After drinking five or six
+different kinds of wine, he pursed his lips less; but at every loose
+word that escaped us,--and such things are inevitable at a men's dinner
+which has no diplomatic object,--Monsieur Faisande exclaimed:
+
+"Hum! hum! Oh! messieurs, that's a little too bad! you go too far!"
+
+"I may be mistaken," I thought; "but I would stake my head that Monsieur
+Faisande is a hypocrite. That offended modesty is, to say the least, out
+of place, and almost discourteous toward the rest of us; for it seems a
+criticism of our conversation. In heaven's name, did the man think that
+if he came to dinner with a party of men, most of them young, and all
+high livers, he would hear no broad talk? There can be nothing so
+insufferable at a party as one of those people who seem determined to
+benumb your gayety by their sullen looks and their stiff manners. When
+such a person does appear in a merry company, he should be courteously
+turned out of doors."
+
+What would you say of a doctor who should keep crying out during a
+dinner:
+
+"Don't eat so much; you'll make yourself ill; don't take any of this,
+it's indigestible; don't drink any of that wine, it's too strong!"
+
+No, indeed; at table the doctor disappears, or allows you to eat and
+drink anything; nobody can be more accommodating, even with his
+patients. And if doctors are so indulgent to the caprices of the
+stomach, by what right does a pedant or a hypocrite undertake to put my
+mind on a strict diet, and reprove the freedom of my conversation? There
+is an old proverb that says: "We must laugh with the fools;" or, if you
+please: "We must howl with the wolves."--Whence I conclude that it is,
+to say the least, in bad taste to appear shocked by a loose word or a
+vulgar jest, in such a company; and this Monsieur Faisande's virtue
+seemed to be all the more doubtful because of his behavior.
+
+In my review of the guests I must not forget Monsieur Dumouton, although
+I only knew him then from having been once or twice in his company. He
+was an individual who did not seem to be universally popular. Not that
+he had an unattractive physique; on the contrary, he was a tall, slender
+man, rather well than ill looking; his face was amiable, his strongly
+marked features did not lack character; his bright, black eyes and high
+color seemed to indicate a native of the _Midi_, although there was no
+trace of such origin in his speech. But poor Monsieur Dumouton was
+always dressed in such strange fashion, that it was difficult, on
+glancing at his costume, to avoid forming a melancholy opinion of his
+resources.
+
+Imagine a threadbare coat, once green, but beginning to turn yellow, and
+made after the style of a dozen years before--that is to say, very
+short in front; in truth, it was also short in the skirts, which were
+very scant, and hardly hid the seat of his trousers, which were olive
+green and only just reached to his ankles, and fitted as close about the
+thigh and knee as a rope dancer's tights. His boots were always innocent
+of blacking, but, by way of compensation, were often coated with mud.
+Add to all this a plaid waistcoat, double-breasted, and buttoned to the
+chin; a black cravat, twisted into a rope; no shirt, collar, or gloves;
+and a beard that was usually of about three days' growth: such was
+Monsieur Dumouton's ordinary costume.
+
+You will assume, perhaps, that he had donned other clothes to dine with
+us; if so, you would make a mistake: it seemed that he was not fond of
+change. Perhaps he had his reasons for that. However, he had made some
+slight ameliorations: he had a false collar, and a white muslin cravat,
+the ends of which were tied in a large knot that stood out conspicuously
+against the soiled background formed by the coat and waistcoat.
+
+I cannot tell why it was that I imagined I had seen that cravat playing
+the part of draw-curtain at a window; it was an unkind thought, I
+confess, and I did my utmost to discard it; but, as you must know, evil
+thoughts are more persistent than good ones; and whenever my eyes fell
+on the ends of that enormous cravat, it seemed to me that I was sitting
+by a window.
+
+I must tell you now who this gentleman was who dressed so ill. You will
+be greatly surprised to learn that he was an author--yes, a "truly
+author," as the children say; a man who wrote his plays
+himself,--especially as he had not the wherewithal to buy any,--and
+plays which were often very pretty, and which had been acted, and were
+being acted still, with success.
+
+But, you will tell me, we have passed the time when men of letters,
+dramatic authors, earned barely enough to keep them alive; to-day, the
+stage sometimes leads to wealth even; but it does not follow by any
+means that all the nurslings of the Muses are destined to acquire
+wealth. One may be unfortunate, dissipated, reckless; and once in the
+mire, it is hard to extricate one's self therefrom, unless one has a
+firm, immovable determination, unbounded courage, and a still greater
+capacity for work; and everybody has not these. I cannot say what had
+been the trouble with Monsieur Dumouton, what reverses he had had; I did
+not know just how he was placed at that time; but, judging from his
+costume, it was impossible to escape the supposition that he had known
+adversity. Moreover, a few words that Dupreval let fall concerning this
+man of letters recurred to my memory. He always said, when Dumouton was
+mentioned:
+
+"Poor fellow! he has all he can do to keep body and soul together! He
+has plenty of intelligence, too; but he's such a careless devil!"
+
+Whence I concluded that Dumouton was a penniless author; I do not say,
+a worthless author. However, I was delighted to be in his company; for
+he was jovial, clever, and entirely free from conceit; so what did I
+care for his threadbare coat? I saw around the table several handsomely
+dressed men, who amounted to nothing under their fine clothes.
+
+I have introduced you now to all of my companions who were not strangers
+to me; as for the others--why, if they say anything that makes it worth
+our while to listen to them, we shall not fail to hear it.
+
+
+
+
+II
+
+THE CHAPTER OF CONFIDENCES.--THREE SOUS
+
+
+I have told you that all eyes were fixed on me, and that everybody was
+waiting to hear what I might have to say in justification or explanation
+of what I had advanced on the subject of men who love several women at
+once. For my part, I admit that, far from thinking about what reply I
+should make to those gentlemen, I was busily engaged in watching
+Dumouton, who was stowing away the contents of all the dessert plates
+within his reach, although he was not eating. When he could find nothing
+else on the plates that were near him, he attacked one of those
+pasteboard structures, usually covered with candies or small cakes,
+which no one ever touches, because they are intended simply as
+decorations for the table, and one of them often does duty for several
+months. I saw one of the waiters glare at him furiously when he saw what
+he was doing, and I said to myself:
+
+"I wonder if that poor Dumouton is in the same position as Frederick
+Lemaitre in _Le Joueur_, when he stuffs bread into his pocket, saying:
+'For my family!'"
+
+"Well, Rochebrune! are you going to speak to-day?" said Dupreval.
+
+"What do you mean?"
+
+"What you were going to tell us."
+
+"Oh! I beg your pardon, messieurs! You see, the wine we have drunk has
+confused my memory, and I should find it hard to recall what I said to
+you just now. And, to tell you the truth, instead of making speeches
+about the best way of loving, which never prove anything, because every
+man loves in his own way, which is the best to his mind, it seems to me
+that it would be much more amusing for each of us to tell about one of
+his _bonnes fortunes_, old or new, according to his pleasure.--What do
+you say, messieurs?"
+
+My suggestion was welcomed by enthusiastic plaudits; only Monsieur
+Faisande made a wry face, and muttered:
+
+"The deuce, messieurs, tell one of our _bonnes fortunes_! Why, that's a
+very delicate subject. I didn't suppose that such things were talked
+about, as a general rule. Discretion, messieurs, is the duty of an
+honorable man, and, above all, of a lady's man."
+
+"Oh! bless my soul, Monsieur Faisande, if you don't mention any names,
+there's no indiscretion; and, as we are entitled to go back to ancient
+history, how in the devil are you going to recognize the characters?"
+
+"This Monsieur Faisande is very austere and very modest," murmured my
+neighbor, the bulky Rouffignard. "He is very foolish to venture with
+ne'er-do-wells of our temper."
+
+"Especially," said Montricourt, "as the fellow's a great nuisance."
+
+"Well, then, messieurs, Rochebrune's suggestion being adopted, who's to
+begin?"
+
+"Parbleu! yourself, Dupreval; the honor is yours."
+
+"Very good. Then it will be my right-hand neighbor's turn, and so on
+around the table."
+
+Dupreval emptied his glass, to put himself into a more suitable
+disposition for telling his story. Meanwhile, I watched Dumouton, who
+had entirely stripped one ornament and persistently kept his hands out
+of sight under the table. As some of the guests continued to converse,
+Dupreval struck his glass with his knife and cried:
+
+"Silence, messieurs!"
+
+Everybody ceased talking, took a drink, and prepared to listen to the
+host, who began thus:
+
+"At that time, messieurs, I was a third-class clerk to a solicitor, and
+my pockets were seldom well lined. My father gave me six francs a week
+for pocket money; as you may imagine, my diversions were very few, and I
+often spent my whole allowance on Sunday; then I was obliged either to
+procure my amusement gratis during the week, or to abstain entirely; the
+latter alternative, I believe, is disagreeable at any age.
+
+"One fine day--or rather, one evening--I was at the play, and found
+myself behind two very pretty grisettes--there were grisettes in those
+days; unluckily, they are now vanishing from the face of the earth, like
+poodles and melon raisers. For my part, I regret them exceedingly--not
+the melon raisers or the poodles, but the grisettes; they are replaced
+nowadays by lorettes, who can't hold a candle to them. Our friend
+Dumouton, by the way, has done a very amusing little sketch on
+grisettes, lorettes, and fillettes, which I will request him to repeat
+to you in a moment, and----"
+
+"Question!"
+
+"The speaker is not keeping to his subject."
+
+"That is true, messieurs. Excuse me.--Well, I was at the play, behind
+two grisettes, and I had only three sous in my pocket; that was all I
+had left after buying my ticket, and it was Monday. Such was my plight.
+However, that didn't prevent me from making eyes at one of the damsels,
+whose saucy face attracted me. For her part, she responded promptly to
+my glances; the firing was well maintained on both sides, and seemed to
+promise a very warm engagement. I opened a conversation, and she
+answered. The young ladies were not prudes, by any means; they laughed
+heartily at every joke that I indulged in, and I indulged in a good
+many; I was in funds in that respect only.
+
+"It was summer, and the theatre was very warm. Several times my
+grisettes had wiped their faces, crying:
+
+"'Dieu! how hot it is!'
+
+"'How I would like a good, cool drink!'
+
+"'That's so; something cool and refreshing would go to the spot, pure or
+with water.'
+
+"When they expressed themselves in such terms, I made a pretence of
+looking about the house, humming unconcernedly. With my three sous, I
+could have given each of them a stick of barley sugar, but that is
+hardly refreshing. I remember that an orange girl persisted in walking
+back and forth in front of us, and in holding her basket under my nose,
+and that I trod on her foot so hard that the poor girl turned pale and
+hurried away, shrieking.
+
+"At last the play came to an end, and my grisettes went out; I went with
+them, still talking, but taking care to fall behind when we passed a
+cafe. They did not live together; and when I was alone with the one to
+whom I was particularly attentive, I obtained a rendezvous for the next
+day, at nightfall.
+
+"When the next day came, I was no richer, for my office mates were, for
+the most part, as hard up as I. However, I was faithful to my
+appointment, all the same, still with my three sous in my pocket.
+
+"My charmer was on time. I walked her about the streets at least two
+hours. She remarked from time to time that she was tired; but, instead
+of replying, I would passionately squeeze one of her hands, and the heat
+of my love made her forget her fatigue. Unluckily, she lived with an old
+relation--of which sex I don't know; I do know that that fact made it
+impossible for me to go to her room, and I had to leave her at her door.
+
+"The next evening, at dusk, we met again. I had the shrewdness to take
+her outside the barrier; it was a superb night, and we strolled along
+the new boulevards. I tried to coax her out into the country; she
+refused, on the ground that she was tired. She expected me to suggest a
+cab, no doubt, but I knew better.
+
+"The next day, another rendezvous. My grisette wanted to go to the
+Jardin des Plantes. When we came to Pont d'Austerlitz, I had to spend
+two of my three sous, and for tolls, not for refreshment; that seemed
+cruel, but there was no alternative. We strolled a long while around
+the garden, which is an admirable place for lovers, because some of the
+paths are always deserted; my conquest was affable and sentimental, but
+I replied all awry to what she said and to the questions she asked. I
+was haunted by a secret apprehension; I was thinking about going home,
+about Pont d'Austerlitz, which she would certainly insist on crossing
+again, as it was the shortest way to her house; and I said to myself: 'I
+have only five centimes left. Shall I pay for her and let her go alone?
+Shall I make her take another route? Or shall I run across at full speed
+and defy the tollman?'--Neither plan seemed to promise well, and you can
+imagine that my mind was in a turmoil; so that my young companion kept
+saying to me:
+
+"'What on earth are you thinking about, monsieur? You don't answer my
+questions; you seem to be thinking about something besides me. You're
+not very agreeable this evening.'
+
+"I did my utmost to be talkative, attentive, and gallant; but, in a few
+minutes, my preoccupation returned. At last my grisette, irritated by my
+behavior, declared that she wanted to go home, that she was tired of
+walking, that I had walked her about so much the last two or three days
+that her heels were swollen as badly as when she used to have
+chilblains. So she dragged me away toward the exit. That was the
+decisive moment. I began to talk about going home another way that I
+knew about, which was much pleasanter than the way we had come. But my
+grisette took her turn at not listening, and when we were out of the
+garden, and I tried to lead her to the left, she hung back.
+
+"'Why, where are you going?' she cried.
+
+"'I assure you that it's much pleasanter and shorter by the other
+bridge.'
+
+"'You're joking, I suppose! the idea of going back through narrow
+streets instead of the boulevards! Monsieur is making fun of me!'
+
+"I couldn't possibly prevail upon her; she dropped my arm and made
+straight for the bridge.
+
+"'Well!' I said to myself, with a sigh; 'there's nothing left for me to
+do.'
+
+"I followed her. When she reached the tollman, I tossed my last sou on
+the table and said to my charmer:
+
+"'Go on, I will follow you.'
+
+"She crossed the bridge, supposing that some natural cause detained me a
+moment. Meanwhile, I gazed at the river, considering whether I would
+jump in and swim to the other bank. But I'm not a fine swimmer, and I
+did not feel as brave as Leander, although the Seine is narrower than
+the Hellespont. Instead of swimming, I ran along the quays to the next
+bridge; when I got there, I was almost out of breath, but that did not
+prevent me from running across the bridge, then back along the Seine to
+the beginning of Boulevard Bourdon. But that is quite a long distance,
+and, although I ran almost all the way, it took quite a long time. I
+arrived at last, but I looked in vain for my inamorata; I could not find
+her. Tired of waiting for me, or piqued by my failure to overtake her,
+she had evidently gone home alone.
+
+"The next day, I went to our usual place of meeting, but she did not
+come. I waited there for her several days--to no purpose; and at last I
+wrote to her, requesting a reply. She sent me a very laconic one: 'You
+made a fool of me,' she wrote; 'and after walking my legs off for four
+days, as if I was an omnibus horse, you left me in the middle of a
+bridge. I've had enough of it, monsieur; you won't take me to walk any
+more.'--And thus that intrigue came to an end; for I never saw my
+grisette again; but I haven't forgotten the adventure. Let it serve you
+as a lesson, messieurs, if you should ever happen to find yourselves
+with only three sous in your pocket."
+
+
+
+
+III
+
+BLIND-MAN'S-BUFF.--AT THE WINDOWS.--IN A BALLOON
+
+
+Dupreval's tale amused the company immensely. Monsieur Dumouton, who was
+better able, perhaps, than any of the rest of us, to understand our
+friend's plight, exclaimed:
+
+"Oh! that's true! it's very dangerous to take any chances in a lady's
+company, if you haven't any money in your pocket! It's a thing I always
+avoid."
+
+It was young Balloquet's turn. The bulky, fair-haired man opened his
+mouth as if he were going to sing an operatic aria, and began:
+
+"Dupreval has just told us of an adventure which was not a _bonne
+fortune_, messieurs, for it didn't end happily for him; I propose to
+tell you of one that can fairly be called a genuine A-Number-One _bonne
+fortune_. It happened at a _fete champetre_ given by a friend of mine at
+his charming country place in the outskirts of Sceaux."
+
+"Don't name the place," Monsieur Faisande interrupted; "there's no need
+of it, and it might betray the originals of your story."
+
+"Mon Dieu! Monsieur Faisande, you seem to be terribly afraid of
+disclosures. Is it because you fear your excellent wife may be
+involved?"
+
+The Treasury clerk turned as red as a poppy.
+
+"I don't know why you indulge in jests of that sort, Monsieur
+Balloquet," he cried; "it's very bad taste, monsieur!"
+
+"Then let me speak, monsieur, and don't keep putting your oar into our
+conversation; your mock-modest air doesn't deceive anybody. People who
+make such a show of decorum, and who are so strict in their language,
+are often greater libertines and rakes than those whose language they
+censure."
+
+Monsieur Faisande's cheeks changed from the hue of a poppy to that of a
+turnip; but he made no reply, and looked down at his plate, which led us
+to think that Balloquet had hit the mark. The latter resumed his story:
+
+"As I was saying, I was at a magnificent open-air fete. There were some
+charming women there, and among them one with whom I had been in love a
+long while, but had been able to get no further than to whisper a
+burning word in her ear now and then; for she had a husband, who, while
+he was not jealous, was always at his wife's side. The dear man was very
+much in love with his wife, and bored her to death with his caresses.
+Sometimes he forgot himself so far as to kiss her before company, which
+was execrable form; and by dint of sentimentality and caresses he had
+succeeded in making himself insufferable to her. Yes, messieurs, this
+goes to prove what I said just now to Fouvenard: women don't like to be
+loved too much. _Excess in any direction is a mistake_. Moreover,
+nothing makes a man look so foolish as a superabundance of love. Well,
+while we were playing games and strolling about the gardens, Monsieur
+Three-Stars--I'll call him Three-Stars, which will not compromise
+anybody, I fancy--kissed his wife again before the whole company; and
+she flew into a rage and made a scene with him, forbidding him to come
+near her again during the evening. The fond husband was in despair, and
+cudgelled his brains to think of some means of becoming reconciled to
+his wife. After long consideration, he took me by the arm and said:
+
+"'My dear Monsieur Balloquet, I believe I have found what I was looking
+for.'
+
+"'Have you lost something?' said I.
+
+"'You don't understand. I am trying to think of some way to compel my
+wife to let me kiss her, and it is very difficult, because she is cross
+with me now. But this is what I have thought of: I am going to suggest a
+game of blind-man's-buff, and I will ask to be _it_, on condition that I
+may kiss the person I catch, when I guess who it is. When I catch my
+wife, be good enough to cough, so as to let me know; in that way I shall
+not make a mistake, and she'll have to let me kiss her.'
+
+"I warmly applauded Monsieur Three-Stars's plan; his idea of
+blind-man's-buff seemed to me very amusing. He made his proposition, it
+was accepted, and he was blindfolded. Now, while he groped his way
+about, the rest of the party thought it would be a good joke to leave
+him there and go to another part of the garden. I escorted Madame
+Three-Stars. The garden was very extensive, with grottoes and labyrinths
+and some extremely dark clumps of shrubbery. I will not tell you just
+where I took the lady, but our walk was quite long; and when we returned
+to our starting point, the poor husband was still groping about with the
+handkerchief over his eyes. When he heard us coming, he hurried toward
+us; I coughed,--to give him that satisfaction was the least I could
+do,--he named his wife and kissed her. Then, delighted with his idea, he
+replaced the handkerchief over his eyes, requesting to be _it_ again.
+We acceded to his wish, and he was _it_ three times in succession. That,
+messieurs, is what I call a _bonne fortune_."
+
+"Your story is exactly after the style of Boccaccio!" laughed
+Montricourt.--"If this goes on, messieurs, we shall be able to publish a
+sequel to the _Decameron_."
+
+"It's Fouvenard's turn."
+
+The hairy gentleman passed his hand across his forehead, saying:
+
+"I am searching my memory, messieurs. I have had so many adventures! I
+am afraid of mixing them up. You see, it's like calling on a man for a
+ballad who has written a great many; he doesn't know any, because he
+knows too many. I beg you to be good enough to leave me till the last;
+meanwhile, I will disentangle my memories and try to select something
+choice, with a Regency flavor."
+
+"All right! Fouvenard passes the bank on to Monsieur Reffort.--Go on,
+Reffort."
+
+Reffort was a personage who had not said four words during the dinner,
+but had contented himself with laughing idiotically at what the others
+said. He was the possessor of a more than insignificant face, and turned
+as red as fire when he was addressed. He rolled his eyes over the
+dessert, played with his knife, and murmured at last:
+
+"Faith! messieurs, it embarrasses me to speak, because--I must admit
+that--on my word of honor, it has never happened to me."
+
+"What's that, Reffort? It has never happened to you! What in the devil
+do you mean by that? Explain yourself."
+
+"Can it be that Monsieur Reffort is as a man what Jeanne d'Arc was as a
+woman?" cried Rouffignard. "In that case, I demand that he be cast in a
+mould, that a statuette be made of him and sold for the benefit of the
+Societe de Temperance."
+
+Roars of laughter arose on all sides. Monsieur Reffort laughed with the
+rest, albeit with a somewhat annoyed air, and rejoined:
+
+"You go too far, messieurs; I didn't mean what you think, but simply
+that I am not a man for love intrigues. I shouldn't know how to go about
+it; and, faith! when my thoughts turn to love, there are priestesses of
+Venus, and----"
+
+"Very good, Monsieur Reffort; we don't ask for anything more; we'll call
+that _bonnes fortunes_ for cash. Next."
+
+"Messieurs," said the gentleman who came next, in a sentimental tone,
+"the best day of my life was that on which I stole a garter at a wedding
+party, at Pres-Saint-Gervais--I made a mistake as to the leg; but I saw
+such a pretty one, and took it for the bride's. In fact, I didn't want
+to go out from under the table. Unluckily, that charming limb belonged
+to a lady of fifty; but she was kind enough to make me a present of her
+garter."
+
+"And you have worn it on your heart ever since?"
+
+"No; but I have kept it under glass. That's my only _bonne fortune_!"
+
+"I, messieurs," said a young man, who sat next to the last speaker, "was
+shut up once for twelve hours in a closet full of bottles of liqueurs;
+and when my mistress was able at last to release me, I was dead drunk; I
+had tasted everything, to pass the time away. Finding me in that
+condition, the lady was obliged to send for a messenger, who took me on
+his back like a bale, and on the way downstairs let me roll down one
+whole flight. Since then I have had a horror of _bonnes fortunes_."
+
+"Your turn, Raymond."
+
+"I once fell in love with a lady who roomed opposite me. As you can
+imagine, I was always hanging out of my window. She was very pretty, but
+she didn't reply to my glances; indeed, she often left her window when I
+appeared at mine. But I wasn't discouraged by that. I followed her
+everywhere: in the street, in omnibuses, to the theatre; I wrote her
+twenty notes, but she didn't answer them, and my persistence seemed to
+offend her rather than to touch her heart. As I could think of nothing
+else to do, I determined one day to try to make her jealous. I
+interviewed one of the damsels to whom Monsieur Reffort alluded, and,
+for a consideration, she came to my rooms one afternoon. I placed her on
+my balcony, so that she might be in full view; I urged her to behave
+decently, and retired to await the result of my experiment.
+
+"My neighbor appeared at her window. It was impossible for her not to
+see my damsel. I was enchanted, and said to myself: 'She sees that I am
+with another, and she will surely be annoyed.' Moreover, the young woman
+I had hired was very pretty and might pass for a creditable conquest,
+having, in accordance with my orders, clothed herself in a very stylish
+gown. But imagine my sensations when she began to smoke an enormous
+cigar, a genuine panetela! I tried to remonstrate; she answered that it
+was good form. I had become resigned to the cigar, when she suddenly
+called out to a young man who passed along the street: 'Monsieur Ernest,
+don't expect me to pose for you as Venus to-morrow. I am posing here,
+where I get double pay, and don't have to be all naked as I do at your
+studio, where I'm always catching cold in the head and other places.'
+
+"Judge of my despair! my neighbor must have heard, for she laughed till
+she cried. You can imagine that I dismissed my _poseuse_ instantly. But
+see what strange creatures women are! For the next few days, I was so
+depressed and shamefaced that I dared not show myself at my window.
+Well! then it was that my neighbor deigned at last to answer one of my
+notes, and I became the happiest of men."
+
+"We might call that the 'window intrigue.'--Now, Roland."
+
+Monsieur Roland was a young blade with enormous whiskers, and all the
+self-possession and _frou-frou_ of a commercial traveller. He threw out
+his chest when he began to speak.
+
+"I adored a lady who resisted my advances, messieurs. One day I
+succeeded in inducing her to go up in a balloon with me. When we were
+once in the air, I said to her: 'My dear love, if you continue to be
+cruel, I'll cut a hole in the balloon, and it will be all over with both
+of us.'--My charmer ceased to resist me, and I assure you, messieurs,
+that it's very pleasant to make love among the clouds."
+
+"I call for an encore for that."
+
+"And I am wondering whether Roland always has a balloon at his disposal,
+already inflated, to enable him to triumph over women who try to resist
+him."
+
+"What, messieurs! do you doubt the truth of my story?"
+
+"On the contrary, it is delicious," said Montricourt; "I am simply
+trying to think of one that would be worthy to serve as a pendant to
+your balloon."
+
+"For my part, messieurs," said a tall man with blue spectacles, "as I am
+very near-sighted, my _bonnes fortunes_ have almost always ended
+unfortunately. When I had been attentive to a young woman, if I went to
+see her the next day, I was sure to throw myself at her mother's knees
+and say sweet things to her, thinking that I was talking to the
+daughter. However, one day, a lady, to whom I had been paying court with
+marked ardor, consented to come to breakfast with me. Imagine my
+delight! But she said to me: 'For heaven's sake, don't keep on your
+spectacles, for I think you are frightfully ugly in them; I detest
+spectacles.'--To satisfy her, after ordering the daintiest of breakfasts
+and donning the most elegant costume you can imagine, I took off my
+spectacles and awaited the visit that was to make me the happiest of
+mortals. At last there was a knock at my door. I ran to open it, holding
+my arms in front of me, for I could see almost nothing at all, being
+short-sighted to the last degree; but I was certain that it was a woman
+who came in, because I touched her dress. I didn't give her time to
+speak to me--I was so madly in love! I took her in my arms; she tried to
+cry out, and I stifled her shrieks with my kisses. Not until it was too
+late did I hear her voice saying:
+
+"'Mon Dieu! monsieur, whatever's the matter with you this morning? You
+must have swallowed a fulminating powder!'
+
+"Impressed by the accent of that voice, I ran for my spectacles and put
+them on. Imagine my wrath! I had insulted my concierge! The excellent
+woman had brought me a letter from my fair one saying that it was
+impossible for her to come. Since then, I beg you to believe that I have
+never made love without my spectacles."
+
+This tale called forth hearty laughter. Then a stout party told us at
+great length that his wife had been his only _bonne fortune_.
+
+We all blessed that gentleman, who well deserved the Cross and our
+esteem.
+
+
+
+
+IV
+
+THE LOST KEY
+
+
+Monsieur Faisande's turn having arrived, he reflected, assumed a solemn
+expression, and held forth thus:
+
+"Love, messieurs, is not such an entertaining, enjoyable, happy-go-lucky
+affair as you all seem to think. Most of you seek to enter into an
+intrigue solely to amuse yourselves; but the results, messieurs, all the
+results that may ensue from cohabitation between a man and a woman, from
+the carnal sin, from----"
+
+"I was perfectly sure that Monsieur Faisande would be more indecent than
+the rest of us when he began upon this subject," said Balloquet; "he has
+a way of preaching morality that would make a _vivandiere_ blush."
+
+"I should be very glad to know what you consider unseemly in my
+language, Monsieur Balloquet?"
+
+"Your language is excellently well chosen; it is technical; but you
+produce the effect of a medical book on me; they are most estimable
+works in themselves, but young women mustn't be allowed to read them.
+Pray go on, Monsieur Faisande; I am terribly sorry that I interrupted
+you, you were beginning so well!"
+
+The Treasury clerk pursed his lips and continued, emphasizing every
+word:
+
+"I have never had any _bonnes fortunes_, messieurs; and I don't propose
+to begin now that I am married."
+
+"What a hypocrite!" muttered my stout neighbor. "I don't know the
+fellow's wife, but I pity her; for I am convinced that she has a mighty
+poor fellow for a husband."
+
+"What, Monsieur Faisande! not even some trivial little bit of fooling to
+tell us? Come, search your memory, did nothing ever happen to you in the
+Cite? in Rue aux Feves or Rue Saint-Eloy? There are plenty of frail
+damsels on those streets, they say."
+
+This time Monsieur Faisande turned green; he did not know which way to
+look, and stammered a few inaudible words. Dupreval, observing his
+evident discomfort, and wishing to put an end to a scene which
+threatened to lose its comic aspect, hastily asked Montricourt to take
+the floor.
+
+The dandy smoothed the nascent beard that adorned his chin, then said in
+a low voice, assuming a serious air:
+
+"What I am about to tell you, messieurs, may seem improbable to you.
+Understand that I have had a pair of wings made--yes, messieurs, a pair
+of wings as magnificent as an eagle's. I fasten them under my arms, and
+then, as you can imagine, I go wherever I choose. When a woman attracts
+me, I fly in at her window, even if she lives on the fifth floor; I
+carry her off, and I win her in mid-air! It's a wonderful thing!"
+
+"I beg your pardon," said Monsieur Roland, ironically; "while you are
+making love in mid-air, you can't keep your wings at work; so you must
+fall. Look at the birds; they always light to do their billing and
+cooing."
+
+"I anticipated that difficulty, my dear fellow; so, before I launch
+myself in the air, I always make myself fast to your balloon, which
+holds me up."
+
+This witticism ranged all the laughers on Montricourt's side, and even
+Monsieur Roland decided to admit defeat.
+
+It was now the turn of Monsieur Rouffignard, the corpulent bon vivant
+who sat next to me.
+
+"My story won't be long," he said; "I rush my love affairs through on
+time; I don't like to have things drag along. I was in love with a woman
+who wasn't handsome, but had a fine figure; and I'm a great fellow for
+shape; I tell you, I set store by shape! To speak without periphrasis, I
+prefer what's underneath to what's outside. Well! I was making love to
+a lady who had little to boast of in the way of features; but such a
+superb bust! such well-rounded hips! I said to myself: 'If all that's
+only as firm and hard as a plum pudding, it will be all right; for,
+after all, one can't expect to find marble unless he goes to a
+statue.'--I would have been glad to have a chance to appraise, by means
+of a slight caress, more or less innocent, the real value of what I
+admired, but my inamorata didn't understand that sort of play; as soon
+as I made a motion to touch her, she'd shriek and wriggle and scratch.
+'I shall never triumph over such untamed virtue as this,' I said to
+myself. But one fine day--that is to say, one evening, she agreed to
+meet me. She gave me leave to call between ten and eleven. I took good
+care to be prompt. Madame lived alone. She opened the door herself, and
+admitted me; but I was surprised to find that she had no light. I
+presumed that it was simply excess of modesty, and that defeat in the
+dark would be less trying to her; I had the more reason to think so,
+because she offered only a slight resistance. I began to grow audacious,
+but fancy my disappointment; instead of what I had hoped to find, I
+found nothing but _cliquettes_--that is to say, bones, of different
+degrees of sharpness. My audacity gave place to alarm; I recalled the
+romance of the _Monk_, and the story of _La Nonne Sanglante_; I began to
+be afraid that I was alone with a skeleton. But I had in my pocket one
+of those devices which we smokers use to obtain a light. I lighted it,
+without warning my fair; she shrieked when she saw the flame, and I did
+the same when I found that I was tete-a-tete with a beanpole. All I had
+admired was false. I alleged a sudden indisposition, and fled. Since
+then, whenever that lady meets me, she glares at me as if she would
+strike me dead. I am very sorry for her, but one shouldn't pretend to be
+a millionaire when one doesn't own a single foot of ground."
+
+It was my turn to relate my adventures. I have had amusing ones and sad
+ones; but, presuming that the sentimental sort would be misplaced on
+that occasion, I determined on this:
+
+"The scene is laid in the country, messieurs, in a delightful region
+about five leagues from Paris. I had gone there to pass a fortnight with
+a friend of mine who has a house in that neighborhood; he had
+consumption, and was living on milk exclusively; so I leave you to guess
+whether the establishment was a lively one. However, one should be
+willing sometimes to make sacrifices to friendship. And then, too, there
+was a house near by, occupied by several tenants, among them a charming
+young widow whom I had met in society in Paris. She was a blonde, with
+tender blue eyes and a languishing smile, and an expert coquette, I
+assure you! You will say that all women are; but there are gradations. I
+renewed my acquaintance with her; in the country, as you have lots of
+time to yourself, love does its work much more quickly than in town; and
+then, the delicious shade, the verdure, the charming retired nooks where
+you can hear nothing but the twittering of birds--are not all these made
+to incline one's heart to sentiment, to invite to love? A welcome
+invitation, which it is so pleasant to hear! In a word, I made such
+progress with my lovely widow, that nothing remained but to obtain a
+tete-a-tete. That, however, was not so easy as you may think. The house
+where my blonde lived was occupied by a lot of inquisitive, gossiping,
+evil-tongued people, whose greatest delight was to busy themselves about
+what others were doing. That is the principal occupation of fools in the
+country; they get up in the morning to spy on their neighbors, and do
+not go to bed happy if they have not done or said some spiteful thing
+during the day. My attentions to the pretty widow had been remarked; so
+they instantly passed the word around to watch us, to dog our steps; she
+and I could not move, without the whole province knowing it. All those
+bourgeois and clowns of the pumpkin family were worthy to be police-men
+in Paris; and I thought seriously of recommending them to monsieur le
+prefet.
+
+"The result was that we had to act with great secrecy. The house where
+my widow lived had a large garden. All gardens have a small gate; and
+each tenant was supplied with a key to the little gate of the garden in
+question, which opened into a lovely meadow. Several times, when talking
+with my inamorata in the evening, I had urged her to give me her key, so
+that I could get into the garden. By waiting until midnight, I was
+certain to avoid meeting any of her fellow boarders, for all of them
+went to bed at ten o'clock, as a rule. My constant refrain was: 'Let me
+have the key; or else let me in at midnight.'
+
+"At last, one evening when we had met at a neighbor's, as we left the
+house my blonde came to me, took my hand, and whispered in my ear:
+
+"'Come to-night.'
+
+"Imagine my joy, my ecstasy! I walked quickly away from her, lest she
+should change her mind. Everybody went home, myself with the rest; I
+longed so for the time when they should all be asleep! My friend's old
+cuckoo clock struck twelve. I left my room at once, stepping lightly,
+stole from the house, and hastened to the meadow. I sat down on the
+grass, a few steps from the gate, and waited impatiently until it should
+open to admit me to the summit of felicity.
+
+"Half an hour passed, and the gate did not open. I said to myself:
+'Someone near her has not gone to bed yet, I suppose, and she's afraid
+to come down; I must be patient.'--Another half-hour passed and the gate
+remained closed. I stood up, thinking that she might have left it
+unlocked so that I could go in. I ran to the gate to find out, but it
+was locked on the inside. I walked back and forth, I sat down and stood
+up, keeping my eyes always fixed on that gate, which did not open. I
+thought of everything that could possibly have delayed my lovely widow,
+or kept her from coming. One o'clock struck, then the half, then
+two.--'She has made a fool of me,' I said to myself; 'she won't come at
+all! But what object could she possibly have in keeping me waiting all
+night? Does my love deserve such a cruel disappointment? In fact, did
+she not, of her own motion, tell me to come to-night? No, it isn't
+possible that she purposely makes me pass such wretched hours here.'
+
+"I could not make up my mind to go. Still hoping, I said to myself at
+the faintest sound: 'She's coming; here she is!'--But the sound ceased,
+and she did not appear. Thereupon I would walk away a few steps, but
+again and again I returned.
+
+"Day broke at last, and with it my last hope vanished! For people rise
+very early in the country, and, when it was light, I knew very well that
+the lady would not risk her reputation by coming out to me. So I
+returned to my friend's house, with despair in my heart, swearing that I
+would never again address, that I would never look at, that woman who
+had made such a fool of me.
+
+"But the next day, chance, or rather our own volition, brought us
+together. I was on the point of heaping reproaches on her, but she gave
+me no time; with a wrathful glance, she said to me in a voice that shook
+with indignation:
+
+"'Your conduct is shameful, monsieur: the idea of making sport of me so!
+of making me pass a whole night in the most intense anxiety! For I had
+the kindness to believe that something must have happened to you; but I
+was mistaken. Why, in heaven's name, did you ask for a thing which you
+did not want? It is perfectly shocking! I detest you, and I forbid you
+ever to speak to me again!'
+
+"You can imagine my amazement at this harangue. Instead of apologizing,
+I overwhelmed her with complaints and reproaches for the sleepless night
+I had passed at the garden gate. My manner was so genuine and so
+sincere, that the young widow interrupted me.--'What!' she exclaimed;
+'you passed the night in the fields? Pray, why didn't you come in,
+monsieur?'
+
+"'Come in? by what means, madame?'
+
+"'Why, with the key to the little gate, which I myself gave you.'
+
+"'You gave me the key?'
+
+"'Yes, monsieur; last night, when I spoke to you, I put it in your
+hand.'
+
+"Everything was explained. I remembered perfectly that when she
+whispered to me she had taken my hand; and that was when she gave me the
+key--or, rather, when she thought that I received it; but, alas! she was
+mistaken; the key fell noiselessly on the grass, and neither of us
+noticed it. You see, messieurs, what trifles happiness depends upon. I
+asked pardon and claimed another assignation; but with women a lost
+opportunity is seldom recovered.--'Try to find the key,' she said. I
+hastened to the place where she had spoken to me the night before. Alas!
+in vain did I scratch the ground and examine every tuft of grass; I did
+not find the key. A few days later, the pretty blonde went away, and I
+never saw her again."
+
+
+
+
+V
+
+FILLETTES, GRISETTES, AND LORETTES
+
+
+I had performed my task; Dumouton and Fouvenard alone remained to be
+heard. The latter having requested the privilege of speaking last, the
+man of letters in the yellowish-green coat bowed gracefully and began:
+
+"To speak of one's _bonnes fortunes_, messieurs, is to speak of the
+ladies; with me, it is to speak of fillettes, grisettes, or lorettes;
+for as to bourgeois dames or great ladies, married or single, I have
+always deemed them too virtuous to be the objects of my attachment. That
+is my individual opinion; opinions are free. Allow me, therefore, to
+indulge in a brief digression concerning fillettes, grisettes, and
+lorettes. I know that my colleague, Alexandre Dumas, has discussed this
+subject; but there are subjects that are inexhaustible--always
+attractive and interesting: women and love enjoy that blessed privilege.
+
+
+"It has been said that Paris is the paradise of women. Ah! messieurs, he
+who said that can never have visited the tiny chambers, the closets, the
+attics, sometimes even the garrets, where that charming sex often lacks
+the first essentials of life; sometimes by its own fault, sometimes by
+the fault of destiny, or, to speak more accurately, of those cruel
+monsters of men, who play so important a part in the story of these
+young women.
+
+"The _fillettes_ of Paris are the daughters of honest bourgeois or
+artisans, whose parents, too much engrossed by their labor or by the
+care of their business, put them out as apprentices, or as shopgirls,
+or, as happens in the majority of cases, leave them at home to look
+after the housework and keep house.
+
+"Imagine a girl of fourteen to sixteen years of age, taken from her
+school, and, all of a sudden, because her father has become a widower,
+or because her mother sits at a counter all day, burdened with the whole
+charge of the household. She has no maid to assist her; for if she had,
+she would be a _demoiselle_, not a _fillette_. The _demoiselles_ have
+had a good education, they have had teachers who have tried to enlighten
+their minds and their judgment and to train their hearts; indeed, they
+are supposed to know a great many things; but they are entitled to do
+nothing at all during the day, just because they are _demoiselles_.
+
+"The fillettes, on the contrary, have to do everything, and generally
+are taught nothing. But you should see how they manage the household
+that has been thrown on their hands--mere children, who were playing
+with their dolls yesterday. Ordinarily, they begin by sweeping, very
+early; but if the lodging consists only of a single room and a cabinet,
+the housework is never finished till the end of the day--when it is
+finished at all. To be sure, the fillette doesn't work long at any one
+thing; she is required to change her occupation every minute; indeed, it
+rarely happens that she dresses herself entirely. The young woman whom
+you meet on the street early in the morning, carelessly dressed, in
+shoes down at heel, with unkempt hair, dirty hands, and a modest manner,
+is a fillette.
+
+"She has just begun to sweep, and suddenly she drops the broom, which
+sometimes falls against a pane of glass and breaks it; but the young
+housekeeper doesn't mind that. She starts to remove her curl papers; she
+removes one, she removes two--but just as she has her hand on the third,
+she remembers that she hasn't skimmed the stew; so she abandons her
+hair, runs to get the skimmer, and brandishes that utensil, humming
+Guido's song:
+
+    "'Helas! il a fui comme une ombre!'
+
+And to give more expression to her song, more passion to her voice, she
+often holds the skimmer lovingly to her heart. But as she sings, her
+eyes happen to fall on her canary's cage; she hastens thither, for she
+remembers that she hasn't given the bird anything to eat for two days.
+But as she is on the point of opening the cage, it occurs to her that
+she would do well to think about her own breakfast; so she turns her
+back on the canary, to go and visit the pantry. What she finds there
+does not suit her; so she goes down to the fruit stall to buy some fresh
+eggs. But on the way, she changes her mind; she prefers preserves, so
+she goes into the grocer's, where she meets a young woman who has been
+her schoolmate. They chat, and sometimes the chance meeting carries them
+a long way.
+
+"'Come with me a minute,' says her friend; 'I live close by, and I'll
+show you a dress my fiance sent me from Lyon.'
+
+"'Oh! so you've got a fiance, have you? are you going to be married?'
+
+"'Yes, in two months.'
+
+"'That's funny.'
+
+"'Why is it funny?'
+
+"'Because they don't ever think about marrying me.'
+
+"'You're too young.'
+
+"'I'm only a year younger'n you. But my folks would rather keep me at
+home to do the housework.'
+
+"'Come, and I'll give you some candy I got when I was a godmother.'
+
+"'Have you been a godmother? Oh! what a lucky girl you are! you have
+everything!'
+
+"It is very hard to resist the invitation of a friend who offers us
+candy. The fillette forgets her housework, her stew, her canary, and
+even her breakfast, as she chats with her old schoolmate, who has been a
+godmother and is engaged.
+
+"When at last she goes home, just as she is entering the house, she is
+saluted, and sometimes accosted, by a young man of most respectable
+aspect, whom she invariably meets when she goes out. I leave you to
+judge at what hour the housework will be done and the soup skimmed.
+
+"This young man is not a lover as yet, but he closely resembles a man in
+love, and if ill fortune sometimes be-falls the fillette, who is at
+fault? Is she the one to be blamed? should we not charge it rather to
+the parents, who so shamefully neglect those who have neither strength,
+nor sense, nor experience, to resist the seductions of the world?
+
+"Paris is swarming with these fillettes, messieurs; some remain
+virtuous, although they live among dangers; as they have no fortune,
+they do not always find husbands, but pass from the fillette stage to
+that of an old maid, without becoming better housekeepers by the change.
+
+"As for the _grisettes_, that's another story. The grisette loves
+pleasure; she wants it, she must have it. She has at least one lover;
+when she has only one, she is a most exemplary grisette. However, they
+do not pretend to be any better than they are; they make no parade of
+false virtue; they are neither prudish nor shy; they cultivate students,
+actors, artists, the theatre, balls,--out of doors or indoors,--promenades,
+dance halls, restaurants; and they do not recoil at the thought of a
+private dining-room.
+
+"The grisette is a gourmand, and is almost always hungry; she is wild
+over truffles, but is perfectly content to stuff herself with potatoes;
+she adores meringues, but regales herself daily with biscuit and tarts;
+she would climb a greased pole for a glass of champagne, but does not
+refuse a mug of cider.
+
+"You know as well as I, messieurs, that when you have treated a grisette
+to a dainty dinner, you must not conclude that her appetite is
+satisfied. On leaving the table, if you are in the country, the grisette
+will suggest shooting for macaroons, and will consume several dozen;
+then she will ask for a drink of milk, and a piece of rye bread to soak
+in it; then she will want some cherries, then beer and gingerbread. In
+Paris, you will have to supply her with barley sugar, syrups, punch, and
+Italian cheese.
+
+"Let us do the grisette of Paris justice; she is active, frisky,
+alluring, provoking; she is not always pretty, but she has a certain--I
+don't know what to call it--a sort of _chic_, which always finds
+followers. She handles the simplest materials in such a way as to make
+herself a pretty little costume; she often wears an apron, and a cap
+almost always; she rarely puts anything else on her head, and she is
+very wise; for her face, which is captivating in a cap, loses much of
+its charm under a bonnet, unless it be a _bibi_, the front of which
+never extends beyond the end of her nose.
+
+"The grisette is a milliner, or laundress, or dressmaker, or
+embroiderer, or burnisher, or stringer of pearls, or something else--but
+she has a trade. To be sure, she seldom works at it. Suggest a trip into
+the country, a donkey ride, a bachelor breakfast, a dinner at La
+Chaumiere, a ticket to the play, and the shop or workroom or desk may go
+to the deuce.
+
+"So long as we can afford her amusement, she will think of nothing else;
+but when her lover hasn't a sou, she will return to her work as cheerily
+as if she were going to dine at Passoir's, or to do a little cancan at
+the Chateau-Rouge; for, messieurs, you may be sure of one thing--the
+grisette is a philosopher, she takes things as they come, money for what
+it is worth, and men for what they do for her. She loves passionately
+for a fortnight; she believes then that it will last all her life, and
+proposes to her lover that they go to live on a desert island, like
+Crusoe, and eat raw vegetables and shell-fish. As she is very fond of
+radishes and oysters, she thinks that she will be able to accustom
+herself to that diet; but in a moment she forgets all about that scheme,
+and cries:
+
+"'Ah! how I would like some roast veal, and some lettuce salad garnished
+with hard-boiled eggs! Take me to Asnieres, Dodolphe, and we'll dine out
+of doors; and I'll pluck some daisies and pull off the petals and find
+out your real sentiments, for the daisies never lie. If it stops at
+_passionately_, I'll kiss you on the left eye; if it tells me that you
+don't love me at all, I'll stick pins into your legs. What better proofs
+of love do you want?'
+
+"But Dodolphe finds himself sometimes on his uppers.
+
+"'You say you haven't got any money?' cries the grisette; 'bah! what a
+nuisance it is that one always has to have money to live on and enjoy
+one's self! Wait a minute; I've got a merino dress and a winter shawl;
+it's summer now, so I don't need 'em. They'll be better off at _my
+aunt's_ than they are in my room, for there are moths there; they'll be
+better taken care of, and with what I can get on 'em we'll go and have
+some sport.'
+
+"The grisette carries out her plan: she puts her clothes in pawn,
+without regret or melancholy. If she had money, she would give it to her
+lover. As she often spends all that he has, it seems natural to her to
+spend with him all that she has: she is neither stingy, saving, nor
+selfish.
+
+"A grisette's lodging is a curious place; but she hasn't always a
+lodging to herself; very often she simply perches here and there. She
+will stay a week with her lover, three weeks with a friend of her own
+sex, and the rest of the time with her fruiterer or her concierge. When,
+by any chance, she does possess a domicile and furniture of her own, the
+grisette's bosom swells with pride, even when the furniture in question
+consists of nothing more than a cot, a mirror, and one broken chair. She
+takes delight in saying: 'I shall stay _at home_ this evening,' or: 'I
+don't expect to leave _home_ to-morrow. I have an idea of doing _my
+room_ over in color; it's all the style now, especially yellow; when
+it's well rubbed, it makes more effect than furniture.'
+
+"It is she who writes on her door, with a piece of Spanish chalk, when
+she goes out: _I am at my nabor's, down one flite._
+
+"But the grisette is not obliged to know the rules of orthography; and
+if she spoke the purest French, her conversation would probably seem
+less amusing; there are so many people who attract by their bad
+qualities.
+
+"Sometimes the grisette ventures to give an evening party. When she is
+in the mood, she will invite as many as seven people. On such occasions,
+the bed does duty as a divan, the blinds as benches, the cooking stove
+as a table, and the lamp from the staircase is placed on the mantel to
+take the place of a chandelier. Punch is brewed in a soup tureen, and
+tea in a saucepan; they drink from egg cups, there is one spoon for
+three persons, and the hostess's shawl serves as a table cloth and as a
+napkin for all the company; all of which does not prevent the guests
+from laughing and enjoying themselves; for the most genuine enjoyment is
+not that which costs the most. This is not a new maxim, but it is very
+consoling to those who are not favored by fortune."
+
+As he said this, Dumouton glanced down at himself, with a profound sigh.
+But encouraged, I doubt not, by a glimpse of the ends of his cravat, by
+that profusion of linen, to which he was not accustomed, he speedily
+resumed his smiling expression and continued his discourse.
+
+"I come now, messieurs, to the last division of my trilogy, the
+_lorettes_, who are grisettes of the front rank--the _tip-toppers_! By
+that I mean that they are sought by the fashionable lions, the dandies,
+the Jockey Club--in a word, by those gentry who have a liking for
+spending money freely with women, and who have the means to do it.
+
+"The lorettes live in the Chaussee d'Antin, the Nouvelle-Athenes, the
+Champs-Elysees, the quarter of _sport_, of the _turf_, or, if you
+prefer, of the horse traders. They are found, too, in quite large
+numbers, in the new streets. When a fine house is completed--that is to
+say, when the stairs are in place, so that the different floors are
+accessible, the proprietor lets apartments to lorettes, _to dry the
+walls_, as they say. They hire dainty suites, freshly decorated;
+everyone knows that they won't pay their rent, but the rooms are let to
+them because they draw people to the house; they attract other tenants;
+not honest bourgeois--nay, nay!--but fashionable young men, rich old
+bachelors, and sometimes men with stylish carriages.
+
+"By the way, the lorette is exceedingly frank in this respect. One of
+them was inspecting a beautiful suite on Rue Mazagran, when the
+concierge, who probably did not know whom he was dealing with, was
+simple enough to tell her the price, repeating several times that she
+could not have it for less than fifteen hundred francs. Irritated by his
+persistence, the lorette stared at him as if he were a monstrosity,
+exclaiming:
+
+"'Look you, monsieur, who do you think you're talking to? What
+difference does it make to me what the rent is, when I never pay?'
+
+"The lorette dresses stylishly and coquettishly; she leaves a trail of
+perfume behind her. She has magnificent bouquets, and her gloves are the
+object of much solicitude. At a distance, one might take her for a lady
+of rank and fashion; but to hear her speak is fatal, and the illusion
+vanishes at once, her language being infinitely less pure than the
+polish on her boots.
+
+"The lorette seeks to eclipse the grisette, whom she pretends to look
+down upon, but to whom she is vastly inferior, none the less. She has no
+lover, she has keepers. And yet she is not a kept woman, for such a one
+sometimes remains a long while with the same _monsieur_, whereas the
+lorette is constantly changing.
+
+"The grisette likes young men; the lorette prefers men of mature years.
+
+"The Hippodrome and the Cirque des Champs-Elysees are the resorts which
+the lorettes particularly affect. In the afternoon, they go thither to
+admire the bold horse-men jumping fences, or the women driving chariots
+in the ring. The Hippodrome audience being, as a rule, frivolous,
+dandified, and fashionable,--especially on weekdays,--these ladies are
+almost certain to make their expenses.
+
+"In the evening, they go to admire Baucher; they jump up and down in
+ecstasy on their benches when Auriol makes some new hair-raising plunge.
+The lorette is never tired of repeating to her _spouse_--for so she
+calls her friend of the moment--that she knows nothing more beautiful
+than a horse.
+
+"The lorette gives evening parties, where there are always many men and
+very few women. All games are played there, from lotto to lansquenet.
+These ladies are passionately fond of gambling; but when they take their
+places beside a green cloth, they tell you frankly that they propose to
+win; it is for you to take your measures accordingly. One day, at a game
+of lansquenet, the banker being a pretty lorette, someone discovered
+that she was cheating, and she was charged with it; far from denying the
+charge, she began to laugh, and retorted: 'Mon Dieu! what does it matter
+whether I take your money this way or some other way?'
+
+"The lorette knows nothing but money; don't continue to show yourself in
+her presence when your purse is empty, for her love will surely have
+followed your cash. She is not the woman to pawn her clothes in order to
+have a jollification with you.
+
+"The lorette has handsome furniture, but she doesn't pay for it, any
+more than she pays her rent. If you take her to dine at a restaurant,
+she will begin by playing the prude. She will declare that she isn't
+hungry; she doesn't like this or that; one thing makes her sick, another
+is abhorrent to her. But in the end she gets tipsy and has indigestion.
+
+"The proper method, in my opinion at least, is to take a lorette for a
+day, a grisette for a month, and a fillette for life, when you meet one
+who has found time during the day to dress herself and arrange her hair,
+to do her housework, eat her breakfast, watch her soup kettle, and tie
+her shoestrings; for then you will have discovered a phoenix, or the
+eighth wonder of the world.
+
+"To sum up, the fillette craves sentiment, the grisette pleasure, the
+lorette money.
+
+"I venture to hope, messieurs, that you will accept this superficial
+study of women instead of a _bonne fortune_; especially as it is a very
+long while since fortune has been kind [_bonne_] to me; and, unluckily,
+I have had no leisure to think of love making, so that I could tell you
+nothing worthy of a hearing after all that I have had the pleasure of
+listening to."
+
+
+
+
+VI
+
+MONSIEUR FOUVENARD'S _BONNE FORTUNE_.--THE GINGERBREAD WOMAN
+
+
+Everybody had listened with pleasure to Monsieur Dumouton's study of
+womankind. Only Monsieur Faisande, without a word, left his seat and
+disappeared while the author was talking. The disappearance of the
+Treasury clerk did not grieve us overmuch, nor did it interfere with our
+drinking and laughing and saying whatever came into our heads. But as
+Balloquet seemed to possess some private information concerning that
+modest personage, I determined to question him on the subject; for I
+was anxious to know whether I was mistaken in my conjectures, and
+whether I owed Monsieur Faisande an apology for the evil thoughts of him
+that had come to my mind.
+
+Fouvenard was the only one of the party who had not yet narrated his
+little adventure. Dupreval, our host, turned to that gentleman, whose
+features, the nose alone excepted, were buried beneath the wilderness of
+beard, moustache, whiskers, and eyebrows, which invaded his face and
+threatened to transform it into a wig.
+
+Monsieur Fouvenard passed his hand across his forehead and ran it
+through his mane, as he said:
+
+"I have been looking over my catalogue, but I haven't succeeded in
+disentangling anything as yet. And so, messieurs, I propose to tell you
+the story of my last love affair; it is still quite fresh. It is not my
+last _bonne fortune_, but it is the most entertaining, I think, of the
+later ones; you may judge for yourselves.
+
+"Two or three months ago, having nothing to do one Sunday, and being
+unable to endure the day in Paris, which, as you all know, messieurs, is
+insufferable on Sunday, especially when it's fine; for then the streets
+and boulevards are overrun by a crowd of people with outlandish faces,
+walking arm in arm, four or five and sometimes six in a row, and making
+it as tiresome to walk as it is difficult--in a word, I jumped aboard a
+train in the first railway station I came to, without so much as
+inquiring where it would take me. I believe I would have travelled a
+long distance--to Belgium, perhaps--I was so disgusted with Paris that
+Sunday! But the train I took did not go so far; my journey was very
+brief, and I soon found myself in the pretty village of Sceaux. When I
+say _village_, I am wrong, for Sceaux is a small town; but the instant
+that I see trees and fields and green grass, I cannot believe that I am
+near a town.
+
+"I left my car, or my diligence,--I am not sure which I was in,--and
+walked about at random. The Bal de Sceaux, once so brilliant and
+crowded, has lost much of its popularity. Everything has its day,
+messieurs! open-air balls as well as great empires, and beauty! The
+Vendanges de Bourgogne had ceased to exist. That lively restaurant,
+where so many banquets and ultra _chicard_ balls used to be given, and
+where the women danced in _tableau vivant_ costume,--a place that owed
+its vogue originally to its excellent sheep's trotters,--has closed its
+doors; let us hope that it will reopen them. And even the Meridien!--the
+Meridien! I will not insult you by asking you if you ever went there!
+Who is the man, provided he is ever so little a lady's man, who has not
+been to the Meridien, where the private rooms were so well arranged for
+congenial parties? Well, messieurs, that charming little restaurant,
+which, as you know, was close by here, has also closed its doors. In
+fact, everything has been demolished, even the Cadran Bleu. That once
+famous resort has vanished from Boulevard du Temple. Upon my word, it is
+really heartrending! Where shall we go now to dine, when we have a
+pretty woman to entertain? I am grieved to say it, messieurs, but
+suitable places are becoming very rare in Paris; one must needs go
+_extra muros_ to find silence, secrecy, and all the comforts which add
+to the charm of a tete-a-tete; and one has not always the leisure to go
+out of Paris.
+
+"Excuse me for indulging in these reflections--I return to my subject. I
+had been strolling about Sceaux for some time, and I noticed that those
+peasant girls who were dressed coquettishly and arrayed in all their
+finery, those, in short, who seemed disposed to dance and enjoy
+themselves generally, were leaving the town and going in the direction
+of Fontenay-aux-Roses.
+
+"I at once made inquiries of a worthy woman who sold gingerbread, and
+who seemed to view with an expression of alarm the general desertion of
+the population. By the purchase of a huge gingerbread man for four sous,
+for which I paid cash, and by praising her cookery, I gained the
+huckster's good will.
+
+"'Where are all these girls going in their Sunday clothes?' I inquired,
+bravely attacking my gingerbread man's foot.
+
+"'Mon Dieu! monsieur, as if there was any need of asking! _Pardine!_
+they're going to Fontenay, on the pretext that there's a fete there
+to-day; and there'll be a little fair, and a man to tumble and play
+tricks, and make a fool of himself. As if it wasn't a hundred times
+nicer here! As if our ball wasn't a hundred times finer! But they all
+have the devil in 'em, and they lead each other on. There's no way to
+stop 'em. So you're my first customer to-day; I ain't sold two sous'
+worth all day long.'
+
+"'Well, why don't you do as everybody else does? What is there to hinder
+you from moving your stall and your gingerbread to Fontenay-aux-Roses?'
+
+"'Oh! monsieur, we folks don't go changing about like that. People have
+been used to seeing me here, on this same spot, for thirty years; and if
+they should miss me, especially on a Sunday, they'd say: "Why, where in
+the world's old Mere Giroux? She must be sick, or dead."--And it would
+hurt my trade if folks thought that; because, you see, monsieur, I have
+regular customers, although you might not think so. They're folks from
+Paris, who always buy stuff of me for their young ones, when they come
+to Sceaux. And it don't pay to put our customers out; we can't afford to
+lose regular ones when we have any, just to make a few more sous one
+day; and I have some, as I tell you.'
+
+"I was about to leave Mere Giroux, who was so proud of having regular
+customers, when I saw three girls coming along, arm in arm, hopping
+rather than walking. Two of them had the costume and general aspect of
+the peasant girls of the neighborhood; they were dressed very
+coquettishly, in white gowns, silk aprons, little caps trimmed with lace
+and bows of ribbon, and even gloves, messieurs; yes, it's not a rare
+thing nowadays, in the outskirts of Paris, on a holiday, to see gloved
+peasant girls. They don't use musk as yet, thank God! but with time and
+railroads, I feel sure that the women of nature will soon perfume
+themselves like cultivated women; and, to tell the truth, it will be an
+agreeable change, for they don't smell very sweet as a rule. I ask
+Nature's pardon, but it's the truth.
+
+"My two peasants, then, had paid much attention to their costume; but,
+for all that, under their fine clothes they were genuine rustics. One
+could see that by their arms and feet, by their manners, by their loud
+laughter, and by the red blotches with which their faces were covered.
+Moreover, those same faces, while they were not ugly, were not specially
+attractive, except for their extreme freshness. So that my eyes did not
+rest long on those young women; but it was not so with the third member
+of their party, although her dress was almost a counterpart of her
+companions'.
+
+"You see, it isn't the cap that makes a girl pretty, but the way she
+puts it on and wears it; and so it is with the rest of her attire. The
+young person who caught my eye was some eighteen years of age; she was
+above middle height, slender, graceful, and willowy; for one can see
+that, at a glance, in the slightest motion of the body. There was
+nothing extraordinary about her features, but the face as a whole
+attracted one instantly. She was a blonde, with blue eyes and red lips;
+when she laughed, her mouth assumed a delicious expression, in which
+innocence and mischief were blended; her teeth were well arranged, and,
+while they could not be described as 'pearls set in rose leaves,' as it
+is customary to describe a pretty woman's mouth, they were beyond
+reproach; her hair, which was slightly tinged with gold, was arranged in
+little curls, in the style called, I believe, _a la neige_. In that
+respect, there was a notable difference between her and her two
+companions, whose hair was glued to their temples in little
+heartbreakers. What more can I say? There was an indefinable something
+about that girl which indicated that she had not always lived in the
+fields. There was a savor of Paris about her; for a woman who never
+leaves her village does not acquire the manners, the bearing, the ease,
+which contrast so sharply with the awkward accomplishments of the
+country.
+
+"My pretty blonde wore a striped lilac and white dress. She also wore a
+silk apron; but hers was of a grayish purple which harmonized perfectly
+with her gown. Her cap was very simple, but in the best taste, and
+perched so daintily on the top of her head that it seemed hardly to
+touch it. Her shoes were black, and the feet within them were small,
+narrow, and gracefully arched; the leg was small, but not thin, and gave
+promise of excellent outlines. You will agree, messieurs, that all this
+was well adapted to attract my glances.
+
+"The three girls were passing Mere Giroux, when she detained them.
+
+"'Well, where are you girls going, I'd like to know,' she cried, 'that
+you're all rigged up and sail by, all three of you, proud as ortolans,
+without so much as bidding me good-day?'
+
+"They stopped at that, and bade the dealer in gingerbread good-morning.
+
+"'Bonjour, Mere Giroux!'
+
+"'It's because we're in a hurry; we're going to Fontenay-aux-Roses.'
+
+"'We're going to dance.'
+
+"'We're going to see the shows, and the animals, and the monkeys.'
+
+"'Mon Dieu! you can see all that here! It ain't worth while to go out of
+your way to see monkeys!'
+
+"'Nonsense! it's going to be a lovely fete at Fontenay. You can see for
+yourself that everybody's going there.'
+
+"'Everybody's just stupid enough; when one makes a spitball, the rest
+would rather be hung than not do as much.'
+
+"'Oh! Mere Giroux! how spiteful you are!'
+
+"'I say, you Dargenettes, do your parents let you go running about the
+country like this, without them?'
+
+"'_Pardi!_ nobody'll kidnap us. Besides, Mignonne's with us.'
+
+"'Bless my soul! Mignonne's a fine dragon, ain't she? Why, she's
+younger'n you! and she rolls her eye the minute anyone looks at her, as
+if it gave her cramp in the stomach.'
+
+"Mignonne was evidently the pretty blonde in the centre, for she
+answered at once with a saucy little smile, and a glance at me out of
+the corner of her eye; for during this conversation I was still
+standing near the gingerbread stall, and still munching my four-sous'
+purchase.
+
+"'If I am young, Mere Giroux, that doesn't prevent my keeping an eye on
+these girls; for I've been in Paris, and I'm not to be caught.'
+
+"'You, Mignonne! nonsense! You'll be caught sooner than the others, I'll
+bet! You're too sugary; you'll melt!'
+
+"'Anyway,' cried the other two, 'do you suppose we're afraid of men?
+Why, there's nothing frightful about 'em!'
+
+"'If they'd grow, I'd plant a field of them.'
+
+"Whereupon they roared with laughter; but pretty Mignonne took no part
+in it; she pulled her companions away, crying:
+
+"'Au revoir, Mere Giroux! Au revoir!'
+
+"'What! ain't you going to buy as much as a stick of barley sugar, to
+suck on the way?'
+
+"'By and by, when we come back; to cool us off.'
+
+"When the girls had gone, the huckster complained more loudly than ever
+about the nuisance of the fetes in the neighboring villages. For my
+part, I was determined to have another look at the blonde whom they
+called Mignonne, but I desired, first of all, to obtain some information
+concerning her. I began by buying a huge square of gingerbread, larded
+with almonds, while loudly praising what I had already eaten. Mere
+Giroux, flattered to the melting point, gazed at me with an expression
+that seemed to say:
+
+"'Ah! if all the young men who come to Sceaux only liked gingerbread as
+much as this gentleman does!'
+
+"'Mere Giroux,' I said, carefully bestowing my new purchase in my
+pocket, 'you seem to know those young women who went by just now?'
+
+"'_Pardi!_ I know everybody in the neighborhood, I do!'
+
+"'Are they farmers' daughters?'
+
+"'Yes, the two dark ones are, the Dargenettes. They're good enough
+girls, for all their talk about men; if anybody should go too far with
+'em, they'd do good work with their feet and hands and nails, I'll
+warrant. They like to fool, but they're virtuous! And then, their father
+wouldn't stand any fooling. Old Dargenette's a gardener, and he ain't
+very pleasant every day. He fondled his wife with his rake when she
+didn't walk straight; and I guess he'd do the same to his daughters, if
+they should go astray. Country folk, monsieur, talk a little free
+sometimes, but you mustn't judge 'em by that.'
+
+"'And that other girl with them, whom you called Mignonne? She carries
+herself as if she had lived in Paris.'
+
+"'Yes, monsieur; so she has. Mignonne's the daughter of honest laboring
+people of this town; but she lost her father and mother when she was
+very young. Then she caught the fancy of a lady in Paris, and she took
+her away and said she'd give her a good education. Mignonne Landernoy
+had nobody left but an old aunt, who wa'n't none too rich. So she let
+her niece go; the child was twelve years old then. She stayed in Paris
+three years. I don't know just what she learned there--to read and write
+and do embroidery, and sew on canvas--in short, a lot of useless things
+that make a country girl fit for nothing. So, when she came back to her
+aunt, she couldn't be made to work in the fields again. _Ouiche!_ she
+said it made her back ache!'
+
+"'But why did she come back? Why did she leave the lady who took her to
+Paris?'
+
+"'Because the lady died, and then, you see, her heirs didn't choose to
+keep the little girl from Sceaux. They began by turning her out of
+doors, and Mignonne was very happy to come back to her old aunt.'
+
+"'Has she been to Paris again since?'
+
+"'No; but I don't think it's for lack of wanting to. You can imagine
+that she's kept something of the manners she learned from living with
+city folks: a way of acting, and little tricks of speech--Oh! she's no
+peasant now. Why, mamzelle sets the fashions here! When the other girls
+want to make themselves a cap, or an apron, or a neckerchief, they say:
+"I'll go and ask Mignonne if this will look well on me, and how to wear
+it."--And it's Mignonne here, and Mignonne there! Why, you'd think she
+was an oracle, nothing more or less! When Mignonne says: "You mustn't
+wear that," or: "You mustn't walk on your toes like that," or: "You
+mustn't dance on that leg," you needn't be afraid they'll do it. And
+then, as Mamzelle Mignonne can read novels, she knows lots of stories
+and adventures, you see. So, when she's talking, the peasant girls
+prick up their ears, like my donkey does when he feels frisky. Why,
+those Dargenettes are as proud as peacocks because Mignonne agreed to go
+to Fontenay-aux-Roses with them!'
+
+"'But what does the girl do here, as she doesn't work in the fields?'
+
+"'_Dame!_ she makes over dresses, and makes caps for the other girls;
+she's the town milliner, but her poor aunt has only just enough for the
+two of 'em. And what I can't forgive the girl for is refusing Claude
+Flaquart, a good match for her, who was willing to marry her, for all
+she didn't have a sou. Claude Flaquart was mad over her. You see, she's
+a pretty little thing--and then, her affected ways are sure to turn a
+fool's head.'
+
+"'You say she refused him?'
+
+"'Yes, monsieur! Think of refusing a man who owns a field and a
+vineyard, three cows, two calves, rabbits, and geese! What in God's name
+does she want, anyway? a lord? a potentate?'
+
+"'What reason did she give for refusing such a fine match?'
+
+"'Reasons! a lot she cared for reasons! She didn't like him; that's all
+the reason she gave! She said he was a lout, and that he was lame. As if
+a man with cows and calves could walk crooked!'
+
+"'Didn't her aunt scold her?'
+
+"'Her aunt's too good-natured--too big a fool, I should say. Claude
+Flaquart had his revenge: he married another girl, a head taller than
+Mignonne, and he did well. That's what comes o' sending girls to Paris,
+when they haven't got any money to set themselves up in business there.
+Mignonne will make a fool of herself with some fine young buck from
+Paris--I'd stake my head on it! and by and by she'll be sighing for
+Claude Flaquart's cottage.'
+
+"'I am delighted to have bought some of your gingerbread, Mere Giroux;
+it's very fine. When I come to Sceaux again, you will certainly see me.'
+
+"'You're very good, monsieur; so now you're one of my customers; that
+adds to my stock. You'd ought to buy some of this with citron, monsieur;
+you'd think you was eating oranges.'
+
+"'I'll save that for the next time.'
+
+"I knew enough. I bade her good-morning, and started for
+Fontenay-aux-Roses, which is only a quarter of a league from Sceaux."
+
+
+
+
+VII
+
+MADEMOISELLE MIGNONNE
+
+
+Monsieur Fouvenard paused to take breath, and drank a glass of
+champagne; while we waited for him to continue his narrative, which, I
+confess, interested me deeply. For some unknown reason, I trembled to
+think of that pretty little Mignonne yielding to the seductions of the
+narrator, who, in truth, did not seem to me particularly seductive. But
+I am not a woman, and it is possible that that Capuchin beard possessed
+a fascination which I cannot understand.
+
+"I soon reached Fontenay," he continued; "I had only to follow the crowd
+of people headed for the fete. Once there, I said to myself: 'I shall be
+very unlucky if I don't find Mignonne.'
+
+"I had been strolling about for some time in front of the improvised
+stalls on a sort of square, when I discovered my three damsels, still
+arm in arm, halting in front of all the curiosities, games, and open-air
+shows, and giving full vent to the natural merriment of their age,
+intensified by Mignonne's satirical comments.
+
+"Most of the young men bowed to them and made some jocose remark,
+generally vulgar and indecent, as the custom is among the country folk,
+whose innocence has always seemed to me largely apocryphal. The two
+Dargenettes replied in the same tone; but when Mignonne said anything,
+the young men did not retort; they sneaked away shamefaced, and I heard
+them more than once say to one another:
+
+"'Oh! when Mamzelle Mignonne puts her oar in, I ain't smart enough to
+answer her back; she's too sharp, she is! Anyone can see that she's
+lived in Paris.'
+
+"I approached the three friends and stopped at the stalls and shows at
+which they stopped. Mignonne noticed me, and I fancied that she blushed.
+One of the Dargenettes looked at me and said:
+
+"'Look! there's that fellow that was eating Mere Giroux's gingerbread.
+It looks funny for a Paris gentleman, with a beard, to eat gingerbread
+like that.'
+
+"I saw Mignonne nudge the speaker. Probably she told her to keep quiet,
+for I heard nothing more.
+
+"I tried to exchange a word or two with them, but they pretended not to
+hear me, and made no reply. However, I saw that they whispered together,
+and from time to time looked covertly to see if I was still there. At
+last they came to a halt where the dancing was in progress. I was
+waiting for that. Dancing is not exactly my favorite pastime; but when
+it's a question of seducing somebody's daughter, then I become a
+fearless dancer. As for young women, almost all of them love dancing;
+indeed, there are some in whom the taste amounts to a passion; but if
+they had to dance without men, you may be sure that their love for
+dancing would soon vanish. Whence I conclude that the actual pleasure of
+capering is a secondary matter. But dancing gives an opportunity to show
+one's grace and lightness of foot, to play the flirt, to listen to soft
+speeches, often to passionate avowals, accompanied by a pressure of the
+hand, before the nose of a jealous spectator, who sees nothing, because
+it's a part of the figure!--Is it surprising, then, that almost all
+women have an inborn passion for the dance?
+
+"I made haste to engage Mademoiselle Mignonne for a contra-dance; for
+the polka has not yet descended upon village fetes. She accepted my
+invitation with a well-satisfied air. I at once took her hand, and,
+leaving her friends, led her away to our places. I say again that
+nothing better for lovers, _in esse_ or _in futuro_, has ever been
+invented. I very soon entered into conversation with my partner. I was
+careful not to go too fast, and not to begin, like an idiot, by telling
+her that I adored her; she would have laughed in my face. But I did not
+conceal my amazement at her manner, her bearing, her language; I told
+her that it could not be that she was born in a village. Thereupon she
+told me what I already knew; but I pretended that I heard it for the
+first time. I did not squeeze her hand, but I manifested the deepest
+interest in her, and engaged her for the next contra-dance. At first,
+she made some objections; but I persisted, and she accepted. I saw
+plainly enough that it flattered her to dance with a gentleman from the
+city.
+
+"When we joined her companions, who had also been dancing, they were
+drenched with perspiration and their cheeks were purple; but their
+partners had left them without offering them any refreshment. I made
+haste to call a waiter who was selling beer or wine, the only
+refreshments to be found at open-air fetes.--Oh, yes! there are also
+vendors of cocoa.--The beer being brought, the two Dargenettes did not
+wait to be asked twice, and Mignonne saw that it would be useless to
+stand on ceremony.
+
+"Thus I found myself one of their party. But I behaved with a restraint
+and reserve which would have edified Monsieur Faisande. During the
+second contra-dance, Mademoiselle Mignonne talked even more freely; and
+I saw that, while she had brought back from Paris the pretty manners and
+the more refined language which gave her such a great advantage over the
+village girls, she had retained the candor and artlessness which we do
+not find in city maidens, even in those who have been reared most
+strictly. Mignonne was a strange mixture of innocence and knowledge, of
+frankness and coquetry, of simplicity and passion. Her stay in Paris,
+the people she had seen there, the reading with which she had tired her
+memory, had given her a feeling of distaste for the country, although
+her mind and her heart still retained all the primitive freshness of a
+virgin nature.--Agree, messieurs, that that child was a charming
+conquest to contemplate."
+
+"Faith! there was no great merit in the conquest!" cried Balloquet. "The
+girl wouldn't have a peasant, so she was sure to fall into the first
+snare laid for her by a man from the city; and then, your beard must
+have helped you considerably in triumphing over Mademoiselle Mignonne."
+
+"Why so?"
+
+"Because it partly hides your face."
+
+Fouvenard shrugged his shoulders, threw a bread ball at Balloquet, and
+resumed his narrative.
+
+"After the second contra-dance, Mignonne said that she wanted to walk
+about. I asked leave to accompany them, and I had been so polite that
+they could not refuse me. Indeed, I think that they were not anxious to
+do so; the Dargenettes, because they liked to be treated; and Mignonne,
+because she was flattered to have a young Parisian for her escort.
+
+"She declined to take my arm; but I walked beside her, as she was no
+longer between her friends. I paid for their admission to all the shows
+under canvas, of the sort that are always found at an out-of-doors fete.
+Mignonne tried to refuse at first, but the two peasants hurried into the
+strolling theatre, and the pretty blonde had to follow them in order not
+to be left alone with me.
+
+"Toward the end of the evening, we were like old acquaintances. I had
+treated them to everything obtainable, and I had even danced with
+Mignonne's friends.
+
+"We left the fete together. It was dark, and they accepted my arm. I had
+Mignonne on one side, and one of the peasants on the other; the second
+had her sister's arm, so that we walked four abreast. Country people
+delight in that, and it reminded me unpleasantly of Sunday strollers in
+Paris. I would have preferred to walk alone with Mignonne, but it was
+impossible.
+
+"It seemed to me a very short walk, notwithstanding the fact that the
+Dargenettes sang all the way, and sang horribly false, murdering every
+air they tried. But Mignonne did not sing, and I began to press
+affectionately the arm that lay in mine.
+
+"Chance willed that we reached the peasants' house before Mignonne's.
+They said good-night, and kissed one another laughingly. I heard them
+whispering, and could make out that I was the subject. The Dargenettes
+said: 'You have made a conquest of the bearded man! Look out he don't
+kidnap you!' and other witticisms of the same sort."
+
+
+
+
+VIII
+
+AN EXPEDIENT
+
+
+"At last I was alone with that pretty girl. I need not tell you,
+messieurs, that I became loving, eloquent, urgent. Mademoiselle Mignonne
+laughed at everything I said; but it pleased her. As a general rule,
+when that sort of thing doesn't please a woman, she doesn't listen to
+the man who tries it on. As soon as we are listened to, we can be sure
+of triumphing. I requested an assignation. She refused; but I declared
+that I would come to Sceaux every day; to which she replied that she
+could not prevent my meeting her.
+
+"To make a long story short, messieurs, I met Mignonne the next day, and
+the next, and every day that week. I spent a good deal in railroad
+fares; but one must be willing to sow if he would reap.
+
+"After ten or twelve days, I had completely turned the girl's head, and
+I persuaded her to go with me to Paris, where I promised her a brilliant
+existence, pleasure by the wholesale, and, above all, a never-ending
+love. Mademoiselle Mignonne set great store by that, I assure you. She
+was a romantic maiden. But it costs us men nothing to promise, you
+know! I am not sure, indeed, that I didn't mention marriage; but I think
+not.
+
+"It all resulted in a little fifth-floor room, under the eaves, in a
+house on Rue de Menilmontant. I furnished it with whatever was
+necessary, nothing more, and covered the walls with paper at twelve sous
+the roll. I must confess that my love was not exacting; she desired
+neither a palace, nor a cashmere shawl, nor a carriage; my
+presence--that was all that was necessary to satisfy her.
+
+"That state of affairs lasted for several months. At the end of that
+time, I would have been very glad to be rid of my conquest; I had had
+enough of her. If she had been sensible, I would have said to her,
+frankly:
+
+"'My dear girl, I did love you, but I don't love you any more. It was
+sure to come, sooner or later; liaisons like ours never last very long;
+it's all the same, whether we make an end of it now, or six months
+hence. Make another acquaintance, or return to Sceaux, as you please;
+for my part, I have the honor to bid you good-day.'
+
+"But, as I said, I had to do with a young woman who had never thoroughly
+understood Paris and the Parisians, but who had seen them through a
+miraculous prism. Moreover, she proved to have a strength of character
+which astonished me. She had honestly believed that I would never leave
+her. You will say, perhaps, that it was in my power to cease going to
+see her; but, unluckily, at the beginning of our liaison, I had been
+idiotic enough to take her to my lodgings, and to show her the shop in
+which I am a partner; so if I had let a day or two pass without seeing
+her, what would have happened? Why, she would have come after me, either
+at my lodgings or at my shop; and that would have led to a very annoying
+scene, especially as my partner is almost as ridiculous as Monsieur
+Faisande, and believes me to be a perfect Cato.
+
+"So there was nothing for me to do but break with my girl in such a way
+as effectually to take away the desire to hunt me up in my own quarters.
+A confidential disclosure which she made to me intensified my longing to
+put an end to the connection: she informed me that she bore a pledge of
+our love. Fancy me with a woman and child on my hands!--Damnation,
+messieurs! put yourselves in my place."
+
+Monsieur Fouvenard paused to look at us all. But no one answered; and he
+continued, evidently surprised by the profound silence and the almost
+stern expression of his hearers:
+
+"So I looked about for an opportunity to break with her; what I needed
+was a tempestuous, violent scene, for a German quarrel would not have
+sufficed to part us.--I had then and still have a friend, a fellow who
+is very enterprising with the fair sex, and almost as fascinating as
+myself. That is saying a good deal, perhaps, but it's true. You must
+have heard of him: his name is Rambertin, and he is a commercial
+traveller who has left Ariadnes in all the places he ever visited. I had
+met him several times, in the early days of my liaison with Mignonne,
+when I took my love to Mabille or the Chateau-Rouge. He had found the
+young lady of Sceaux much to his taste. One day, meeting me when I was
+alone and rather depressed, he asked me what I had done with my
+_blondinette_.
+
+"'Parbleu!' said I; 'I would to God I had nothing more to do with her!
+If you could rid me of her, you would do me a very great favor.'
+
+"'Are you speaking seriously?' cried Rambertin.
+
+"'Most seriously.'
+
+"'Then it's a bargain.'
+
+"'But you don't know that Mignonne adores me; what you must do is to
+arrange matters so that I can break with her.'
+
+"Rambertin began to laugh and rub his hands.
+
+"'It seems to me,' he said, 'that I've a longer head than you; for when
+it's a matter of breaking off a liaison, I can always think of ten ways
+to do it. Of course, you go to see your fair whenever you choose; and
+you probably have a key to her room, so that you can go in when she's in
+bed?'
+
+"'That is true.'
+
+"'Give me your key. To-morrow I will have one like it, and the thing
+will go of itself.'
+
+"The next day, Rambertin had a key like the one I had loaned him, which
+he returned to me, saying:
+
+"'I know where the lady lives. It's a house where there's a concierge
+with five cats; but I am about your size, I'll cover my face with my
+cloak, and this very night I'll sleep in Mignonne's room. I fancy that
+she sleeps without a light. I will act so cautiously that she will not
+suspect that another man is occupying your place. You must come there
+early to-morrow morning; you have your key, so you can come in and
+surprise me reposing beside your charmer. I should say that you would
+have the right to lose your head then, call her a faithless hussy, and
+drop her.'
+
+"I considered it a magnificent plan, and it was put in execution.
+Rambertin is audacious beyond description. Everything succeeded as we
+hoped. I went to Mignonne's room very early the next morning. She was
+still asleep beside my substitute, suspecting nothing. And Rambertin too
+pretended to be asleep. But I was no sooner in the room than I made a
+great outcry. I called Mignonne faithless, perjured--Oh! messieurs, if
+you could have seen the girl's amazement and horror! I assure you, it
+was an intensely dramatic picture. She declared that she was not guilty,
+that she was the victim of a detestable piece of treachery. She tried to
+throw herself at my feet, to force me to listen to her. But as I was not
+at all anxious that she should justify herself, I left the room,
+shouting that all was over between us.
+
+"I confess that I was afraid that Mignonne would try to see me again,
+that she would waylay me somewhere, to try again to convince me of her
+innocence; but several days passed, and I heard nothing of her. At last,
+I met Rambertin.
+
+"'Well,' I said, 'the _blondinette_ seems to have been consoled very
+quickly; you couldn't have had much difficulty in making her listen to
+reason.'
+
+"'You're devilishly mistaken,' he replied; 'on the contrary, your
+Mignonne is a young woman who refuses to be tamed. At first, being
+persuaded that you believed her guilty, she was determined to go after
+you, to dog your steps and compel you to listen to her. Faith! my dear
+fellow, when I saw how it was, I just simply confessed our little scheme
+to bring about a rupture between you two. The effect of that confession
+was most extraordinary. At first, the girl refused to believe me, but I
+proved to her that I was telling the truth: I had a little note from
+you, telling me at what cafe I could find you, to return the key of
+Mignonne's room. I showed her that note, and she could have no further
+doubt. She said just this: "The infamous villain!" Not another word
+about going after you. "Now," says I to myself, "she's at odds with him
+for good and all; I must try to obtain my pardon." And I tried to make
+her understand that I had loved her for a long while, and that only the
+intensity of my passion could have induced me to second you in that
+affair. But Mademoiselle Mignonne, without deigning to reply to my
+entreaties, pointed to the door and said:
+
+"'"Leave this room, monsieur, and never let me see your face again, or I
+will go to the magistrate and tell him of your shameful conduct."
+
+"'I tried in vain to make her understand that the night we had passed
+together gave me some rights over her; the fair Mignonne was immovable.
+I tried to steal a kiss; she shrieked so loud that the neighbors came to
+their windows. And so, faith! I went away; but let her do what she will,
+I'll bide my time, I'll seize the first favorable opportunity, and we
+won't stop where we are!'
+
+"Such, messieurs, was Rambertin's story, and that is how I broke off my
+liaison with the damsel of Sceaux. Don't you think the method I resorted
+to was very ingenious? I'll wager that you'll bear it in mind, in order
+to make use of it on occasion!"
+
+Monsieur Fouvenard looked at us, one after another, as if he expected
+compliments and congratulations; but, on the contrary, nobody spoke, and
+almost every face had assumed a serious expression. Indeed, there were
+some faces on which he seemed to detect something more than mere
+seriousness; for, I am happy to say, his narrative found no sympathy
+among us.
+
+As for myself, I had always felt a sort of repulsion for that young man,
+a repulsion of the sort that one cannot describe, but that one often
+feels for a certain person. At that moment, I was gratified to think
+that I had always disliked a man capable of such dastardly, vile
+behavior as he boasted of in connection with that poor girl from Sceaux.
+The portrait he had drawn of Mignonne interested and touched me; and it
+seemed to me that I should like to know her, and to avenge her for the
+infamous way in which she had been victimized.
+
+Dupreval, who had observed the unpleasant impression produced by the
+bearded man's tale, and who, presumably, was not proud of having that
+individual for his guest, was the first to speak.
+
+"It has taken you a long while, Fouvenard," he said, in an almost harsh
+tone, "to compose the anecdote you have just told us; but, frankly, you
+would have done as well to keep silent instead of regaling us with that
+tale of seduction, the denouement of which may be worthy of the Regency,
+but is not at all suited to our code of morals; for nowadays, when a man
+desires to leave a mistress, it is no longer necessary to degrade her,
+to throw her into his friend's arms. Those are old-fashioned methods,
+which you have read about in some old memoirs of Cardinal Dubois's time;
+but, I say again, you were not happy in your choice of events."
+
+"What's that! old-fashioned methods!" cried Fouvenard, running his hands
+through his hair--a favorite gesture of his, especially when he desired
+to be impressive, to produce an effect; and it did, in fact, make him a
+few lines taller by making his hair stand up for the moment. "I have
+invented nothing, messieurs. I have told the story exactly as it
+happened. Anyone who doubts it has only to call on Mademoiselle
+Mignonne, No. 80, Rue de Menilmontant,--that is, if she still lives
+there,--and it is probable that she will give him a mass of details
+concerning her perfidious Ernest, which I have forgotten. Ernest is my
+Christian name, messieurs, and that is what she always called me. It is
+possible that my story shocks you; but, at all events, it's all one to
+me. I snap my fingers at your displeasure! You make me laugh, with your
+long, solemn faces! I take reproofs from no one; the man who chooses to
+administer one has only to speak--I am ready to answer him."
+
+"Oh! messieurs! pray beware!" cried Balloquet, with a laugh. "I warn you
+that Fouvenard is extremely quarrelsome in his cups. Three or four more
+glasses of champagne, and he's just the boy to defy us all!"
+
+"I beg you not to make fun of me, Balloquet."
+
+"Ah! the boar is bristling up."
+
+"Monsieur," said I, irritated by Fouvenard's tone and manner, "if you
+pride yourself on your adventure with this village girl of Sceaux, I
+fancy that we, on our side, are at liberty to condemn it. It is quite
+possible that that makes no difference to you. For my own part, I
+declare that I have deceived many women, but I would never have resorted
+to such methods as yours to break with them."
+
+"Parbleu! monsieur, perhaps you don't need to take much trouble to
+induce your mistresses to leave you."
+
+"Frankly, I should prefer that to your expedients; the man who is
+deceived is often more interesting than the deceiver."
+
+"And you have often been in that interesting position?"
+
+Dupreval put an end to our dispute by rising.
+
+"Messieurs," he said, "I beg you once more to receive my farewell
+greeting as a bachelor."
+
+We all rose to shake hands with our host. I observed then that Dumouton
+took the longest road, for he made the circuit of the table. But he had
+long had his eye on some superb pears which had not been touched; and,
+as he passed them, he seized two, which he succeeded, not without
+difficulty, in stuffing into his pockets, thereby producing the effect
+of two miniature balloons on his hips; and as they raised the skirts of
+his coat, they disclosed the fact that the seat of his trousers was of a
+different color from the front.
+
+We said good-night, took our hats, and prepared to leave the restaurant.
+But the music was still in progress, playing a captivating waltz, which
+was like an invitation to ask a lady to dance.
+
+
+
+
+IX
+
+THE WEDDING PARTY IN THE FRONT ROOMS
+
+
+Balloquet and I were the last to leave the room in which we had dined;
+and, as we took our hats, we glanced at each other, beating time to the
+music, and I verily believe we were on the point of waltzing together,
+when the strains of a polka, nearer at hand, chimed in discordantly with
+the other music.
+
+"Oho! there are several balls here, are there?" Balloquet asked a
+waiter, who was looking at us and smiling.
+
+"Yes, messieurs; there are two wedding parties: one right below us, on
+the first floor, and another on the same floor, but in the salons at the
+rear."
+
+"Ah! so there's a wedding going on in the rear, too?"
+
+"To be sure, monsieur."
+
+"What time is it now?"
+
+"Half-past eleven, monsieur."
+
+"The wedding parties should be at their height. Are there many guests?"
+
+"A great many, monsieur. They are hardly able to dance, they're so
+crowded."
+
+"Which is the more brilliant party?"
+
+"They're both pretty fine, monsieur. But the one in front rather beats
+the other. It's a sweller affair."
+
+"I understand. The one in the rear is more free and easy. They're
+probably dancing the cancan there. Sapristi! and it's only midnight! The
+idea of going to bed, when other people are going to pass the night
+enjoying themselves! when you can hear a lusty orchestra playing tunes
+that make your legs itch! Do you like the idea, Rochebrune? Don't you
+feel tempted, as I do, to go to one of these balls downstairs, where
+they're tripping the light fantastic?"
+
+"I do, indeed! I would go with all my heart. This music makes me dance
+all over."
+
+"Do you want to bet that I won't go to one of these balls?"
+
+"Do you mean it? You would have the face to do it, when you don't know
+anyone?"
+
+"Why not? I'll show you what a simple thing it would be. There are two
+balls. I go to one. If by chance some ill-bred wight sees fit to ask me
+who I am, whom I know, why, I have my answer all pat: 'I was invited to
+the other party, on the same floor; I made a mistake, that's all.'"
+
+"Upon my word, that would be an excuse. You make me want to do the same
+thing."
+
+"Bravo! It's decided: we will both go to the ball. And then, you see, we
+know so many people! it would be deuced strange if we didn't see some
+familiar face in a large party. Then we will just say in an undertone:
+'You brought me here;' and our acquaintance will ask nothing better than
+to be our sponsor. Besides, we will dance, and dancing men are always
+scarce at balls; sooner or later, it will be the fashion to hire them.
+They'll be only too glad to have us. Come, which one do you choose; it's
+all one to me."
+
+"And to me, too."
+
+"Well, I'm a good fellow: the ball in front is more stylish; I'll let
+you have that one, and I'll take the one behind. Especially, as I feel
+in the mood for dancing a cancan, if it's a bit _chicardini_. Does that
+suit you?"
+
+"Perfectly."
+
+"We're in patent-leathers and have new gloves. It couldn't be
+better.--Waiter, just whisk your napkin over our boots. That's right;
+now we're as refulgent as suns; patent-leather boots are a blessed
+invention.--Forward! I may be mistaken, but I have an idea that I shall
+make a good thing out of this ball; and you?"
+
+"I haven't so much assurance as you. But, deuce take it! after all,
+we're not people without hearth or home. And, as you say, we might
+easily make a mistake in the party. Come on!"
+
+"That's the talk: forward, to the cannon's mouth!"
+
+We went down one flight; Balloquet humming and hopping; I, slightly
+flustered, but none the less determined to enjoy myself. We reached the
+landing between the two balls; we heard both orchestras.
+
+"Good luck!" said Balloquet; and he entered the door at the right, while
+I turned to the left.
+
+I entered the room where they were dancing. A quadrille was just
+beginning.
+
+"A fourth couple here! we want a vis-a-vis!" called a gentleman close
+beside me.--Then he looked at me and said: "Won't you be our
+vis-a-vis?"
+
+"Gladly," I replied; and glancing about, I saw a lady sitting alone on a
+bench. I hastened to invite her to dance. She accepted. We took our
+places opposite the gentleman who had no vis-a-vis; the music began and
+we did the same; and, lo! I was dancing already before I had had time to
+look about me and become acquainted with the company into which I had so
+audaciously thrust myself.
+
+But a man who is dancing never has a suspicious look; nobody observes
+him or pays any attention to him. It seemed to me that I had taken the
+best possible means to become acquainted with my surroundings.
+
+After the first figure, I began by examining my partner, whom I had
+chosen at random, so to speak.
+
+Chance had served me well. My partner was a very pretty brunette; her
+great blue eyes were at once tender and intelligent, and I deemed them
+to be capable of saying many things when they chose to take the trouble.
+A slightly aquiline nose, an attractive mouth, beautiful teeth, which
+she showed often because she laughed readily, black hair falling in long
+curls over her neck, a mode of dressing the hair which I have always
+liked--all these details formed a very seductive whole, and that is what
+I found in my partner, who was light of foot, slender, with a shapely
+figure, and graceful in every movement.
+
+Then I looked about. By the manners of the women, the costumes of the
+men, and the prevalent style of dancing, I saw that I had fallen upon a
+fashionable assemblage. There was not the slightest suggestion of the
+cancan; but, by way of compensation, there was a distinct odor of
+patchouli. I was not sure whether they were enjoying themselves much;
+but, at all events, they accepted boredom with infinite grace.
+
+I saw many ugly women; in a large party, it rarely happens that they
+are not in the majority. That being so, is it surprising that a pretty
+woman makes so many conquests? If nature created more of them, beauty
+would receive less adulation; but as it appears only at rare intervals,
+it attracts more notice.
+
+However, I saw some good-looking women; others who were rather
+attractive; others (and that too is common experience) who had no other
+attraction than their youth. But I looked in vain for anyone equal to my
+partner.
+
+I concluded to open a conversation with her; if, through her, I could
+obtain some information concerning the bride and groom, find out
+something as to my hosts, it would be of advantage to me in my
+embarrassing position.
+
+"I am very fortunate, madame, to have arrived just in time to find you
+unengaged. That must be a very rare occurrence, and chance favored me."
+
+"But you see, monsieur, I am in less demand than you seem to think; you
+had only to come forward. Have you just come, monsieur? I don't remember
+seeing you before."
+
+"Yes, madame, yes; I have not been here long."
+
+"What do you think of the bride? Very pretty, is she not?"
+
+I cast my eyes about me with an embarrassed air; I saw nobody who looked
+like a bride. My partner, who noticed my hesitation no doubt, continued:
+
+"Can it be that you haven't seen her yet?"
+
+"Faith! I have not, madame; I have just come, and I have had no time yet
+to look for her."
+
+"Look! there she is over yonder, by the orchestra."
+
+I saw a young woman in the conventional costume, with white bouquet and
+orange blossoms.
+
+"Do you see her?"
+
+"Yes, madame. But why is she not dancing?"
+
+"Because that great lout of an Archibald trod on her foot just now, and
+nearly crushed it. What an awkward creature he is! Anna is obliged to
+rest through at least two quadrilles."
+
+I had learned that the bride's name was Anna. That was something.
+
+"Poor Adolphe was in despair. He wanted to fight Monsieur Archibald."
+
+Adolphe--that must be the groom's name.
+
+"I can well understand that," I hastened to reply. "If I had been in
+Adolphe's place, I would have been furious, too; for, you know, on the
+wedding day----"
+
+"He's so fond of his cousin! But, after all, he could hardly pick a
+quarrel with the bride's brother."
+
+The deuce! I was on the point of putting my foot in it.
+Cousin--brother--I didn't know where I was. So Adolphe was not the
+groom. I was treading on very slippery ground, and had to look carefully
+to my steps.
+
+My partner, who was fond of talking, soon began again.
+
+"As for Monsieur Dablemar, I fancy that he cares very little about it.
+You know the kind of man he is?"
+
+That question embarrassed me sadly. I wondered who Monsieur Dablemar
+could be, and I answered, by way of subterfuge:
+
+"Oh! to be sure; Monsieur--Dablemar probably does care very little about
+it. That is just what I was thinking, especially, knowing him--as I know
+him."
+
+"Are you very intimate with him, monsieur?"
+
+"Very intimate--why, not precisely, madame--but enough so--to have
+a--decided opinion about him."
+
+"Do you think that he will make her happy, monsieur?"
+
+"Whom, madame?"
+
+My pretty partner stared at me in amazement as she exclaimed:
+
+"What do you say? whom? Why, his wife, our dear Anna!"
+
+So Monsieur Dablemar was the bridegroom; there was no longer any doubt.
+
+"Oh! I beg your pardon, madame," I hastily replied. "I meant to say that
+she will be happy, madame, very happy. At least, that is my honest
+opinion."
+
+"I love to think that you are not mistaken. I knew Anna at boarding
+school; I know that she has an excellent disposition; and a husband must
+needs be very uncongenial to induce her ever to complain of her lot. But
+still, to speak frankly, the other one was prettier."
+
+Once more I was beyond my depth. Who was this other one of whom she was
+speaking? I turned and looked in another direction; but my partner stuck
+to the point.
+
+"And yet," she continued, "they say that he did not love her, that he
+neglected her sadly. You must have known her, monsieur, being a friend
+of Monsieur Dablemar?"
+
+"Known whom, madame?"
+
+This time my partner looked at me in a very singular way; I was
+convinced that she believed that she had fallen in with a lunatic. She
+simply said, with a smile:
+
+"You are absent-minded, aren't you, monsieur?"
+
+"It should not be possible with you, madame."
+
+This compliment changed the current of my pretty brunette's thoughts,
+and fully restored her amiability.--Oh! flattery! It is like
+calumny--some trace of it always remains.
+
+"Your gallantry, monsieur, cannot prevent my thinking that you are
+absent-minded. Still, you may have reasons for not choosing to answer
+the questions I asked you."
+
+"Well, madame, it is true, I have reasons--very strong ones, indeed."
+
+"I understand."
+
+Sapristi! she was very lucky to understand; for my part, I confess that
+that conversation made me much more uncomfortable than I had
+anticipated; for I was most anxious not to appear a lunatic in the eyes
+of that partner of mine, who seemed prettier to me every minute. There
+are people who gain by being looked at, at close range; they are not
+numerous, but my partner was one of them. And I was terribly afraid that
+my incoherent replies would give her a very contemptuous opinion of me.
+
+"There goes Monsieur Archibald," she continued, after a moment, "trying
+to crush somebody else's foot; the way he capers about is perfectly
+horrible; I will never dance near him."
+
+I did not know where she saw Monsieur Archibald, so I smiled without
+raising my eyes.
+
+"Of course, you know the lady he is dancing with at this moment?"
+
+"No, madame, no; I don't know her."
+
+"But you haven't looked in their direction."
+
+"I beg your pardon."
+
+"Ha! ha! ha!"
+
+My partner indulged in a burst of merriment which worried me. When she
+had ceased to laugh, she said:
+
+"Mon Dieu! monsieur, pray excuse me; it is very foolish of me to laugh
+so."
+
+"Why, madame? laughing is most becoming to you."
+
+"But such a strange idea passed through my head, that I couldn't
+possibly keep a serious face."
+
+"If you would tell me your idea--I should be very happy to be taken for
+your confidant."
+
+"Oh! I should never dare; for it was you yourself, monsieur, who made me
+want to laugh."
+
+"So much the better, madame; I am delighted."
+
+"Look you: for some reason or other, you seem to me to be very much
+preoccupied by something."
+
+"Since I have had the pleasure of dancing with you, madame, there would
+be nothing surprising in that."
+
+"Oh! monsieur, you are very gallant, I see; but allow me to remark that
+your preoccupation has no sort of connection with me!"
+
+"Do you think so, madame?"
+
+"What do you suppose just came into my head?"
+
+"I can't imagine; but if you would deign to tell me----"
+
+"You will think me very childish.--Ha! ha! ha!"
+
+"Well, madame?"
+
+"Well, monsieur, I imagined that you had forgotten your handkerchief!"
+
+I could not help laughing with her. Oho! so I had the aspect of a person
+who had forgotten his handkerchief. In truth, a man who is without that
+useful article is apt to have an anxious, unhappy look; yes, my partner
+had thought of something perfectly consistent with the contortions I
+must have been guilty of while she was talking to me. But, to prove to
+her that she was mistaken, I drew my handkerchief and blew my nose,
+although I had no desire to do so.
+
+My partner made a charming little grimace, and said:
+
+"I trust, monsieur, that you will not bear me a grudge for that jest?"
+
+"Far from it, madame; indeed, it proves to me that you are a skilful
+reader of countenances."
+
+"Ah! monsieur, that is very unkind of you!"
+
+"No, madame, for you guessed that I was much preoccupied, and you were
+not mistaken; but the cause is much more serious than you supposed."
+
+"Really? And will you tell me what it is?--that is to say, if I am not
+impertinent to ask you."
+
+"Oh! I should be very glad to confide it to you; but I dare not."
+
+"Why not, pray?"
+
+"Because I am afraid that you would blame me; and I should be so sorry
+to incur your displeasure."
+
+"Make haste; the quadrille is almost over!"
+
+"It is--it isn't an easy thing to tell.--Do you waltz, madame?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur."
+
+"May I have the first waltz?"
+
+"I am engaged."
+
+"Oh! what luck! If you knew, madame, what a position I am in!"
+
+"Would you have told me your secret while we were waltzing?"
+
+"Certainly."
+
+"You will think that women are very inquisitive, but I accept. I was
+engaged by a young man whom I don't know; I'll tell him that I made a
+mistake and that he may have another one."
+
+"Ah! you are extremely kind, madame!"
+
+The quadrille came to an end, and I escorted my partner to the bench
+from which I had taken her. The thing for me to do now was to show a
+bold front in the midst of that assemblage. In vain did I look about in
+all directions, I did not see a familiar face. The company appeared to
+be quite select. It was not one of those wedding parties where the
+guests shriek and make a great noise in order to persuade themselves
+that they are merry; the men strolled quietly through the rooms, or
+chatted with the ladies, without any of the shouts of laughter and
+violent gesticulations which sometimes give to a large party the
+appearance of a tempestuous sea. The deuce! I found that my presence had
+been remarked. I met the eye of a stout young man, who had already
+passed me twice and scrutinized me closely. I felt ill at ease; the
+self-assurance born of the hearty dinner and the wine I had drunk had
+already abandoned me; my conversation with my partner, having aroused a
+most ardent desire to form a more intimate acquaintance with that lady,
+had instantly dissipated the exhilaration that had led me to commit that
+signal folly. I was beginning to reflect now, and it must have given me
+an extremely foolish aspect.--Suddenly I saw that a gentleman had
+stopped beside me and had taken his snuffbox from his pocket. He had one
+of those faces which resemble the turkey rather than the eagle; a face
+which might perhaps have been venerable, but for an enormous nose which
+covered a great part of it. If I could enter into conversation with him,
+it seemed to me that I should cut a less awkward figure.
+
+
+
+
+X
+
+A PINCH OF SNUFF.--A FAMILY TABLEAU
+
+
+I stepped toward him, and, although I never take snuff, I put out my
+hand in the direction of his snuffbox, saying:
+
+"With your permission?"
+
+The gentleman was just closing the box, but he hastened to reopen it,
+and said to me with an expression to which he tried to impart much
+significance:
+
+"Just try that, and tell me what you think of it."
+
+I saw that he attached great importance to the quality of his snuff.
+Indeed, when one has a nose of such dimensions, it is natural enough to
+give much thought to the question of snuff. I took an enormous pinch,
+and resigned myself to the necessity of inhaling it with all my force.
+The snuff caught in my nose and throat and eyes all at once. I choked
+and sneezed, but I tried to dissemble my inexperience and to appear well
+pleased.
+
+My friend shook his head knowingly, as he asked:
+
+"Well! what do you think of it?"
+
+"Excellent! delicious! I have never taken any so good."
+
+"Parbleu! I believe you. Do you recognize it?"
+
+"No, frankly, I do not. But, perhaps, by trying to--wait a moment."
+
+I did what I could to prolong the conversation, for I was determined not
+to part with my interlocutor until the orchestra played the first
+measure of the waltz. Unluckily, I was not well posted on the subject of
+snuff.
+
+"It's of no use for you to think," continued the man with the snuffbox.
+"It's a mixture that I make myself. There's _robillard_ in it, and
+Belgian, and caporal."
+
+"Ah! I thought there was some caporal. I recognized that."
+
+"There's very little of it. When I have mixed them in just the right
+proportions, I add two or three drops, no more, of _eau de melisse_."
+
+"Ah! that's what it is; I said to myself: 'It seems to me that I
+recognize that taste.'"
+
+"The taste is barely perceptible; but it lessens the strength of the
+_robillard_, which makes people sick sometimes."
+
+"_Fichtre!_ _robillard_ is quite capable of it, especially on an empty
+stomach. I have known people, who--but, after all, it depends on whether
+you're used to it."
+
+At that moment, I cut such an idiotic figure in my own eyes that I was
+tempted to laugh in my own face. Luckily, I had to do with a party who
+seemed to be of about the same calibre.
+
+"Monsieur," he said, as he closed his snuffbox, "this is the result of
+protracted study; and yet, I never studied chemistry!"
+
+"You astound me! I would have sworn that you were a chemist, simply on
+the strength of your snuff."
+
+"That is what many people have said; but I ought to tell you that I have
+taken snuff ever since I was thirteen years of age."
+
+"You are quite capable of it!"
+
+"It was prescribed for a disease of the eyes--which, by the way, it
+didn't cure. I tried to make Anna take it for an ear trouble she had at
+seven years of age; but I couldn't do it. You can't imagine, monsieur,
+all of that child's devices to avoid taking snuff. In the first place,
+she used to hide my snuffbox, and more than once she threw it out of the
+window; then she filled it with very--unpleasant things; I prefer not to
+say what they were, but she spoiled my snuff, and she tried to disgust
+me with it. Ah! what a mischievous little witch! Who would believe it
+now, eh?"
+
+I made no reply, for his mention of Anna reminded me that my partner had
+called the bride by that name. Was I conversing with some near relation
+of the newly married pair? The thought disturbed me, and I tried to lead
+the conversation back to the snuff. Once more I held out my hand,
+saying:
+
+"I wonder if I might venture to ask for another pinch--it's so very
+good! And now that I know what it's made of, I shall relish it better."
+
+My gentleman solemnly took his snuffbox from his pocket, and was about
+to open it, when a girl of fourteen or fifteen years, and very ugly, ran
+up to him, crying:
+
+"Uncle Guillardin, you mustn't forget that you're going to dance with me
+first; I want to dance, I do, and I've missed three already."
+
+"Yes, yes, don't worry, Joliette; I'll dance with you, as I promised."
+
+"The next one?"
+
+"Yes, the next one."
+
+"Cousin Archibald invited me twice, too, and then he didn't come to get
+me; that was awfully mean of him. I told him I'd complain to you, and he
+said: 'Go and polk, and let me alone.' That was all the nastier of him,
+because he knows I can't polk."
+
+Monsieur Guillardin--I knew now my snuff taker's name--opened his box
+and offered it to me; and paying no further heed to the little girl,
+who remained by his side, he said:
+
+"One day, monsieur, when I had persisted longer than usual in trying to
+make Anna inhale a few grains, it occurred to her to blow into the box
+with all her might just as I handed it to her. You can imagine the
+result: the snuff filled my eyes--she had taken the precaution to close
+her own; I suffered horribly, and for two whole days I couldn't see. But
+after that, I ceased trying to give her snuff--Take a pinch."
+
+I sacrificed myself a second time. I have no idea how I succeeded in
+inhaling it, but I know that my eyes smarted and that I felt strongly
+inclined to weep.
+
+Mademoiselle Joliette, the inaptly named little girl, who had remained
+with us, roared with laughter.
+
+"I should think monsieur was trying to be like you, uncle, when Cousin
+Anna blew into the snuffbox," she said.
+
+"What! are you still here, Joliette? Go back to my daughter, for you are
+maid of honor, you know, and your station is beside the bride."
+
+But Mademoiselle Joliette began to smile in a singular fashion, which
+raised her eyebrows--they were naturally too high--and gave to her face
+the effect of a mask. Her eyes were fixed upon me; she apparently had
+something to say, and dared not say it; my presence seemed to embarrass
+her. For my part, being by that time perfectly sure that the individual
+with the huge nose was the bride's father, I deeply regretted having
+addressed him, and I looked every minute in the direction of the
+orchestra, hoping to see the musicians take their instruments.
+
+Monsieur Guillardin seized the opportunity to fill his own nostrils with
+snuff; that operation took some time, for each of them must have held
+half an ounce; but suddenly Mademoiselle Joliette threw up her head and
+began:
+
+"Well, I don't care, uncle; I'm going to tell you why I am staying here.
+It's because Cousin Archibald, who was staring at monsieur, said to me
+just now: 'Joliette, go and ask father who that man is that he just gave
+a pinch of snuff to, and that he's talking to now. I don't know the man,
+and I don't think he's been here long. I want to find out who he is,
+because there are sharp fellows who sneak into wedding parties sometimes
+when they are not invited, so as to stuff themselves with cakes and
+ices. But I don't propose to have any such tricks played on us.'--That's
+what my cousin told me to ask you."
+
+Imagine my plight; imagine the figure I cut while that detestable little
+Joliette was saying all this. I am certain that I changed color several
+times. However, I took the boldest course; I forced myself to laugh, and
+to act as if I considered the question extremely amusing. When he saw me
+laugh, the venerable gentleman with the huge nose deemed it fitting to
+do the same, murmuring:
+
+"Ha! ha! That's a pretty good one! I recognize my son Archibald there.
+Oh! he's a hothead. Ha! ha! ha! why, if anyone should presume to join
+our party without an invitation, he'd annihilate him; he'd begin by
+jumping at his throat, like a bulldog. Ha! ha! it's very amusing! My
+dear love, just go and tell him that monsieur is--that monsieur's name
+is--that I am talking with----"
+
+Monsieur Guillardin looked at me as he uttered these incomplete
+sentences. He was just beginning to realize that he too did not know me,
+and he awaited my reply with his nostrils open wider than his eyes.
+
+I cannot describe my sensations; I felt huge drops of perspiration on my
+forehead, my mouth was parched. It was not stout Archibald's wrath that
+alarmed me; but to be treated as a suspicious character, as an intruder
+who had come there to get ices and punch! Ah! that thought drove me mad,
+and I realized all the impropriety of my conduct. I would have been glad
+to vanish through a trapdoor, like stage demons, and take the risk of
+breaking a bone or two in my descent.
+
+At that moment the orchestra gave the signal for the waltz.--O blessed
+music! never didst thou seem to me so sweet, so melodious, so alluring!
+I bowed to the bride's father, saying:
+
+"I beg your pardon, but I am engaged for this dance."
+
+And I fled toward the pretty brunette, who was my last hope, my anchor
+of safety. Probably my face betrayed a part of the torment and anguish
+that I had just experienced, for the lady rose quickly and put her arm
+about me. We began to waltz, and she at once opened the conversation.
+
+"What in heaven's name is the matter, monsieur? you seem much less
+cheerful than you were--and that secret that you were to confide to
+me----"
+
+"Oh! I am going to tell you everything, madame; I shall be too happy if
+you deign to be indulgent to me, and to understand that this is only an
+escapade, reprehensible no doubt, but undeserving of---- Mon Dieu! I
+don't know what I am saying."
+
+"Speak, I beg you; explain yourself."
+
+"Of course--I believe I am treading on your foot now."
+
+"That's of no consequence."
+
+"First of all, madame, I must tell you that my name is Charles
+Rochebrune, that I was born in Paris, of respectable parents; I can
+easily prove what I assert."
+
+"Great heaven! do you take me for an examining magistrate? Why do you
+tell me all this?"
+
+"So that you may know that I am not a mere vagrant. I had some fortune
+once, and I still have about eight thousand francs a year."
+
+"Does this mean that you desire to marry me, monsieur? It is my duty to
+warn you that I am married."
+
+"No, madame, no; I don't say all this as a prelude to asking your hand;
+but so that you may know that I am not a nobody, a vagabond."
+
+"Oh! I assure you, monsieur, that you haven't the look of one."
+
+"True; but looks are so deceitful that sometimes---- Mon Dieu! now I am
+out of step."
+
+"Never mind; pray finish."
+
+"Very well! understand, then, madame, that I dined at this restaurant
+to-day with a number of other persons, all men. The dinner was given by
+Dupreval, a solicitor, who is about to marry. We celebrated his farewell
+to bachelorhood and drank to his approaching marriage; which is
+equivalent to telling you, madame, that the champagne was not spared.
+The dinner was prolonged to a late hour; we heard the music of this ball
+and of the one in the rear--for there's another wedding party there."
+
+"I know it, monsieur. Well?"
+
+"We were just going away, another young man and myself, who were the
+last to leave our dining-room, when the music, the delicious waltz they
+were playing, gave birth to the most insane idea."
+
+"Ah! I believe I can guess."
+
+"A little enlivened by the champagne, seduced by the melodious music--in
+short, madame, Balloquet said to me--Balloquet is my friend's name:
+'Let's join the festivities, although we are not invited. Do you go to
+one, and I'll go to the other. If anybody notices our intrusion, if we
+are questioned, we'll say that we have made a mistake in the party.'--I
+allowed myself to be led away by Balloquet's reasoning; he went into the
+other ballroom, and I--I came here."
+
+Instead of being indignant, as I feared, my partner burst into a hearty
+laugh, which the music hardly sufficed to drown. I allowed her to laugh
+freely for several seconds, then I continued:
+
+"So you forgive me, madame?"
+
+"Oh! absolutely, monsieur. What you have done doesn't seem to be very
+criminal. It's a little audacious, perhaps, but so amusing!"
+
+"But, madame, it is most essential now that somebody should act as my
+sponsor; for the bride's brother, Monsieur Archibald, has noticed me;
+and just now, while I was conversing, unwittingly, with an immense nose,
+which proves to belong to the bride's father----"
+
+"Monsieur Guillardin?"
+
+"Even so. Well, as I was saying, a young person, instructed by this
+corpulent Monsieur Archibald, came and asked Monsieur Guillardin who I
+was. It seems that Monsieur Archibald is not always affable, and that he
+would probably take this pleasantry of mine badly. As for myself,
+madame, I realize that I have done wrong, that I have been guilty of a
+reckless piece of folly; but if this Monsieur Archibald tells me so in
+unseemly language, I swear that I am not of a temper to put up with it."
+
+My pretty brunette had ceased to laugh.
+
+"In truth," she murmured, "Anna's brother is the sort of fellow who
+doesn't understand practical jokes. He's a fool, and, being a fool, he
+is exceedingly sensitive; he loses his temper and quarrels over an idle
+word. He is very strong, it seems, and that gives him much
+self-assurance."
+
+"It matters little to me how strong he is! I am no boxer, myself, and I
+don't fight as street porters do."
+
+"Mon Dieu! what is to be done?"
+
+"If you would condescend, madame, to be kind enough to say that I am an
+acquaintance of yours, that you invited me to come here--in a word, if
+you would present me?"
+
+"I would ask nothing better if I were alone here; but my husband is with
+me, and he knows everything and sees everything; he's worse than the
+_Solitaire_. He would ask me instantly where I met you."
+
+"See, madame, how they are staring at me already! Look, as we pass
+Monsieur Archibald, he points me out to several gentlemen standing near,
+and I have no doubt that he is saying to them: 'Do you know that man?'
+and they all say _no_."
+
+"Oh! mon Dieu! you make me shudder, monsieur!"
+
+"Look out for me when the waltz comes to an end--and I fancy that will
+be soon."
+
+"But I don't want them to turn you out. You waltz so well--really, it
+would be a great pity."
+
+"You are too kind, madame; however, if I am not taken under somebody's
+protection, it looks as if the affair would turn out badly for me."
+
+"Mon Dieu! if only Frederique were here! she would get you out of the
+scrape on the instant, I know."
+
+"What! a lady named _Frederic_?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur--Frederi--que."
+
+"Ah! I understand, the feminine of Frederic. And this lady?"
+
+"She expected to come to Anna's wedding; she promised me she would; but
+she hasn't come."
+
+"They are quickening the pace; a few turns more, and I shall be
+ignominiously expelled! What I shall regret most of all, madame, is
+you--who have been so indulgent to me, and whom it is impossible to see
+for an instant without ardently desiring to see you again."
+
+"Oh! monsieur----"
+
+"However, if Monsieur Archibald is discourteous, if he doesn't choose to
+accept a proper apology, I promise you that I will show him that he
+hasn't a dastard to deal with."
+
+"Oh! don't talk like that! you make me tremble. If I should see my
+husband, I----"
+
+My pretty partner did not finish her sentence; the music stopped, the
+waltz was at an end. But, almost instantly, my partner uttered a joyful
+exclamation and dragged me toward the outer door of the ballroom, saying
+in an undertone:
+
+"Come, come; you are saved; here is Frederique!"
+
+
+
+
+XI
+
+MADAME FREDERIQUE
+
+
+I have no need to say whether I allowed myself to be guided by my pretty
+brunette. We forced our way through the crowd, at the expense of a
+number of feet which came in our way; my partner held my hand, and I
+pressed the protecting hand with which she held it, so that it could not
+escape me.
+
+We reached the door of the ballroom just as a lady, newly arrived, was
+coming in. My conductress rushed to meet her, dragged her into a small
+room set apart for those who wished to converse, and, still without
+releasing my hand, led her into a window recess, apart from everybody,
+and said to her, laying her hand on her arm:
+
+"Frederique, you have arrived in the nick of time to confer a great
+favor on monsieur, and on myself, who--who take an interest in
+monsieur."
+
+"What must I do? Tell me, my dear Armantine. I am all ready."
+
+"Listen: you know monsieur, you invited him to come to the wedding,
+where he was to ask for you; but as you had not arrived when he came, he
+didn't know to whom to apply. Now that you are here, you must introduce
+him. Do you understand?"
+
+"Perfectly! it's the simplest thing in the world! Take my hand,
+monsieur, if you please; for, as I am to present you, you must be my
+escort, for a few moments at least."
+
+"With great pleasure, madame!"
+
+"How lucky it is that I came without an escort, and that my husband has
+catarrh! It's a true saying that good fortunes never come singly."
+
+"You will condescend, then, madame, to----"
+
+"Why, it's all arranged; I am delighted to do anything to oblige
+Armantine. By the way, your name, monsieur, if you please; for, if I am
+to present you, I must call you by name."
+
+"Charles Rochebrune."
+
+"Very good! An advocate, I suppose? All the young men are advocates."
+
+"I am not in practice; but I studied for the bar."
+
+"That is quite enough. Now, let us go into the ballroom."
+
+My new acquaintance passed her arm through mine and leaned on it as if
+we had known each other for years. I felt altogether reassured; I walked
+with my head erect, my face had recovered its serenity, and I was no
+longer afraid to look about me.
+
+My partner left us as we entered the ballroom, and the lady on my arm
+asked me in an undertone:
+
+"Do you know my name?"
+
+"I know only that one by which she called you just now."
+
+"I am Madame Dauberny, eight years married; I am twenty-seven years old,
+and my husband forty-four; he is wealthy and has no business. He doesn't
+care for society, balls, etc., but I go about without him. I was born
+at Bordeaux, and my parents were of the same province. I think that you
+are well enough posted now, in case anyone should talk to you about me."
+
+"Yes, madame; thanks a thousand times!"
+
+What I especially admired was the ease and fluency with which my
+companion said all this to me as we walked through the crowd; I am
+certain that no one who saw her talking to me would have suspected that
+she had never seen me until that evening. But Monsieur Guillardin and
+the bride came forward to meet my protectress, and I saw the stout
+Archibald too, walking behind his sister, and continuing to scrutinize
+me closely while he saluted Madame Dauberny.
+
+"How late you are!" cried the bride, taking my companion's hand.
+
+"We were in despair!" said the venerable proboscis; "it is half-past
+twelve, and we were just saying that Madame Dauberny would not come,
+although she had promised to."
+
+"And here I am, you see. I never break my promises. Ah! that makes
+Monsieur Archibald laugh; however, it is quite true, monsieur."
+
+"I was laughing with pleasure at seeing you, madame."
+
+"You are too polite, monsieur. But I am the more culpable for being so
+late, because I have caused sad embarrassment to an unfortunate young
+man to whom I had said that I would be here at eleven, and that he need
+only ask for me and I would present him. I refer to monsieur, who has
+been looking for me here nearly an hour, so he tells me; and, failing to
+find me, he didn't know to whom to appeal. Allow me to introduce
+Monsieur Charles Rochebrune, a distinguished advocate--and a mighty
+dancer. I thought that you would readily welcome a friend of my
+childhood."
+
+At that, I made a profound bow to the bride and her father, and to the
+hulking Archibald, who condescended to smile upon me, while Monsieur
+Guillardin exclaimed:
+
+"All friends of yours are welcome, fair lady! I trust that you do not
+doubt it. But I have already had the pleasure of making the acquaintance
+of monsieur, who appreciates my snuff. But I confess that I didn't know
+with whom I was talking, and I was just about to ask him, when he left
+me, to go and waltz. If he had told us that he came at your invitation,
+that would have been enough to ensure him a hearty welcome."
+
+"You are too kind, Monsieur Guillardin, but Monsieur Rochebrune is quite
+as well pleased to have me here;--are you not, monsieur?"
+
+"Yes, madame," I replied, with an expression that made Madame Dauberny
+smile; and it seemed to me that that smile caused Monsieur Archibald to
+make a wry face.
+
+"But where is Monsieur Dablemar? I don't see him anywhere."
+
+Madame Dauberny had hardly asked the question, when a short man, dressed
+in good taste, but very slight and with an affected manner, came running
+toward us, crying:
+
+"Ah! here she is at last, the one person we longed so to see, and of
+whose coming we had despaired! I must dance with you; I engage you for
+the next dance--that is to say, if you will deign to grant me that
+favor."
+
+"We will see--later. I never dance as soon as I arrive; pray give me
+time to look about."
+
+"My poor Anna has had to rest a little while; her brother trod on her
+foot; and he did well, too, for it is a good thing for her to rest: she
+was dancing too much, she----"
+
+This gentleman, in whom I had no difficulty in discovering the
+bridegroom, stopped suddenly when he caught sight of me, evidently for
+the first time. My introductress, who had dropped my arm for a moment,
+took my hand and said to him:
+
+"Monsieur Charles Rochebrune, a good friend of mine, whom I take the
+liberty to present to you."
+
+Monsieur Dablemar bowed to me, as courtesy required. Thus I had been
+well and duly introduced to the bride and groom and the bride's kindred;
+I was one of the wedding party, and I could walk about fearlessly
+through the salons.
+
+Having no longer anything to fear on my own account, my first
+pleasurable occupation was to scrutinize at my leisure the woman who had
+so gallantly come forward to be my buckler, and who, although she did
+not know me, although she had never seen me, had been willing to take my
+arm and to present me to a numerous assemblage as a person whom she knew
+intimately. I realized that she had done it at the request of a friend,
+to whom, as well as to me, she undoubtedly thought that she was doing an
+important service; but, none the less, there was a flavor of audacity in
+the performance that pleased and charmed me. Was it devoted friendship?
+was it recklessness of disposition? was it eccentricity, originality? I
+had no idea as yet, but I was deeply indebted to the lady, for she had
+extricated me from a bad scrape.
+
+In the first few moments after my introduction, I was too excited, too
+preoccupied, to think of examining the person who introduced me; all
+that I could say was that, at first glance, she seemed to have a very
+becoming air of originality. Now that my embarrassment had vanished, and
+Madame Dauberny was talking with the bride, I could venture to examine
+her.
+
+The person whom my pretty partner had called Frederique was rather above
+middle height, rather slender than stout, but exceedingly well formed,
+with a something brusque and cavalierish in her gait and her carriage
+which was wonderfully becoming to her; her foot, while not remarkably
+small, was well formed; she carried her head erect, and slightly thrown
+back, and often rested one hand on her hip, like a man.
+
+Madame Dauberny was not precisely a pretty woman; indeed, one might have
+passed her without noticing her; but the more you looked at her, feature
+by feature, her charm inevitably grew upon you; for there was a great
+deal of expression in her very mobile countenance. She was a brunette in
+the fullest acceptation of the term; her hair was of such an intense
+black that it was almost blue; this is not a witticism; extremely black
+and glossy hair sometimes has a bluish tinge; but such hair is rarely
+seen.
+
+Her eyes were very dark blue, well shaped, and with abundant lashes; she
+fixed them uncompromisingly upon the person with whom she was talking,
+and they seemed to defy you to make them look down or humble themselves
+before anyone on earth. They denoted a woman of strong character, an
+energetic woman. Shall I say, a passionate woman? I think that I should
+err: strong natures are able to hold their passions in check, instead of
+allowing themselves to be dominated by them, like---- But I must finish
+my portrait. Gracefully arched, heavy eyebrows--but not too
+heavy--surmounted those expressive eyes; the nose was a little large,
+but straight, and the nostrils, slightly dilated, opened but little more
+when she smiled. She had a large mouth, and her lips were rather thin;
+but the teeth were very white and regular. That mouth was well adapted
+to raillery and persiflage; and it was most eloquent in expressing
+contempt and anger.
+
+Madame Dauberny was naturally pale, and even by candle light her skin
+was not white. She had an oval chin and a high forehead. So much for her
+features; but all these details give a very insufficient idea of the
+general effect of that unusual face. It was necessary to see her in
+order to understand her; in the short time that I spent in examining
+her, her face changed entirely three or four times.
+
+There was one thing that pleased me greatly, and that was her accent, in
+which there was a faint suggestion of the _Midi_, which, to my mind, is
+fascinating in a woman. She had a well-modulated voice, like almost all
+those who are born on the banks of the Garonne; it was not soft, but the
+accent deprived it of anything like harshness. And then, it reminded me
+of a fascinating Bordelaise, whom I had loved dearly, and known such a
+short time! On the whole, I was decidedly flattered to be considered
+Madame Dauberny's friend. But that did not cause me to forget my
+agreeable partner, to whom also I was deeply indebted. I was anxious to
+learn something concerning the pretty brunette. I tried to make up my
+mind to ask her friend Frederique about her.
+
+At that moment, she came toward me and whispered as she took my arm:
+
+"Will you be my escort once more?"
+
+"Ah, madame! I am too happy that you deign to accept me as such."
+
+"Let us make a few turns about the room, and I will finish my task of
+giving you such information as you need concerning the company; then you
+will be free to return to Armantine."
+
+"Armantine? Oh, yes! that is the lady who spoke to you in my behalf?"
+
+"To be sure. You know her, do you not?"
+
+"Not at all. I never saw her before; but I had danced a quadrille and
+waltzed with her."
+
+"Well! this is a little strong! And what was the source of her deep
+interest in you?"
+
+"The fact that I had told her of a mad prank I had just committed; of
+which I will tell you as well, with your permission."
+
+"I not only permit it, but I insist upon it; for, after all, it is well
+that I should know something about the friend of my childhood."
+
+I told Madame Dauberny the story that I had previously told her friend.
+She listened attentively, without moving an eyebrow. Her impassiveness
+frightened me. But when I had finished, she shook her head and smiled
+slightly, murmuring:
+
+"It was a little _risque_! So your friend is at the other ball?"
+
+"Yes, madame."
+
+"And your friend's name is----?"
+
+"Balloquet."
+
+"What does he do?"
+
+"He is a doctor."
+
+"There's no great crime in all this, provided that you really are, as
+you say, an honorable man."
+
+"Ah, madame!--this suspicion----"
+
+"Is fully justified, it seems to me; for, after all, monsieur, you may
+be a very bad character, one of those young men who cannot be received
+in good society. You may have said to yourself: 'I'll go and have a
+little sport at the expense of all those people!'--What would there be
+surprising in that? Oh! what a face you are making! Be careful, or
+people will think that I am making a scene; and when a woman makes a
+scene with a man, it means that she has some claim upon him. You must
+see that your long face is compromising to me."
+
+I was horribly vexed; certainly she had a right to suspect me; but the
+mocking tone she had assumed, her manner, which denoted anything but
+conviction, and the expression of her face, augmented my chagrin, and I
+did not know what to say. How could I prove to her that I had not lied?
+
+At that moment, a man of some forty years, stylishly dressed, and not
+ill-looking, but with a vague and shifty look in his eyes, stopped in
+front of us and paid a compliment or two to the incredulous Frederique.
+I glanced at the new-comer, whose face was not unfamiliar; he caught my
+eye and bowed to me very affably. I cannot describe the thrill of
+pleasure which that bow afforded me, although I did not know who had
+bestowed it upon me.
+
+"Ah! do you know Monsieur Rochebrune?" Madame Dauberny inquired.
+
+"Yes, madame, I have met monsieur several times in company, notably at
+General Traunitz's and at Madame de Saint-Albert's receptions."
+
+"True," said I, searching my memory; "I remember very well having had
+the pleasure of meeting monsieur at those receptions."
+
+"To tell the truth," rejoined Madame Dauberny, "I should have been
+surprised if Monsieur Sordeville had not known you, knowing all Paris as
+he does, and all that everyone is doing, all that takes place!"
+
+"Oh, madame! you accredit me with much more knowledge than I possess,"
+replied Monsieur Sordeville, smiling with what he intended for an
+affable expression, which accorded ill with the natural character of his
+face. "You are very late, madame; Armantine was distressed at your
+non-appearance; which, however, did not prevent her dancing. But
+Monsieur Rochebrune can tell you that, for I saw him waltzing with my
+wife, and very well, too, I assure you."
+
+"What, monsieur! was it your wife with whom I had the pleasure of
+waltzing?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur."
+
+"Why, what extraordinary mortals you are!" cried Madame Dauberny,
+looking from one to the other, with an ironical expression. "You know
+each other, and yet monsieur does not know that it was Madame Sordeville
+with whom he waltzed?"
+
+"What is there so surprising in that, madame? I have met Monsieur
+Rochebrune at parties to which my wife did not accompany me; that
+happens every day. Because one is married is no reason why one should
+not go out sometimes without his or her spouse; and I may say that you
+yourself are proving the truth of that statement this very evening."
+
+Monsieur Sordeville said this in a meaning tone. Now that I knew that he
+was my charming partner's husband, I examined him more closely. He was
+very good-looking; his features were regular, and he had rather a
+distinguished face; but I was not attracted by it.
+
+Meanwhile, Madame Dauberny had not remained passive under the little
+shaft Monsieur Sordeville had let fly at her; but I did not hear her
+rejoinder, because my pretty partner came up and took her husband's arm
+just as her friend was speaking to him.
+
+"My dear Armantine," said my patroness, "you do not know, do you, that
+your husband is acquainted with Monsieur Rochebrune, whom I took the
+liberty of bringing to this festivity? He's a terrible man, is your
+husband; if I had undertaken to introduce anyone here under a false
+name, he would certainly have discovered the whole intrigue."
+
+The pretty brunette smiled and blushed slightly; then she put her arm
+through her friend's and led her away, but not before I had whispered in
+Madame Dauberny's ear:
+
+"Well! are you convinced now that I did not lie to you?"
+
+"I never thought that you were lying," she replied, squeezing my hand as
+a man would do.
+
+Monsieur Sordeville remained with me. He seemed inclined to continue the
+conversation, and I asked nothing better than to become more fully
+acquainted with the husband of a lady who pleased me exceedingly. For if
+he had a face which did not attract me, I was at liberty to think of his
+wife while I was talking with him.
+
+"She is an extremely agreeable person--Madame Dauberny!" Monsieur
+Sordeville began.
+
+"Yes, she is very agreeable; she seems to have much wit."
+
+"Have you never before been in a position to judge of her wit?"
+
+I bit my lips; I had said a stupid thing; but I hastened to add, in an
+off-hand tone:
+
+"What I meant to say was that she has even more wit than she allows to
+appear on the surface."
+
+"Ah! do you think so? I must say that it seems to me that she doesn't
+hide what wit she has."
+
+I saw that I should have difficulty in extricating myself; when one has
+strayed into a bad road, it's the devil and all to get back to solid
+ground. And then, too, that Monsieur Sordeville had an embarrassing way
+of making one talk. The bride's brother happened to be passing us at
+that moment. He stopped and said to Monsieur Sordeville:
+
+"Of whom are you speaking?"
+
+"Madame Dauberny."
+
+"Madame Dauberny! Oh! she's a _gaillarde_, she is!"
+
+Monsieur Sordeville raised his eyebrows slightly as he replied:
+
+"Hum! that word is a little strong!"
+
+"Why so? I mean by _gaillarde_ a decided character, which never bends,
+and does nothing except in accordance with its own desires; which takes
+its stand above a multitude of everyday prejudices, and snaps its
+fingers at what people will say. Indeed, Madame Frederique--she prefers
+to be called that, you know, for she detests her husband's name--Madame
+Frederique, I say, makes no bones of declaring that she does only what
+she pleases, and that she intends to do everything that she pleases.
+When a woman says that, I should say that one may well call her a
+_gaillarde_!"
+
+Monsieur Sordeville smiled, and said simply:
+
+"People say so many things that they don't do! Sometimes, it is to
+obtain a reputation for originality."
+
+"And you, monsieur," continued Archibald, turning to me, "you, who are
+one of Madame Frederique's early friends, do not you share the opinion
+of her which I have just expressed?"
+
+I saw that Monsieur Sordeville was covertly watching me, and I replied,
+measuring my words:
+
+"Since I have had the honor of knowing Madame Dauberny, monsieur, I have
+always recognized in her the possessor of many invaluable qualities, and
+a keen wit, slightly satirical perhaps; as for her faults, I know of
+none; but clever people are becoming so scarce that they may well pass
+for originals."
+
+My interlocutors held their peace. Monsieur Sordeville shook his head,
+and Monsieur Archibald pursed his lips. The orchestra played the prelude
+to a quadrille. I determined to perform a noble deed, which would put me
+on good terms with the bride's family: I invited Mademoiselle Joliette
+to dance.
+
+The ugly child accepted with unbounded delight. While we were dancing, I
+saw Madame Dauberny looking at me with a smile that seemed to say:
+
+"That's a very clever thing you are doing."
+
+For my own part, I hoped to reward myself in the next quadrille by
+inviting the seductive Armantine.
+
+But while we were executing the final figure, a great uproar suddenly
+arose outside the door; people were shouting and quarrelling in the
+corridor, and I fancied that I recognized Balloquet's voice. Either he
+had not been so fortunate as I, or he had been guilty of some
+imprudence. I ran in the direction of the outcry.
+
+
+
+
+
+XII
+
+THE WEDDING PARTY IN THE REAR ROOM
+
+
+As I stepped out into the hall which separated the two ballrooms, the
+dispute seemed to be growing warmer. I could distinguish Balloquet's
+voice perfectly, shouting:
+
+"Once more, messieurs, I tell you it's a mistake, a simple mistake. What
+the devil! any man may be mistaken. I mistook one party for the other.
+Wedding parties are a good deal alike, as a rule, especially after the
+dancing begins. There's not enough harm done to whip a cat for."
+
+The waiters did their utmost to restore peace, testifying that Balloquet
+had dined upstairs with some most respectable gentlemen.
+
+I succeeded in forcing my way through the crowd. I saw a number of
+grotesque faces, which would not have been out of place in the
+_Charivari's_ caricatures. Most of the men had retained beneath their
+gala dress the vulgur or stupid air which the finest coat cannot
+conceal. They were all very hot against poor Balloquet, who was as red
+as a cherry and gesticulating in the midst of them like one possessed. A
+stout man of some fifty years, whose eyes looked as if they were made of
+glass, they were so expressionless and so protruding, held him by the
+arm and kept repeating:
+
+"You don't get off like this, _bigre_! You either belong here or you
+don't, that's all! Proofs! proofs! I want proofs!"
+
+A tall, fair-haired young man, with a weak, stupid face, and hair
+brushed flat over his forehead almost to his eyebrows, seemed to be
+threatening Balloquet, as he said:
+
+"And what did you do to my wife? tell me that! Did you or didn't you?
+Petronille ain't capable of lying about it. She told me you pinched her!
+That's a pretty way to do--pinch the bride, when you don't belong in the
+party! If you'd been invited to the wedding--but that wouldn't be any
+excuse."
+
+"I was dancing, monsieur le marie; my hand may have gone astray. If I
+did pinch her anywhere, I thought it was part of the figure, and----"
+
+"Oh! that's a good one! that don't seem reasonable!"
+
+"But, monsieur, you don't understand."
+
+"You don't get off like that, _bigre_!" cried the fat man with the
+glassy eyes; "proofs! proofs! proofs!"
+
+At that moment, to add to the uproar, a corpulent dame of at least sixty
+years of age, with a flat nose, smeared with snuff, her face encircled
+by a flaxen false front, the curls of which, artistically grouped in
+terraces, made her look as if she wore whiskers, and overladen with
+flowers, ribbons, lace, and false jewelry, appeared in the midst of the
+men, crying in a shrill voice:
+
+"I don't want Pamphile to fight! I forbid him to fight! What's it all
+about? You shan't fight, Pamphile--I'd sooner fight myself, in my son's
+place. O my son, I'm your mother, or I ain't your mother! Monsieur's an
+intruder, a villain, a blackguard. Throw him out of doors! Call the
+watch!"
+
+"No, madame, I am not a villain," retorted Balloquet, glaring savagely
+at the old woman, who was bedizened like a circus horse; "and I'll prove
+it."
+
+"Go back to the ballroom, Madame Girie; this is no place for you; we
+don't need a woman's help to settle this business."
+
+"I tell you, I don't want my son to fight!--Come, Pamphile, come back
+with me; don't get mixed up in this row."
+
+"Oh! do let me alone, mamma! Go back with the other ladies."
+
+"No! no! I don't want you to fight because monsieur pinched your wife.
+Mon Dieu! what a terrible thing! In the first place, Petronille had no
+business to tell you of it. God! if the late Girie had fought every time
+anyone pinched me! But I didn't tell him! I took good care not to
+complain! I was too fond of my husband to do that; and he--oh! he loved
+his lovely blonde! You ought to hand monsieur over to the watch.--Watch!
+watch!"
+
+Madame Girie persisted in shrieking: "Watch!" waving her arms, striking
+everybody within reach, and increasing the confusion immeasurably by
+trying to restore peace.
+
+It was at that moment that I succeeded in reaching Balloquet's side, and
+released him from the man with the glassy eyes.
+
+"What's all this, messieurs?" I exclaimed.--"What has happened to you,
+my dear Balloquet? Why are all these people so incensed with you?"
+
+Balloquet uttered a cry of joy at sight of me, and cast a haughty glance
+at his adversaries, saying:
+
+"You see that I didn't lie to you, messieurs; here's my friend, who is a
+guest at the other wedding and has come in search of me.--Isn't it true,
+Rochebrune, that you have come to fetch me, and that I am Arthur
+Balloquet, medical practitioner, and that I am not the sort of man to be
+turned out of doors?"
+
+"Proofs! proofs! proofs!"
+
+"I don't want my son to fight!--Listen to your mother, Pamphile!"
+
+"You pinched Petronille; I stick to that!"
+
+"But I made a mistake!"
+
+"Watch!"
+
+"In God's name, Madame Girie, be good enough to hold your tongue!"
+
+A small man, whom I had not yet seen, as he was hidden by the crowd,
+succeeded in passing his perfectly curled blonde head under Madame
+Girie's ear rings, and said, gesticulating freely after the manner of
+Mr. Punch, for he bore a strong resemblance to a marionette:
+
+"Allow me! allow me! we must try to understand each other. Monsieur says
+he came to my cousin Pamphile Girie's wedding party by mistake; but a
+mistake like that don't last an hour, and monsieur's been with us more
+than an hour. I noticed him; he drank punch every minute; he made more
+noise than all the rest of the company, and I said to myself: 'That
+man's a _boute-en-train_![A] Oh! he's a famous _boute-en-train_!' But
+monsieur must have discovered that he didn't know us; that the bride and
+groom were not the ones who invited him. It seems to me that that's
+good, logical reasoning. I'm a logical man!"
+
+The little automaton was not such a fool as one would have supposed at
+first sight. Balloquet was at a loss for a reply to his speech. I made
+haste to take the floor.
+
+"Messieurs, my friend Arthur Balloquet has not deceived you; he is a
+most estimable physician, and incapable of offending you intentionally.
+He mistook the salon, that is all; you must not see anything more in the
+affair than there really is in it."
+
+"And I was so comfortable where I was," said Balloquet, "that I could
+not make up my mind to go away."
+
+This compliment allayed the ferocity of the vitreous-eyed gentleman.
+However, he was about to repeat his demand for proofs, when, on turning
+his head, he saw Monsieur Guillardin, who had come out to ascertain the
+cause of the uproar, accompanied by Madame Dauberny. She came to my side
+and whispered:
+
+"I presume that your friend Balloquet has been putting his foot in it?"
+
+As I said yes with my eyes, we heard a cry of surprise:
+
+"Why, there's Monsieur Guillardin--my landlord!"
+
+"Himself, Monsieur Bocal. What are you doing here, pray?"
+
+"What am I doing? Why, I am marrying my daughter Petronille to Monsieur
+Girie here.--Come forward, Girie; come, I say, and speak to my landlord,
+to whom I sent cards, I am sure."
+
+The tall, fair-haired youth came forward with the loutish air that never
+left him, and bowed sheepishly to Monsieur Guillardin. This incident
+produced a fortunate diversion; attention was diverted from Balloquet,
+although Madame Girie continued to mutter:
+
+"Oh! if my son should fight, I should be sick three times over! But he
+shan't go out, or, if he does, I'll follow him! I'm capable of anything
+where Pamphile's concerned. When he ain't home at eleven o'clock or
+twelve, I go and sit at the window, and there I sit all night, till he
+comes home. When I hear a horse, I says: 'There's my son.'--Sometimes I
+don't have anything on but three undervests and two chemises! but I
+don't care; I snap my fingers at the risk of catching cold!"
+
+But nobody listened to Madame Girie. Monsieur Guillardin, having
+acknowledged the salutations of Monsieur Bocal and long-legged Pamphile,
+said to the former:
+
+"Faith! my dear monsieur, this is a curious coincidence. I'm here for
+the same purpose that you are."
+
+"I don't understand."
+
+"I have married my daughter to-day, and we're celebrating the occasion
+right beside you here."
+
+"Is that so? can it be possible? This other wedding party is yours? I
+mean, that you're marrying your daughter--no, giving her in marriage?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur," interposed Madame Dauberny; "and I have been waiting a
+long while for Monsieur Balloquet to ask me to dance. I told him that I
+should be at Mademoiselle Guillardin's wedding."
+
+Balloquet stared in amazement when that lady, whom he did not know,
+called him by name; but he replied at once:
+
+"I am at your service, madame; but, you see, I was trying to explain
+matters to these gentlemen, and----"
+
+"Oh! that's all over! let's not say any more about that!" cried Bocal,
+grasping Balloquet's hand. "If I had had any idea that you were invited
+to my landlord's wedding party!--Madame, messieurs, we shall be much
+flattered if you will honor us with your presence, if you will deign to
+come to our ball.--I beg you, Monsieur Guillardin, to do me that honor.
+Let me present Petronille--Pamphile, go and call Petronille.--Come,
+madame and messieurs, pray take a turn at our ball.--Cousin Ravinet,
+make our friends stand aside and make room for my landlord."
+
+Cousin Ravinet was the little man who talked like Mr. Punch; he rushed
+into the room where Monsieur Girie's wedding was being celebrated,
+crying:
+
+"Here comes my cousin's landlord! He's coming to our party. Bocal's
+bringing him.--A little music, please. I say there, you in the
+orchestra!"
+
+The musicians supposed that he was calling for dance music, and they
+began to play a polka. Monsieur Guillardin, impelled almost by force by
+his tenant Monsieur Bocal, found himself in the ballroom at the rear.
+Madame Dauberny and I followed him, as did Balloquet, the latter being
+escorted almost in triumph by the bridegroom, who had taken his arm.
+
+"You ought to have told us right off that you were a friend--a friend of
+friends of ours," said Girie. "Then we wouldn't have quarrelled. As
+you're invited to the party of my father-in-law Bocal's landlord, why,
+give me your hand! I must insist on your dancing the next dance with
+Petronille."
+
+"You're too kind, Monsieur Girie. As for the mistake I made in pinching
+your good wife----"
+
+"Nonsense! don't say any more about that! It was a joke--just a joke!
+Look you, if you're a good fellow, you'll stay with us--as long as
+you're enjoying yourself. Now we know each other, we'll have some sport;
+we'll raise the deuce. It's agreed, ain't it? You stay with us; and at
+supper I'll take good care of you."
+
+"What's that? you're going to have a supper?"
+
+"Parbleu! I should say so! What does a party amount to without supper?
+You'll stay, won't you?"
+
+"Faith! Monsieur Pamphile, you are so kind--your company is so lively;
+I'm tempted to let the landlord's party go by the board."
+
+Madame Dauberny and I were walking behind them, and heard every word of
+their conversation. She had taken my arm as if we were old
+acquaintances, and she said in an undertone:
+
+"It will be fortunate if your friend Balloquet stays here, for I think
+that he's a little exhilarated, and if he should come to Anna's ball he
+might say something that would compromise us by betraying our little
+fraud."
+
+"You are entirely right, madame; but you need have no fear: Balloquet
+will stay here. He has been told of a supper to come, and he is one of
+those persons who never refuse a meal, even when they have had four
+during the day."
+
+"That speaks well for his digestion.--Mon Dieu! just look: I believe
+that they propose to make us dance now. Monsieur Bocal is trying to
+induce his landlord to polk. It must be that the man's lease is nearing
+its end, and he wants to renew it."
+
+The music had, in fact, excited Monsieur Bocal, who deemed it his duty
+to walk in step and was almost polking when he presented his landlord to
+his daughter Petronille, who was a plump, chubby-cheeked wench, very
+fresh and red, with no other recommendation than her youth.
+
+Monsieur Guillardin took out his snuffbox and offered it to the bride,
+who muttered:
+
+"Snuff! Sneeze all the time I'm dancing! I guess not! And I haven't got
+a handkerchief, either."
+
+"Do you polk?" Madame Frederique asked me.
+
+"Yes, madame."
+
+"Very well; then let us take a turn. I prefer to make my entry dancing;
+it will be more amusing. Indeed, I see some faces already that make me
+long to laugh. Come, monsieur, they say that you waltz beautifully; let
+us see if you polk as well."
+
+We started off. I was in luck that evening: after an excellent waltzer,
+I found myself with a partner who polked to perfection. We danced
+forward and backward, and turned in every direction. Our manner of
+dancing seemed to arouse the admiration of the company, for I heard
+people say as we passed:
+
+"Look! there's a couple who dance pretty well!"
+
+"Just look at those two; see what pretty steps they take!"
+
+"Who are those people?"
+
+"They belong to the party in front, the wedding party of Monsieur
+Bocal's landlord's daughter; Monsieur Bocal invited them."
+
+"They polk mighty well; they must be ballet dancers at least."
+
+"I'll bet they belong to the Opera."
+
+Madame Dauberny heard this last. She laughed heartily, but that did not
+interfere with her running comments on the wedding guests:
+
+"Look at that couple yonder; for ten minutes they have been in the same
+spot; they are trying to polk, and can't go forward or back.--You will
+notice a tall woman in pink, in the corner at our left, with a garland
+of green leaves on her head; she has struck the attitude of a caryatid,
+and seems disposed to weep.--And see those two ladies, or demoiselles,
+polking together, and bumping into everybody.--And that little man
+hopping about with a tall partner."
+
+"That's Cousin Ravinet."
+
+"On my word, there are some sweet caricatures here! There are some very
+good-looking girls, but they look like grisettes; probably that's all
+they are. I am very curious to know what Monsieur Bocal's business is."
+
+The music stopped. The heat was stifling in the ballroom.
+
+"I have had enough of it," said Madame Dauberny; "besides, I believe
+that Monsieur Guillardin has returned to his daughter. Take me back to
+the other party; then you may return here, if you choose."
+
+"I beg you to believe, madame, that I too prefer the company of which
+you are one."
+
+"I believe you; I should be sorry for you if it were otherwise. But you
+must return and speak to your friend Balloquet. Balloquet! you must
+agree that that is a singular name for a physician. If I were ill, I
+would never put myself in the hands of a doctor named Balloquet!"
+
+"So you think that the name is of some consequence, do you, madame?"
+
+"Much, monsieur; if your name had been Balloquet, I could never have
+made up my mind to say that you were a friend of my girlhood."
+
+While we talked, we had returned to the Guillardin party, of which I was
+now a duly accredited member. But as a quadrille was beginning just as
+we entered the ballroom, Madame Dauberny seated herself by the door, and
+I stood beside her, delighted to be able to continue my conversation
+with the amiable Frederique; for to my mind she was extremely amiable,
+and if I had not been in love with her friend Armantine---- But it is so
+pleasant to be in love, even when it amounts to nothing, and vastly more
+so when it may amount to something. I was still in the dark as to how it
+would be with my new passion; but one is always at liberty to hope.
+
+"I am under great obligations to you, madame, for what you have done for
+me to-night."
+
+"Mon Dieu! you have already expressed your gratitude, monsieur! I trust
+that I shall hear no more of it."
+
+"You know now, madame, that I have sometimes met Monsieur Sordeville in
+society; but that is not enough for me. I should be glad to make myself
+known to you more fully; and if you will allow me to call and pay my
+respects to you----"
+
+Madame Dauberny looked at me a moment with a strange expression; I would
+have liked to know what was passing through her mind; but she soon
+replied, with her deliberate air:
+
+"No, monsieur, no; I will not allow you to call on me; indeed, why
+should you do so?"
+
+"Why, to have the pleasure of being with you, madame; and because I
+desire to make myself better known to you; and----"
+
+"No; it's unnecessary, I tell you. I am entirely convinced, monsieur, of
+your good faith in all that you have told me; what more can you desire?"
+
+"Nothing in that direction. But when one has once had the pleasure of
+being your escort, it is painful, madame, to think of the possibility of
+never seeing you again."
+
+"Never! That is a word that ought to be stricken from the dictionary,
+monsieur, don't you think?"
+
+"I agree with you, madame, for it is a very sad word."
+
+"And false three-quarters of the time. However, if you really wish to
+see me again, don't be disturbed; you will have an opportunity."
+
+"Where, madame?"
+
+"At Armantine's."
+
+"Madame Sordeville's? But I know her no better than I do you."
+
+"True; but her husband knows you. Talk a little more with him, and I
+will undertake to say that he'll invite you to his house."
+
+"Do you think so, madame?"
+
+"Try it, and you will see. Ah! here's the terrible Archibald coming
+toward us. Beware, or you will make an enemy of him!"
+
+"How so?"
+
+"Because I am sure that he thinks you are making love to me. He is
+capable of believing even more than that; and you must know that he has
+made me a declaration of love."
+
+"I presume that that must be a common experience with you."
+
+"That is quite true."
+
+"And Monsieur Archibald has simply followed a road which many men are
+tempted to take."
+
+"Look you, monsieur, I agree that a man may make a declaration of love
+to a woman, without meaning anything in particular; that is the
+commonest thing in the world; and if a woman is ever so little
+coquettish and attractive, she can safely bet that she will extort a
+declaration from every man she knows. So there's no great merit in
+that. But because a woman is less coy than another, because she says
+frankly what she thinks, because she doesn't play the prude and isn't
+afraid to laugh at a joke, because, in a word, she has in her manners
+more or less unconstraint, originality, character, boldness if you
+will--to imagine, therefore, that that woman is likely to be an easy
+conquest, that a man has only to--you can divine what I do not say----
+Well! monsieur, that is a very grave mistake, born either of stupidity
+or monumental conceit."
+
+Did she say that for my benefit? I could not tell. Still, I had made no
+declaration; and although I had expressed a wish to see her again, to
+thank her again, it seemed to me that that was perfectly natural after
+the service she had rendered me. No; she simply meant to give me a
+warning. But in that case she must be convinced that I proposed to make
+love to her? She was mistaken, for I thought only of my charming
+partner, Madame Sordeville.
+
+The quadrille came to an end, and I left my place, thinking that I would
+return for a moment to the other ball, to make sure that Balloquet would
+not come in search of me, and to see what he was doing as Monsieur
+Bocal's guest. From the glimpse I had caught of that other function, I
+fancied that there were likely to be some amusing sights there, and
+that love was probably treated there in another fashion than in the
+salons at the front of the house.
+
+
+
+
+XIII
+
+THE BRIDE AND GROOM AND THEIR KINSFOLK
+
+
+At Mademoiselle Bocal's wedding feast, punch, mulled wine, and
+_bischoff_ were circulating all the time, and the ladies partook of that
+species of refreshment as often as the men. From this fact it will be
+understood that at the Bocal ball there was an enthusiasm which
+threatened to develop into wild revelry. Most of the ladies were as red
+as poppies; some of them laughed incessantly; others, who were
+presumably very sentimental in their cups, rolled their eyes in a
+languishing way that drove you back to your entrenchments; others, whom
+the punch made melancholy, heaved prodigious sighs and were damp about
+the eyes.
+
+As for the men, they were almost all loquacious and noisy, and I believe
+that I might safely say, tipsy.
+
+When I entered the ballroom the second time, I looked about for
+Balloquet. I discovered him sitting beside a brunette with a headdress
+of roses, whose cheeks were of a brilliancy and lustre that dimmed the
+hue of the flowers. Their conversation was so animated that the young
+doctor in embryo--for to that class Balloquet belonged--did not notice
+me, although I had planted myself directly in front of him.
+
+I concluded to tap him on the shoulder.
+
+"Monsieur Balloquet," said I, "I would be glad to say a word to you, if
+possible."
+
+"It isn't possible at this moment. I am engaged. I am explaining to
+mademoiselle the proper method of applying leeches."
+
+And Balloquet gave me a meaning glance. I understood that his interview
+had reached an interesting point, and I was about to walk away, when I
+felt a hand on my arm. It was the little marionette named Ravinet, who
+was trying to make fast to me, and shouting--for everybody in the room
+shouted instead of speaking:
+
+"Ah! you're one of the landlord's guests; I recognize you. You're the
+man who polks so well! It's very polite of you to come back to us.
+You'll polk again, won't you? If you want to please Aunt Chalumeau,
+you'll invite her; poor, dear woman, she's never polked in her life, and
+she's dying to. Her hair dresser told her she had the right make-up."
+
+I had no inclination whatever to put Aunt Chalumeau's make-up to the
+test, and I told Cousin Ravinet, who struck me as being well primed, and
+persisted in hanging on my arm:
+
+"I will tell you in confidence that I shall not polk again for some
+time; I am very tired."
+
+"Oh! that's a pity. Do you belong to the Opera?"
+
+"I? No, indeed!"
+
+"Are you related to my cousin's landlord?"
+
+"No; I am a friend of his."
+
+"And that lady who was dancing with you don't belong to the Opera,
+either?"
+
+"By no means."
+
+"We all thought you did. You jigged it so well!"
+
+"Monsieur Ravinet----"
+
+"Ah! you know my name!"
+
+"I have that honor. Do me the favor to tell me what Monsieur Bocal's
+business is."
+
+"What's that! don't you know my cousin?"
+
+"I know that he's the bride's father, and that he's Monsieur
+Guillardin's tenant; that's all."
+
+"What! you don't know Bocal the distiller's shop, on Rue Montmartre?
+He's one of the largest distillers in Paris."
+
+"Ah! he's a distiller, is he?"
+
+"Why, everybody knows him!"
+
+"I must tell you that I very rarely have dealings with distillers."
+
+"He's the man who makes the syrup of punch--that's a famous brew! Did
+you ever drink it?"
+
+"No; and I am not anxious to."
+
+"Oh! you must take some, and tell us what you think of it.--Come here
+quick, Cousin Bocal! I say! here's a gentleman from your landlord's
+party; he's never tasted your punch."
+
+The stout man with the glassy eyes stopped at Cousin Ravinet's summons;
+then he came to me and gripped my other arm, saying with an effusiveness
+that scorched my cheeks, for he had the unpleasant habit of speaking
+within an inch of your nose:
+
+"Ah! monsieur, you're one of my landlord's guests. Surely you won't
+insult me by joining us without taking something?--Here, waiter!"
+
+"You are too good, Monsieur Bocal, but----"
+
+"The punch is made with my syrup; it's perfumed, and sweetens your
+breath."
+
+"That is what I was just saying to monsieur, cousin----"
+
+"I say there! waiter!"
+
+"Waiter! bring some punch! My cousin is calling you!"
+
+Cousin Ravinet was determined to do his part. The two men held me so
+that I could not escape. A waiter arrived with a salver. I realized that
+I should get into serious difficulty if I refused; it would be quite
+likely to draw down upon me the wrath of Madame Girie, whom I spied in a
+corner, whispering with some other women. So I swallowed the glass of
+punch, hoping that I should be set free; but I was disappointed.
+Monsieur Bocal led me away toward his daughter Petronille, saying:
+
+"You must dance with the bride."
+
+"It's a very great honor, but----"
+
+"Oh! you must dance with her. My landlord refused to dance, but he's an
+elderly man. But a famous dancer, a zephyr, like you, can't refuse."
+
+I did not know how to evade the honors with which I was overwhelmed.
+Monsieur Bocal had already said to his daughter:
+
+"Petronille, you're going to dance with monsieur--my landlord's friend."
+
+"But, papa, I am going to dance with Freluchon."
+
+"What do I care for Freluchon! I tell you, Petronille, you're going to
+dance with monsieur; and you'll see how he dances. All you've got to do
+is stand straight----"
+
+"But I promised poor Freluchon two hours ago, and he's gone to wash his
+hands on purpose, because he's lost his gloves; he'll be mad."
+
+"For heaven's sake, Monsieur Bocal," said I, "don't let me interfere
+with your daughter's plans! I will dance with her later; I should be
+very sorry to offend anyone."
+
+"On the contrary, monsieur, it will give me much pleasure," said Bocal.
+"I don't care a snap of my finger whether Freluchon's angry or not. The
+idea of putting ourselves out for him! Not much! You shall dance this
+dance with the bride. Hark! there goes the orchestra; take your places
+quick!"
+
+Escape was impossible. What had I tumbled into? Those people were as
+obstinate as mules, and a refusal on my part would irritate them; people
+of little education are always extremely sensitive with fashionable
+persons, for they feel their inferiority; they are afraid of being
+laughed at, when no one has any idea of laughing at them.
+
+I made the best of it and took my place beside the bride, who did not
+act as if she were overjoyed to dance with me and probably regretted
+Freluchon.
+
+"Who's going to dance opposite the bride?" shouted Monsieur Bocal, in
+stentorian tones.
+
+"I am! I am! here I am!"
+
+And a tall, thin, bald-headed old man appeared, leading by the hand a
+girl of seven or eight. There was a vis-a-vis which would not afford me
+any distraction! I heard a muttering behind me, then groans, then
+Monsieur Bocal's voice above all the rest. It was probably Monsieur
+Freluchon, indignant to find that he had washed his hands for nothing.
+
+The quadrille began. The bride went into it with all her heart; she was
+a buxom wench, who had made up her mind to let herself go on her wedding
+day, and was determined to do what she had set out to do. If only I did
+not get in the way of her feet, I felt that I should be lucky. The tall
+old man, who stood opposite her, danced with a zeal deserving of the
+greatest praise; he persisted in taking all the little steps and even
+essayed some leaps and bounds; the perspiration rolled down his face
+after the second figure, but he did not omit a step. He was a
+conscientious dancer, and would have been in great demand under the
+Empire. The little girl hopped about in every direction, and made a mess
+of every figure; she was always behind me when she should have been in
+front; but I was indifferent and let her wander about at her pleasure.
+
+I was convinced that Cousin Ravinet had spread the information that I
+was a famous dancer, for there was a crowd about our set. The good
+people must have been sadly disappointed, as I did nothing but walk
+through the figures. Indeed, I heard some voices muttering:
+
+"Bah! it wasn't worth while to put ourselves out; I can dance better
+than that. Ravinet must have seen double; he don't even know how to do
+the _basque_ step!"
+
+I felt called upon to try to talk with the bride.
+
+"You must be tired, madame?"
+
+"Tired? why?"
+
+"You have probably been dancing a long while."
+
+"_Dame!_ if the bride didn't dance, it would be a pretty wedding! The
+men have to ask me to dance; that's what they were invited for."
+
+I bit my lip, as I rejoined:
+
+"This is a very happy day for you, madame, is it not?"
+
+"A happy day! Oh! it's rather amusing just now; but I've found it pretty
+stupid all day!"
+
+"Ah! is that so? But I presume that you love the man you have married?"
+
+"Oh, yes! well enough, as far as that goes; not too much; but it'll
+come; pa said it would come."
+
+"Would it be impertinent of me to ask what your husband's business is?"
+
+"My husband's? He sells sponges, at wholesale; we're going to keep a
+sponge shop."
+
+"That must be a good business."
+
+"_Dame!_ I don't know anything about it. I shan't like it very much to
+be among sponges all the time. But we won't have any dog, anyway; that
+was one of the first conditions I made."
+
+"Ah! you don't want a dog; I judge that you dislike dogs?"
+
+"Mon Dieu! no, I like all kinds of animals. But it's on account of the
+song."
+
+"Ah! is there a song about dogs?"
+
+"About the _Sponge Man's Dog_! Don't you know that song?"
+
+"No; I must admit that it is entirely unknown to me."
+
+"It's a comic song; every verse ends like this: 'And it was the sponge
+man's dog.'--Everybody knows that refrain, and pa says to Pamphile: 'If
+you had a dog, people would always sing that song when they saw him.
+That might injure your business.'--And Pamphile says: 'I'll never have a
+dog, I swear,' and I married him. Pa did well, didn't he?"
+
+"I admire Monsieur Bocal's foresight."
+
+"He insisted, too, that my mother-in-law shouldn't live with us."
+
+"In that respect I applaud him; for mothers-in-law seldom agree with
+their daughters-in-law."
+
+"Especially as Madame Girie---- Why, she's a woman that would set
+mountains to fighting if she could; and yet, she says she adores her
+children! it's amazing how happy they've been with her! Pamphile's
+younger brother was very delicate, so she said; she insisted on his
+purging himself all the time, taking cathartics and enemas. When he came
+home at night after dining out, Madame Girie was always waiting for him
+on the stairs, with a syringe. If he refused to have an enema, she'd
+chase him through all the rooms. The next day, she'd purge him without
+telling him, by putting something in his coffee. In fact, she pestered
+the poor boy so with what she called her little attentions, that one
+fine morning he went off and enlisted in the dragoons; he preferred that
+to being syringed."
+
+"Faith! I believe that I would have done the same if I had been in his
+place."
+
+"Madame Girie said he was an ingrate. She didn't want her other son,
+Pamphile, to marry, so's he could stay with her. You can see that that
+prospect didn't tempt him, especially as Madame Girie wanted to run the
+business, and as she found a way to quarrel with all the customers. One
+day, she refused to sell a man sponges, because he didn't bow to her
+when he came in; another time, it was a woman who spoke to her as if she
+was a servant. In fact, if she'd stayed with Pamphile a while longer, it
+would have been all up with his business; for no one would come there
+to buy. Well! here we are married. We make Madame Girie an allowance,
+but it won't be enough for her, you see! she's never had any idea how to
+take care of money, she always runs right through it.--Ah! it's our
+turn, monsieur; this is the _poule_."
+
+When the _poule_ figure was at an end, the bride said to me, with an
+ironical air:
+
+"It don't seem to me that there's any need of my holding myself so
+straight to dance with you. They said you were such a fine dancer!"
+
+"Cousin Ravinet was mistaken, madame, in saying that I danced well."
+
+"Oh! as to that, if you were dancing with the lady you had a little
+while ago, you'd jump higher, I suppose."
+
+"I beg you to believe that no partner could induce me to jump any
+higher."
+
+"Freluchon dances mighty well, I tell you; he bounds like a rubber
+ball."
+
+"That is a gift of nature, and I would not contend with the gentleman.
+Is he a relation of yours?"
+
+"Freluchon? No; he's head salesman in pa's shop. He cried when he heard
+I was going to be married."
+
+"The deuce! was it with pleasure?"
+
+"Well, I guess not! it was with something else. But I consoled him; I
+told him I'd be his friend as long as we live, and that he could kiss me
+every Sunday."
+
+"I can imagine, madame, that such a prospect dried his tears."
+
+"It's our turn! it's our turn!"
+
+The quadrille was over at last. I escorted the bride to her place, and
+dodged the glasses of mulled wine that were circulating in all
+directions. Someone seized my arm; I jumped back in dismay, fearing that
+it was either Monsieur Bocal again or little Ravinet.
+
+But it was Balloquet, who led me to a corner of the room, where we sat
+down upon an unoccupied bench. My medical friend seemed to be in very
+high spirits. He began to laugh before he spoke to me.
+
+"Well! my dear Rochebrune, I should say that we had succeeded in our
+undertakings, eh? What an excellent idea it was of mine, that we should
+join these wedding parties!"
+
+"True; but suppose I hadn't appeared with Monsieur Bocal's
+landlord--what then? It seems to me that you were in for a bad quarter
+of an hour! What the devil had you been doing?"
+
+"Nothing; it was just a joke. The little woman I was talking with just
+now had excited me; and then, the way they drink here is something
+terrific. Faith! while I was dancing with the bride, my hand went
+astray. That idiot of a Pamphile did nothing but say to us: 'I've
+married an apple! My wife's as solid as one!' And I just wanted to see
+if it was true. I give you my word that he flatters himself. But that's
+all gone by now; the husband adores me. What do you think of this
+party?"
+
+"I prefer the one I belong to."
+
+"How did you arrange your affair?"
+
+"I was sorely embarrassed; but two charming women took me under their
+protection. Afterward, I found a gentleman there who knew me. But, for
+all that, my dear Balloquet, don't be imprudent enough to come into the
+other ballroom. The company is very different from this; you might be
+questioned, and----"
+
+"Never fear; I'm very well off here, and I shall stay. In the first
+place, there's to be a supper, and I have always had a weakness for that
+sort of amusement. And, secondly, I have my hands full: I am at work on
+a brunette--the one I was colloguing with just now. I like her
+immensely; I propose to give her my custom. She's a Madame Satine,
+Boulevard des Italiens; a fashionable quarter, where gloves are very
+dear. She says she's a widow; all the attractions at once. She's no
+light-footed nymph, but good, solid flesh and blood, and no prude,
+either. We dine together to-morrow; that's already arranged."
+
+"I congratulate you; you do business promptly."
+
+"And you--have you found anything to make it worth your while?"
+
+"I have made the acquaintance of a charming woman; but I don't know yet
+whether it will go any further."
+
+"The one who came here with you?"
+
+"No; that was my second protectress."
+
+"Do you know that she has a regular--military air. _Bigre!_ how she
+looked at me!"
+
+"Yes, there is a touch of decision in her manners. She is clever and
+original; but she's not the one I am making up to."
+
+"I say! who in the devil is this old woman standing in front of us and
+making faces?"
+
+I looked up and recognized Madame Girie, who had halted in front of
+Balloquet and myself and had her eyes fixed upon us, raising her
+eyebrows, smiling--in a word, indulging in a pantomime which was
+certainly intended to compel us to speak to her.
+
+There was no way of escaping her; for, as soon as I raised my eyes,
+Madame Girie made a minuet courtesy and stepped forward, saying in a
+tone in which she clearly intended to announce the mistress of the
+feast:
+
+"Have you had some punch, monsieur, or some _bischoff_? Have you taken
+anything?"
+
+"Yes, madame; I am infinitely obliged to you, I have taken many things."
+
+"You see, Monsieur Bocal is so heedless! He talks a great deal and makes
+a lot of noise, and acts as if he wanted to manage everything; but, as
+a matter of fact, he don't do anything at all; and if I wasn't here to
+look after things---- I am the bridegroom's mother, monsieur."
+
+"You are quite capable of being, madame," said Balloquet, rising and
+bowing to Madame Girie; then he walked away and left me to my fate. I
+would have been glad to follow Balloquet's example; but Madame Girie at
+once took his seat by my side and seemed disposed to remain there. I
+felt a cold perspiration break out all over me. The bridegroom's mother
+turned toward me and continued the conversation:
+
+"Yes, monsieur, I am the bridegroom's mother. That magnificent boy is my
+son; he looks like me, don't he, monsieur?"
+
+"Yes, madame; he has your expression."
+
+"My expression--that's it exactly; you've struck it! He wanted to marry.
+I wanted to be everything to him. 'Stay with your mother,' I says;
+'you'll be much happier! What more do you need?'"
+
+"But, madame, it seems to me that a mother can hardly take the place of
+a wife; and I imagined that a mother's greatest happiness was to live
+again in her grandchildren."
+
+Madame Girie took from her pocket a handkerchief redolent of snuff, and
+rejoined:
+
+"Oh! certainly, monsieur, a man can marry; but he'd ought to make a good
+choice, and that's so hard!"
+
+"Do you mean that you are not satisfied with the choice your son has
+made?"
+
+"Hum! hum! I don't want to speak unkind of my daughter-in-law, monsieur;
+I ain't capable of it; but if I was inclined to! In the first place,
+she's as stupid as a pot, that little Petronille is. But you've been
+dancing with her, and you must have found it out."
+
+"Why, no, madame; I found her _naive_ and natural."
+
+"Ha! ha! silly [_niaise_] enough, ain't she? You're frank, you are!
+However, Pamphile was cracked over her, and I don't know why; for she
+ain't pretty."
+
+"She's very fresh."
+
+"_Dame!_ if a girl wasn't fresh at her age! But she's running to fat,
+and I won't give her three years before she's a sight. And then, she's
+been brought up in such a curious way! Having no mother, she's done just
+as she chose, you see. Alone all day long with the clerks; young men,
+too--I actually believe she went down into the cellar with 'em! Fie!
+fie! what actions! catch me choosing that hussy for my son's wife! But
+he wouldn't listen to me, when I says to him: 'You'll repent of your
+bargain.'--You just wait a little while, monsieur, and you'll see.
+There's a certain Freluchon,--one of Monsieur Bocal's clerks,--who was
+dead in love with Petronille. Everybody knows that; why, she didn't
+conceal it herself, but just laughed about it!--a modest girl doesn't
+laugh at such a thing.--This Freluchon taught her to swim--do you hear,
+monsieur?--to swim, in the river; she went into deep water with him!
+Fine doings! And Pamphile thinks that's all right. 'Look out what you're
+doing!' I says to him.--Oh, monsieur! what fools men are when they're in
+love!"
+
+"That is a profound truth, madame; but it does little honor to your sex;
+if women really were what men suppose them to be when they're in love,
+men wouldn't be such fools to love them."
+
+Madame Girie pursed up her lips, shook her head, and smiled, as she
+said:
+
+"Thank God! all women ain't Petronilles!"
+
+"And all mothers-in-law aren't like you, madame!"
+
+I don't know whether Madame Girie took that for a compliment, but she
+bowed low. For my part, I had had quite enough of the excellent dame's
+chatter, so I left my seat and the ballroom, where the odor of mulled
+wine and punch was beginning to be insufferable.
+
+
+
+
+XIV
+
+A YOUNG DANDY.--A DELIGHTFUL HUSBAND
+
+
+Returning to the Dablemar function, I drew a long breath of delight; a
+pleasant odor of patchouli and muslin replaced the fumes of mulled wine,
+which were intensified on the other side of the corridor by a multitude
+of other emanations. The temperature, too, was endurable, and the faces
+of the guests did not glisten with drunkenness and perspiration, which
+impart to the countenance a gloss that does not embellish it.
+
+My first care was to look about for Madame Sordeville. I discovered her
+talking with her friend Frederique, and with them was a young man whom I
+had not yet seen.
+
+This new personage was twenty-eight to thirty years of age, and was
+dressed in the height of fashion. He was very dark, and his hair,
+artistically parted and curled, was beautifully glossy. A long, pale
+face, regular features, black eyes somewhat sunken, a small, tightly
+closed mouth, a slight, carefully trimmed moustache, made him a very
+good-looking fellow; but a self-sufficient, conceited air, which almost
+amounted to impertinence--that too I observed in my scrutiny of that
+young man, who, at the very outset, and for some reason which I could
+not explain, made a most unpleasant impression on me.
+
+We often feel sympathies or antipathies for persons we do not know; and
+when we are in a position to become better acquainted with such persons,
+it rarely happens that the instinctive prevision of our hearts is not
+justified. So that we must have a sort of second-sight, of the heart,
+which warns us when we are in presence of a friend or an enemy.
+
+This gentleman was talking with the two ladies, with a familiarity that
+seemed to denote a close intimacy. Was he probably the lover of one or
+the other? Suppose he were of both? Such things have been seen. One
+thing was certain, and that was that there was no trace of the discreet
+lover about him.
+
+You will consider that I have a low opinion of women. It is not of women
+alone, but of the world in general that I have such an opinion. It is
+not my fault; why has it so often given me reason to think ill of it?
+
+I did not approach them, for the presence of that handsome dandy annoyed
+me; but I watched them. I must have been very dull-witted not to
+discover with which of the two ladies he was on most intimate terms.
+There are many little nothings by which people always betray themselves,
+unless they are constantly on their guard; and even then!
+
+Ah! my mind was made up! A hand placed a little too familiarly on the
+fellow's knee, a long glance, which said things that are not said in
+public, told me that he was intimately associated with Madame Dauberny.
+I was conscious of a joyful thrill, for I had feared for a moment that
+it was with my charming partner, and, frankly, that would have
+distressed me. Therefore, I was certainly in love with her.
+
+I walked toward the group, and spoke to Madame Sordeville, who replied
+with her usual affability. But while I was talking with her I noticed
+that my fine gentleman with the moustache eyed me from head to foot with
+something very like impertinence! I wondered how long that would last.
+
+There are such people in society; people whose impertinent glances force
+you to pay them back in their own coin in a way which is almost a
+challenge, and which signifies plainly:
+
+"Have you anything to say to me? I am waiting, and I am all ready to
+reply."
+
+As that superb _lion_ did not cease to stare at me, I stared back at him
+in the manner I have described. He lowered his eyes and turned his head.
+That was very lucky! But you may be quite certain that from that moment
+my gentleman and I could not endure each other.
+
+As it seemed to annoy him to see me talk and laugh with the charming
+Armantine, I put all the more fire into my conversation; and as she
+laughed very readily, I continued to incite her to laughter.
+
+Madame Dauberny whispered in the young man's ear; I noticed that he
+frowned slightly and compressed his lips. Was she telling him what she
+had done to help me out of my predicament? What difference did it make
+to me whether her action pleased or displeased the fellow? Madame
+Frederique no longer seemed to me so attractive as before; no, she
+certainly was not pretty. Moreover, what she had said to me in our last
+interview had cooled my feeling for her considerably.
+
+Madame Sordeville was engaged for the next contra-dance, but she
+promised me the next but one. Her partner came to claim her. The superb
+Frederique stood up with her dark-eyed swain. What was I to do during
+that quadrille? It is a terrible bore not to dance at a ball in polite
+society, where you know no one.
+
+I concluded to find Monsieur Sordeville, remembering the advice Madame
+Dauberny had given me before her cicisbeo's arrival.
+
+I discovered Armantine's husband in an adjoining salon, in a group of
+men, most of whom were decorated; he was not talking, but listening to
+the others. I walked toward him, and he came to meet me.
+
+"Aren't you dancing, Monsieur Rochebrune?"
+
+"I am resting."
+
+"I'll wager that my wife isn't; she is indefatigable!"
+
+"Madame Sordeville is dancing, it is true; and Madame Dauberny,
+too--with a young man whom I had not noticed before--a dark young man
+with a moustache."
+
+"Ah, yes! Saint-Bergame. He came very late, as usual; one produces a
+greater effect by making people wait for one. Ha! ha! But you must know
+him, if you have been a friend of Madame Dauberny from childhood. You
+must have met him often at her house."
+
+Again Monsieur Sordeville's smile was tinged with mockery. I answered,
+this time without embarrassment:
+
+"I saw nothing of Madame Dauberny for a long time, until very recently."
+
+"Then it must have been during that time that she made Saint-Bergame's
+acquaintance; their liaison is hardly six months old. But he is on a
+very intimate footing with her, none the less; however, that is easily
+seen."
+
+The tone in which Monsieur Sordeville said this left me in no doubt that
+he had the same opinion that I myself had formed concerning the
+relations between these two. But if he believed it, it seemed strange to
+me that he should allow his wife to be so intimate with Madame Dauberny
+as she seemed to be. Was there not reason to fear that the evil example
+might be contagious? or was Monsieur Dauberny's conduct such as to
+excuse his wife's? or again, was Monsieur Sordeville one of those
+philosophical husbands who look upon all such things as mere trifles
+undeserving of their attention? I was tempted to believe that the last
+conjecture was nearest the truth.
+
+"Who is this Monsieur Saint-Bergame?" I asked, after a moment.
+
+"Hum! I have no very definite idea. However, he represents himself as a
+journalist. But nowadays, you know, a man is a journalist just as he is
+an advocate. Everybody writes for the newspapers, or at least tries to
+create that impression."
+
+"I know that the profession of journalist is an honorable one, when it
+is carried on without prejudice or passion, when one writes with
+impartiality. I will not say, with spirit and good taste, for those
+qualities should be indispensable prerequisites of admission to the
+guild. Unluckily, it is not always so. Since newspapers have become so
+numerous, all the unappreciated poets, all the unsuccessful authors,
+have turned journalists. These gentry, having failed to induce anyone to
+produce their plays, fall furiously upon those authors who succeed.
+Luckily, the real public does substantial justice; often, indeed, the
+very extravagance of the insults heaped upon a man of talent simply
+intensifies the public interest in him. And, after all, it is a pitiable
+thing, it seems to me, to pass one's life tearing to tatters those who
+produce! It is the old story of the he-goat in the fold: he does
+nothing, and attacks whoever wants to work."
+
+"You don't seem to be fond of journalists?"
+
+"I think very highly of them when they are intelligent and their
+criticisms are decent. I once knew a very popular literary man, who
+laughed till he cried over the savage attacks that the journalists made
+upon his works. 'If I were not successful,' he would say, 'those fellows
+would not honor me with their hatred. They would not say anything about
+me unless it were to offer me some patronizing compliment. Ah! my dear
+fellow, congratulate me! Everybody cannot have enemies.'--But, to
+return to Monsieur Saint-Bergame: for what newspaper does he write?"
+
+"Really, I can't tell you; for some new sheet--more than one, perhaps.
+He has the reputation of being very bitter, and prides himself on it."
+
+"He has no reason to. Nothing is so easy as to say unkind things; the
+conversation of cooks and concierges is principally made up of them."
+
+"I believe, too, that Saint-Bergame has had a long play in verse
+accepted at the Odeon, or at the Francais, or perhaps at the
+Theatre-Historique. But he's been talking about it a long, long while,
+and nobody else ever mentions it."
+
+"And are these monsieur's only titles to the admiration of his
+contemporaries?"
+
+"I know of no others. However, he's a good-looking fellow, dresses well,
+and follows all the fashions. He's a _beau cavalier_; so you must not be
+surprised if all the ladies fight for the honor of capturing him."
+
+"Oh! I am surprised at nothing."
+
+"But do you not cultivate the arts, Monsieur Rochebrune? I should say
+that I had heard of songs and ballads of which you are doubly the
+author, having composed both words and music."
+
+"Yes, monsieur, that is true. But one is no more a literary man because
+one can write a ballad, than one is a composer because one has composed
+an air and worked out a piano accompaniment for it."
+
+"Mere modesty on your part, monsieur; you can't make me believe that a
+man can compose an air without being a musician."
+
+"One may be like Jean-Jacques, who had not the slightest conception of
+counterpoint."
+
+"I don't know whether Rousseau was a consummate musician, but I wish
+that somebody would give us something equal to his _Devin du Village_."
+
+"I am with you there, monsieur, although it should have a new
+orchestration."
+
+"My wife is a fine performer on the piano, and she has a good voice; we
+have music at our house on Thursdays; that is the day the music lovers
+assemble. If it would be agreeable to you to hear them and to join
+them----"
+
+"You are too kind, monsieur; it will be a very great pleasure to me. I
+can listen to music twelve hours at a time, without tiring."
+
+"We shall rely upon you, then, monsieur, on Thursdays especially. But
+you will be welcome at any time. Do you know our address?"
+
+"No, I do not."
+
+"Here is my card."
+
+Having handed me his card, Monsieur Sordeville walked away. On my word!
+a charming husband! he anticipated my dearest wish. And yet, he did not
+act like a simpleton. Oh, no! he certainly was not one of those obliging
+husbands who see nothing of what goes on under their roofs. Madame
+Frederique was right in her prediction that he would invite me. I was
+decidedly puzzled; but I could see nothing in it at all that augured ill
+for me. Madame Sordeville was very pretty, very captivating. I felt that
+I should love her passionately. I did not know whether she was inclined
+to follow her friend Frederique's example, but I had permission to call
+at her house, and that was something.
+
+As soon as the quadrille was at an end, I once more approached the spot
+where the two ladies had established themselves. Monsieur Saint-Bergame
+was still with them; but he did not frighten me--he bored me, that was
+all.
+
+I cannot say whether the invitation I had just received had given me an
+air of triumph; but when she saw my face, Madame Sordeville smiled and
+exchanged a glance with her friend. I would have given--I cannot say how
+much, to know the meaning of that glance.
+
+Monsieur Saint-Bergame said to Madame Dauberny, with a curl of the lip,
+and an affectation of familiarity:
+
+"Do you expect to stay here long?"
+
+"Why not? I am in no hurry; my mind is at rest; Monsieur Dauberny won't
+sit up for me."
+
+"This party seems to me intolerably dull."
+
+"You are exceedingly polite! For my part, I am enjoying myself
+immensely."
+
+"Oh! you enjoy yourself everywhere, madame!"
+
+"That is creditable to my temperament, at all events."
+
+"There's a curious mixture of faces here--it's not homogeneous."
+
+"Very good! try to write an amusing article about it; it will be a
+windfall to you."
+
+"On my word, you are very sharp this evening!"
+
+"I thought that you were used to it."
+
+"The next contra-dance is mine, you know, madame?" I said to Madame
+Sordeville.
+
+"Yes, monsieur, to be sure; I have not forgotten it."
+
+Her manner as she made that reply was charming. Women have a way of
+saying the most trivial things which gives them enormous value in our
+eyes. That depends considerably, however, on one's frame of mind.
+
+The orchestra began to play a polka. I looked disconsolately at my
+pretty partner.
+
+"Do you polk?" I asked.
+
+"No. I waltz, but I don't polk."
+
+"But I do," said Madame Dauberny, holding out her hand. "And you know
+how well we danced together. Suppose we see if we can succeed as well
+here as at Monsieur Bocal's ball?"
+
+What an extraordinary woman! she said that as if we had known each other
+ten years. She was very pretty in my eyes at that moment. I hastened to
+take her hand, and we began to dance. I enjoyed it all the more because
+I had observed Saint-Bergame's horrible scowl.
+
+We danced for some time without speaking, and, vanity aside, I believe
+we performed very creditably. After we had twice made the circuit of the
+room, I could contain myself no longer.
+
+"Doesn't that gentleman who was with you polk?" I murmured.
+
+"I was sure that you would ask me that!"
+
+And she began to laugh. In truth, my question was most idiotic. But I am
+very prone to say such things. I am always conscious of it afterward,
+which is a little late. For fear of making a fool of myself again, I did
+not say another word. Thereupon my partner asked me:
+
+"Have you spoken with Monsieur Sordeville again?"
+
+"Yes, madame."
+
+"And he invited you to his house?"
+
+"Yes, madame."
+
+"What did I tell you? We guessed as much by your radiant expression
+just now."
+
+I knew then the meaning of the glance they exchanged when I approached
+them. But I did not like that: "_We_ guessed as much"; that identity of
+thoughts and sentiments was by no means pleasing to me. I have always
+noticed that the women who tell each other everything, their inmost
+thoughts and the most secret impulses of their hearts, never have
+anything left to confide to their lovers. With them they act, but do not
+lay bare their hearts. Friendship is almost always injurious to love.
+That is not my understanding of a profound sentiment, a genuine
+attachment.--But what am I moralizing about?
+
+I took the indefatigable Frederique back to her friend. The handsome
+dandy was no longer there. I heard Madame Sordeville whisper:
+
+"He has gone. He said he was going away; he was furious."
+
+"Really? That doesn't disturb me in the least!"
+
+But my gentleman had not gone. I saw him not far away. If he was jealous
+of me, he was sadly astray: I was thinking exclusively of Madame
+Sordeville and waiting impatiently for the quadrille, so that I could
+talk with her more freely.
+
+That moment arrived at last. I stood up beside my partner; each cavalier
+did the same. O blessed moment! What an excellent invention is dancing!
+
+I felt that I must make the most of my opportunity; I told Madame
+Sordeville that her husband had invited me to come to their house. She
+smiled, but made no reply. I could not rest content with that.
+
+"May I hope to be so fortunate, madame, as to obtain from your lips a
+confirmation of the invitation I have received?"
+
+"Whatever my husband does is well done, monsieur, and I can only approve
+it."
+
+That was a courteous reply, but nothing more. It seemed as if my fair
+partner were distraught. It is never very flattering to one's
+self-esteem to have the person to whom one is talking thinking of
+something else; and when that person is a woman with whom one is in
+love, it is much more mortifying. I was on the point of making a
+declaration of love, but it did not pass my lips. Could it be possible
+that she was nothing more or less than a coquette who had been amusing
+herself at my expense? Nonsense! Had I already forgotten all that she
+had done for me that evening? Wounded self-esteem often makes us very
+unjust. I determined to wait and not to go so fast, either in forming my
+judgments, or in my love.
+
+When the dance came to an end, many of the guests prepared to go away.
+Madame Sordeville rejoined her friend, who also seemed disposed to
+retire. What was there to detain me there? I had permission to call upon
+the charming Armantine, and that was all that I could expect.
+
+I left the restaurant. As I passed the rooms where the Bocal wedding
+party was still in full blast, I heard a good deal of noise. Was it
+merrymaking or quarrelling? Faith! Balloquet must take care of himself;
+and I went home and to bed.
+
+
+
+
+XV
+
+A VAGABOND
+
+
+On the day following that night which I had so well employed, I did not
+wake until after noon. I went over in my mind the events of the
+preceding evening. When one has done so much and heard so many
+anecdotes, one may be pardoned for being a little confused.
+
+Madame Sordeville's pretty face very soon presented itself to my memory.
+Now that I was no longer excited by the illusions of the ballroom and
+the strains of the music, I tried to determine what sort of woman she
+was, and whether I could reasonably hope for success if I should make
+love to her.
+
+She was pretty, well formed, graceful, amiable--yes, and intelligent; at
+all events, she possessed that sort of wit that gives sparkle to a
+conversation; I could not say as yet whether it had any substantial
+foundation. In that respect, women are much more deceitful than men;
+they are much more skilful in throwing dust in one's eyes. Too often
+the flow of words and bright sallies is only a sort of froth that will
+not stand the test of time.
+
+Madame Sordeville was undoubtedly a flirt. It is often said that all
+women are; but there are gradations. There are the amiable flirts who
+give a pungent flavor to love; there are others who do not give a lover
+one moment's peace or rest; and, frankly, a woman who takes pleasure in
+tormenting one is a sorry acquaintance. But I had not got to that point;
+perhaps the lady in question would never be anything to me, albeit her
+husband seemed to be not at all jealous.
+
+The anecdotes that were told at our dinner the day before recurred to my
+mind; one of them especially had made a deep impression on me, and I was
+surprised that I had forgotten for so long a time that young girl of
+Sceaux--that unhappy Mignonne, toward whom Fouvenard had behaved so
+abominably. As if it were not enough to abandon her after having made
+her a mother, he must needs force her, against her will, into another
+man's arms! That was a perfect outrage! The law punishes men for less
+than Fouvenard had done--and all because she loved him! Unhappy girl!
+and to think that she was on the point of becoming a mother! I simply
+must see her, and try to alleviate her misery. Perhaps she was in utter
+destitution. He said Rue Menilmontant, No. 80. I determined to go there;
+but I hoped that he had lied to us; that his Mignonne did not exist. It
+would be too execrable, if it were true.
+
+I rang for my servant, and he appeared. He was a simple-minded fellow,
+but trustworthy, I was confident; and as that is the rarest of qualities
+in all ranks of society, I kept Pomponne in my service, although he was
+very often guilty of the most stupid blunders, and was of such a prying,
+inquisitive turn that I often had to reprove him.
+
+Pomponne gave me all that I required for my toilet; but, as he walked
+about the room, I noticed that his manner was unusually idiotic, a
+symptom which always indicated that he had something to say and did not
+know how to go about it. So that it was necessary for me to give him a
+lead.
+
+"Have you been making a fool of yourself since yesterday, Pomponne?"
+
+"Me, monsieur! what makes you ask me that? You didn't tell me to, did
+you?"
+
+"Why, you don't usually wait for my instructions to do that. Are there
+any letters for me?"
+
+"No, monsieur."
+
+"Did anybody call while I was asleep?"
+
+"Call?"
+
+"Yes, call."
+
+"I don't think so, monsieur."
+
+"You don't think so? Aren't you sure?"
+
+"Oh, yes! I am sure."
+
+"What the devil's the matter with you this morning, that you seem so
+much more stupid than usual?"
+
+"Why, it seems to me that I'm just the same as usual."
+
+"Come, brush my hair, and be quick about it! It's late."
+
+You must know that Monsieur Pomponne was an excellent hair dresser; that
+and his trustworthiness, you see, made him rather a notable personage.
+He had studied the trade of hair dressing for some time; he gave it up,
+so he told me, because, as he had a fine lot of hair, his head was
+constantly used for beginners to practice on, and that got to be rather
+tiresome.
+
+"And the love affairs, Pomponne--how do they come on?"
+
+My servant blushed; he was not an accomplished rake, you see.
+
+"Oh, monsieur! I haven't any love affairs!"
+
+"Ah! so you choose to play the close-mouthed lover with me?--What about
+the maid-servant of the old gentleman opposite? you haven't made love to
+her, you rascal, have you?"
+
+"Oh, monsieur! I may have laughed a little with her; just in a joking
+way, that's all."
+
+"We all know what it means to laugh with maid-servants."
+
+"However, I think I'm going to lose her--poor Mademoiselle Rosalie!"
+
+"Is she sick?"
+
+"No, monsieur; I mean that she's probably going to leave the house. She
+has discharged her master."
+
+"Discharged her master? You mean that her master has discharged her, of
+course?"
+
+"No, monsieur; I give you my word that she told me: 'I don't want any
+more of my master; I've given him his papers.'--And she added: 'I said
+_zut_! to him.'"
+
+"The deuce! Mademoiselle Rosalie's language is rather decollete, I
+should say! Why is she leaving her master? He's rich and a widower--an
+excellent place for a servant, especially for one who says _zut_."
+
+"It seems, monsieur, that her master doesn't like to pay her."
+
+"Nonsense! that can't be. My old neighbor is noted for paying promptly
+and not having any debts."
+
+"I beg pardon, monsieur: they have had a dispute. You see, Mademoiselle
+Rosalie has a funny custom; she gets a commission for everything."
+
+"I don't understand. Doesn't she get any wages?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur; she has three hundred francs."
+
+"Well?"
+
+"Well, that don't make any difference; when she does an errand--for
+instance, when her master sends her with a letter to one of his friends,
+or anywhere else--well, that's fifteen sous; she charges a commission of
+fifteen sous. When she has to wash the windows, it's twenty sous. When
+she scrubs, it's twenty-five sous; do you see?"
+
+"Perfectly. So it's just the same as if he hadn't any servant; that's
+very convenient!"
+
+"She calls that putting the masters where they belong."
+
+"Just try putting me where I belong! I'll discharge you on the instant."
+
+"However, it seems that Rosalie's master never found any fault with all
+that; but the other night he told her to warm his bed; and when she
+charged him twelve sous for it the next day, that made him mad. I says
+to her: 'I must say, mamzelle, it seems to me, you might warm your
+master's bed for nothing!'--'Well, I guess not!' says she; 'he'd get
+into the habit of having it done every night!'"
+
+"Peste! there's a servant who will make her way in the world."
+
+"She's making it, monsieur; she tells me that she takes thirty-six
+francs to the savings bank every month."
+
+"And her wages are only twenty-five! She has the saving instinct, sure!"
+
+While I was talking with Pomponne, I noticed an odor that was not
+customary in my apartments.
+
+"Pomponne," I said abruptly, "have you been smoking this morning?"
+
+"Smoking, monsieur? You know I never smoke."
+
+"But it smells of tobacco here; not of cigars, but of a pipe, and vile
+tobacco too."
+
+My servant smiled with an expression which he tried to render cunning,
+and said in an undertone, leaning over me:
+
+"I know who it is; it's the other one."
+
+"What other one?"
+
+"The man who's waiting out there, in the reception room."
+
+"What! there's someone waiting for me, and you didn't tell me?"
+
+"Oh! he--he said he wasn't in any hurry."
+
+"And you told me that no one had called!"
+
+"He's not a caller. I heard you say once: 'If that person comes here
+again, and I have company, call me at once; don't let him in.'"
+
+I trembled as I began to realize who the visitor was.
+
+"Can it be----" I faltered.
+
+"Yes, monsieur; it's the party named Ballangier--the one who's so free
+and easy like, and makes himself so much at home here, just as if he was
+in his own house."
+
+I felt as if a heavy weight had settled down on my chest. In an instant
+all my cheerful thoughts had vanished. A feeling of depression replaced
+them. The presence--the very name--of Ballangier always produced that
+effect on me.
+
+"Has this--gentleman been here long?"
+
+"About three-quarters of an hour, monsieur, when you rang."
+
+"Didn't you tell him that I had been at a ball, and that I was likely to
+sleep very late?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur, I said all that. But he just sat down and said: 'That's
+all the same to me; I've got plenty of time.' And then, he took out a
+pipe and lighted it. It was no use for me to say: 'You mustn't smoke
+here; my master don't like the smell.'--He sings out: 'I smoke
+everywhere! and you can open the windows and burn some _castonnade_.'"
+
+"Show the gentleman in, and leave us. And if anybody should call while
+he is here, remember, Pomponne, that I am not at home to anyone."
+
+"Yes, monsieur--as usual."
+
+Pomponne went out, and in a moment the person who was waiting entered my
+bedroom.
+
+Ballangier was thirty-four years old; he looked older, because he had
+led a riotous life for a long while. Dissipation and debauchery make a
+man old prematurely.
+
+Imagine a man of more than ordinary height, who would have had a good
+figure if he had not acquired the habit of stooping. A refined, regular
+face, aquiline nose, small, heart-shaped mouth, and very black eyes
+surmounted by heavy eyebrows; an abundance of hair, once black, but now
+gray. All this would have formed an attractive whole, had it not been
+spoiled by a pronounced hangdog air. An expression that was impudent
+when not made stupid by drink, and manners that were often brutal; in
+addition, clothes that were always soiled and often in tatters, and the
+gait of a drummer; this rough sketch may serve to convey an impression
+of the person who stood before me.
+
+On the present occasion he wore a brown frock-coat that was neither
+ripped nor torn. It lacked only two buttons in front, but it was covered
+with spots and stains. His black trousers were shockingly muddy, as were
+his boots. As for his linen, that was invisible. A frayed black stock
+encircled his neck, and he held in his hand a round black hat which
+seemed to have had many hard knocks.
+
+When he entered my bedroom, Ballangier removed his pipe from his mouth.
+He walked forward, swaying his hips, nodded to me with a smile, and
+stretched himself out in an easy-chair, saying:
+
+"Here I am! How goes it, Charles?"
+
+"Very well, thanks."
+
+"It seems that you had a bit of a spree last night, and you've had a
+good snooze this morning. You do right to enjoy yourself. It's such good
+fun to spree it! I'd like to do nothing else, myself."
+
+"I should say that you had done little else thus far."
+
+"Bah! bagatelles! To make things hum, a fellow must have the needful.
+Everything's so dear to-day! Those villains of wine merchants and
+restaurant keepers won't give credit any more!"
+
+"They are wise."
+
+"Why are they wise?"
+
+"Because you have run up bills more than once that would never have been
+paid if I hadn't paid them."
+
+"Who says I wouldn't have paid my debts? But a fellow must have time!
+Why are they in such a hurry?"
+
+"You make me blush for you, Ballangier! Am I the person for you to make
+such speeches to?"
+
+"Well, what's the matter now? Ain't I to be allowed to speak?"
+
+"You might at least save yourself the trouble of lying to me, who know
+you too well! and who know what your conduct has always been! When a man
+who has no income desires to meet his obligations, he says to himself:
+'I'll work and earn money.'--For, as I have told you a hundred times,
+there's no other way to obtain an honorable position in the world. You
+refuse to understand that everybody on this earth has to work, from the
+smallest to the greatest, from the humblest clerk to the highest
+functionary, from the artisan to the artist. The very rich men whose lot
+you envy--for the idle and lazy, the people who do nothing, naturally
+envy the lot of the rich--those who have great wealth have to busy
+themselves with investing it, managing their property, overlooking the
+conduct of the people they employ, regulating their expenses; and if
+they wish to retain their fortune, I assure you they don't pass their
+whole life enjoying themselves."
+
+Ballangier lay back in his chair, shook the ashes out of his pipe, and
+looked at me with a bantering air, as he rejoined:
+
+"What work have you, who preach so eloquently, ever done? What is your
+employment? I don't know what it is, but I don't think it's very
+wearisome."
+
+I could not restrain an indignant gesture, for the man's ingratitude was
+revolting to me; he owed everything to me! But I soon grew calm again;
+there was one thought before which my anger vanished, and I replied
+quietly:
+
+"In the first place, I was justified in not taking up any profession, as
+my father left me fifteen thousand francs a year."
+
+"I don't say that you did wrong; I am not blaming you, my dear fellow,
+but, that being the case, I wasn't so far out of the way, was I?"
+
+"I beg your pardon. Be good enough to listen to me. Although I had some
+fortune, I began at once to study law, in order to become an advocate.
+Some time after, having a passion for the arts, I studied music,
+painting, and sculpture, in turn; then I turned to poetry, I wrote a
+poem--a bad one, perhaps, but I devoted my best energies to it, none the
+less. So you see that I have done something; and if I should lose now
+what money I still have, I could make a living honestly, and without
+assistance, with the small talents I have acquired. Can you say as much,
+you who have nothing, no future prospects, but have never been willing
+to do anything or to learn anything? who, instead of remaining in the
+sphere in which you were born, have plunged into a vice-ridden circle,
+and acquired the tastes and habits and manners of people who are cast
+out from all respectable society?"
+
+"What's that? what's that? I'm a cabinetmaker! Isn't that a respectable
+trade? Anyone would think, to hear you, that I worked nights--on the
+dust heaps!"
+
+"Oh! I don't despise any trade, monsieur. I esteem every man whose
+behavior is honorable. The mechanic, the artisan, the day laborer, are
+all entitled to my esteem and consideration when they are honest and
+upright. I say again, there is no despicable trade; the vicious, lazy,
+idle people, the drunken debauchees, no matter to what rank in life they
+belong, are the ones whom we should look upon with contempt and shame.
+You claim to be a mechanic, but you lie. You are nothing, neither
+cabinetmaker nor anything else, because you will not do anything,
+because work is a burden and a bore to you, because you have acquired
+the habit of passing your time in wine shops and dance halls, or in
+vile dens of debauchery, where you have associated yourself with
+wretches who are the offscourings of society! And at thirty-four years
+of age, you continue this line of conduct! Ah! you are incorrigible;
+that is evident!"
+
+Ballangier threw his pipe on the floor, exclaiming angrily:
+
+"Damnation! I'm sick of this sort of thing! If I am incorrigible, I
+don't quite see why you preach this sermon at me!"
+
+"I am entitled to do it; if you had followed my advice, listened to my
+entreaties, you would not be where I find you now. Furthermore, if my
+sermons displease you, why do you come here? I told you not to. Do I not
+send you regularly every three months the allowance that I have
+consented to make you, although, as you well know, I am under no
+obligation to do it? Only a fortnight ago, I went myself and handed your
+quarterly payment to your concierge."
+
+"That's just what I don't want you to do! He kept half of it, the
+miserly old screw!"
+
+"Kept it! You told me yourself that he was an honest man; and you say
+that he kept money belonging to you!"
+
+"He claimed that I owed him for loans, and food, and carrying
+letters--mere trifles!"
+
+"If you owed him, you should pay him."
+
+"I'd have paid him later; he had no right to pay himself. Oh! I know
+the law, don't I? You ought to know about it, as you studied to be an
+advocate."
+
+"What do you want to-day? Why did you come here?"
+
+"I wanted to tell you that I am going to move! I can't stay in a house
+where the concierge has no sense of delicacy. By the way, you haven't a
+glass of anything to give me, have you? I came out without my breakfast
+this morning; I've done a good deal of running around, and it makes a
+man hollow. Come, Charlot, be a good fellow! Don't scowl at Fanfinet!
+You know that I'm a good friend."
+
+I made no reply, but opened a cupboard containing several bottles of
+different liqueurs. I took out one of them and a small glass, and placed
+them in front of Ballangier; who instantly pounced on the bottle and
+filled the glass to the brim, saying:
+
+"Won't you drink with me?"
+
+"No; I never drink liqueur in the morning."
+
+"As you please; there's no accounting for tastes. You are very delicate,
+you are; for my part, I'd drink a goblet of rum without winking. This is
+anisette--a lady's cordial! sweet as sugar! Never mind, it's not bad."
+
+"What are you doing now, Ballangier? Are you working anywhere? Come,
+tell me frankly."
+
+"I'm going to tell you just how it is. As if I could conceal anything
+from you! I always pour out my troubles on your breast."
+
+"Why did you come here to-day?"
+
+"I'll tell you all about it. But haven't you something a little stiffer
+to give me? Your anisette makes me sick at my stomach. Tell me where it
+is; don't disturb yourself."
+
+"I have nothing else to give you; moreover, I don't choose to give you
+anything else. If I listened to you, you would drink yourself drunk
+here. It's quite enough that you should take the liberty to smoke; you
+know perfectly well that I don't like it."
+
+"People smoke in the most select society."
+
+"Enough of this, monsieur! Why did you come here in spite of my
+prohibition?"
+
+"Oh! monsieur--what a tone! We seem to be in an infernal humor to-day,
+monseigneur! Luckily, I'm not easily frightened."
+
+I strove to keep down my irritation; I stood in front of my mirror and
+arranged my cravat, then finished dressing myself. Ballangier, seeing
+that I paid no heed to him, poured out another glass of anisette; then,
+trying to assume a piteous tone, he mumbled:
+
+"I know well enough that I don't amount to much, that I've often done
+foolish things. That's true; but, after all, youth must have its fling;
+mine seems to last a good while, but whose fault is it? And it's no time
+to treat me like a dog, just when I've made up my mind to turn over a
+new leaf, to straighten myself out and be sensible!"
+
+He paused and glanced at me; but I did not say a word, and he
+continued:
+
+"Yes, this time, I have reflected seriously. As you said just now, I am
+no longer young, I must think of my future; and an opportunity is
+offered me--an affair that would suit me to a T. I have spoken to you
+about Morillot--a good fellow, who's in the cabinetmaking line; he's no
+ne'er-do-well, but a worker; and I confess that if I'd listened to him,
+I'd be in better case than I am. Well, Morillot has gone back to
+Besancon, where he came from. He always said to me: 'When I have a place
+for you, I'll write and you can come.'--Well, he's just written to me,
+and he says that, if I choose to come, he's got just what I want; and
+that, if I behave myself, I'll soon be able to set up for myself at
+Besancon. I came here to tell you that."
+
+I listened to Ballangier without interrupting him. I did not know
+whether I ought to believe him, he had deceived me so often! It was no
+easy matter to read his face; he could assume any expression he chose;
+he could even weep, when he thought that would advance his schemes.
+
+"If this Morillot has really made you such a proposition, why don't you
+go?" I asked at last.
+
+"Ah! you're a good one, you are! That's easy enough to say. But I don't
+want to go to Besancon dressed like this--all in rags; that would give
+people a bad opinion of me at the outset. If a man's hide isn't
+somewhere near decent--you know what fools folks are! And then the
+journey; and then, I shan't get paid as soon as I arrive. In fact, I
+haven't a sou, as that rascally concierge kept almost the whole of what
+you gave him for me. And, anyway, fifty francs a month ain't a fortune!
+A man can't go far with that!"
+
+"A man can live with that; and if you chose to work, you could have
+everything you need. How many poor women who pass their days sewing, and
+sit up half the night to add a few sous to their day's pay, don't earn
+as much as this sum that seems to you too small! But do you forget all
+that I have done for you? I have tried every possible means of bringing
+you back to a respectable mode of life. The more money I give you, the
+more you spend in those dens of iniquity where you pass your life. I got
+tired at last of supporting your vices; and I still do too much for
+you."
+
+"Come! come! let's not get excited! It's not worth while to talk about
+the past. What's gone by is wiped out. To-day, to replenish my wardrobe,
+to pay for my journey and incidental expenses, and to keep me till I get
+paid for my work, I need--_dame!_ I need fully four hundred francs. Oh!
+I know it's like pulling out a tooth, and that I've cost you a lot of
+money already; but this will be the last time; and you wont hear of me
+again. I'll settle at Besancon; they say Franche-Comte is a pleasant
+country; at all events, I can be happy anywhere."
+
+I reflected, while Ballangier watched me with something very like
+anxiety. He had lied to me so often that I dared not put faith in what
+he said.
+
+"What have you to prove the truth of what you tell me?"
+
+"Oh! I suspected that you wouldn't believe me; but I have my proofs."
+
+And Ballangier, feeling in his pocket, triumphantly produced a letter,
+which he handed to me. It came from Besancon, it was signed _Morillot_,
+and it did, in fact, contain what he had said. I had already given him
+money; but if I could finally rid myself of him and of the fear of
+meeting him in Paris---- That hope put an end to my hesitation.
+
+I opened my secretary, took out four hundred francs in gold, and placed
+the money in Ballangier's hand.
+
+"Take it," I said; "and may you at last make a good use of what I give
+you!"
+
+Ballangier turned purple with pleasure when he held the gold pieces in
+his hand; he made as if he would throw himself on my neck; but I stepped
+back and he checked himself, crying:
+
+"That is true, I am not worthy; but I will wait till another time. I
+propose to become a model of virtue. Sacrebleu! I propose that you shall
+be satisfied with me at last! I will make it a point of honor! Au
+revoir, Charlot!--no, I mean adieu! you prefer that, and you're quite
+right."
+
+He said no more, but walked quickly from the room. And I breathed more
+freely when he was no longer there.
+
+
+
+
+XVI
+
+MADAME LANDERNOY
+
+
+I felt the need of some distraction to enable me to forget the visit I
+had just received.
+
+"Ah!" I thought; "I will go and hunt up the poor girl from Sceaux."
+
+I had finished dressing. Pomponne, seeing that I was preparing to go
+out, planted himself in front of me, like a soldier awaiting the
+countersign, and said:
+
+"Is monsieur going out?"
+
+"As you see."
+
+"Monsieur has no orders for me?"
+
+"None."
+
+"Will monsieur return to dinner?"
+
+"Come, come, Pomponne! are you going crazy altogether?"
+
+"I don't think so, monsieur."
+
+"Then why do you ask me that question? You know perfectly well that I
+usually dine at a table d'hote, and never at home."
+
+"True, monsieur; but you do sometimes dine at home, when you have
+company, you know.--Ha! ha!"
+
+Monsieur Pomponne felt called upon to laugh slyly and assume a
+mischievous look; for you must know that I dine at home only when I am
+entertaining a lady who fears to compromise her reputation by going to a
+restaurant. There are ladies who decline to go to restaurants, but are
+perfectly willing to go to a gentleman's apartment. I am far from
+blaming them; everyone is free to act as she pleases. But it was a long
+time since I had entertained in my own quarters, my recent acquaintances
+having had no dislike for restaurants. So I simply informed Pomponne
+that he was a zany, and left the house.
+
+From Rue Bleue, where I lived, to Rue Menilmontant is a long distance,
+but the fresh air and the exercise did me good. I thought of my charming
+partner, the seductive Armantine's image was constantly before my eyes;
+and when I spied a woman of her stature and figure, I quickened my pace,
+in order to overtake her and find out if it were she. I always had my
+trouble for my pains, which did not deter me from doing the same thing
+again a few moments later. I have noticed that love always gives as
+much occupation to the legs as to the mind.
+
+My amorous thoughts cooled a little as I drew near Rue Menilmontant, a
+street, by the way, which might well pass for a faubourg. In that
+quarter I met no more women who reminded me of Armantine. I called her
+"Armantine" to myself, although that was perhaps a slightly familiar way
+of speaking of a woman I had known less than twenty-four hours, and who
+had given me no right to claim that privilege. But when a lover is
+speaking to himself, is he not at liberty to apply the fondest names to
+the object of his adoration, and to address her by the most familiar
+terms, in the ecstasy of his illusions? That injures nobody and affords
+him so much pleasure! It has often been said, and justly, that: "Men are
+overgrown children, who must always have some plaything to fondle. With
+some it is ambition, honors; with others, wealth; with others, peace and
+repose; but with the vast majority, love."--To these last, the image of
+the loved one is the persistent idea that guides all their actions.
+
+The number mentioned by Fouvenard was a long way up the street. I was
+not very far from the barrier, and it was easy to imagine one's self in
+the country. I presumed that lodgings thereabout were not very dear. At
+last I found the number I sought. It was a house of great height. As I
+entered, I began to wonder what I should say to that young woman, whom I
+had never seen, and what pretext I should allege for my visit. The first
+step was to find if she really lived there. I found a concierge, almost
+entirely hidden by two cats and a dog that had established themselves
+upon her person and covered her face so that only the end of her nose
+was visible. I asked for Mademoiselle Mignonne.
+
+The concierge managed to push her way through the cats, and responded:
+
+"Mademoiselle Mignonne? Don't know her."
+
+"You don't know her?"
+
+"Faith, no! What does she do?"
+
+"What does she do? Why, she works; sews or embroiders, I believe."
+
+"No such person in the house, monsieur."
+
+So Fouvenard had deceived us; his Mignonne was a creation of his fancy.
+I was sure of it! I much preferred to find out that he had lied to us,
+rather than that that poor girl really existed. I had already left the
+house; but a few steps away, I stopped; I remembered that the girl had a
+family name also; perhaps she had hired a lodging in Paris under that
+name. So I retraced my steps to where the concierge sat amid her
+animals, and said:
+
+"The person I am looking for is named Landernoy; Mignonne is her
+Christian name."
+
+"Oh! Landernoy--that's a different matter; if you had asked for that
+name first, you wouldn't have had the trouble of coming back."
+
+"You know her, then?"
+
+"_Pardi!_ to be sure I do, as she lives in the house. Mamzelle
+Landernoy--Madame, I mean, for we call her _madame_ now, you see; it's
+properer, considering her condition. I don't know whether you know what
+I mean?"
+
+"Yes, yes, perfectly; of course, I ought to have said _madame_."
+
+"Oh! as to that, we know well enough that the only marriage she ever had
+was at the mayor's office of the thirteenth arrondissement! But then,
+what can you expect? she's one more poor girl that's made a misstep; but
+that's no reason for heaving stones at her. The good Lord said we
+mustn't heave stones at anybody--especially at poor women who've been
+weak; eh, monsieur?"
+
+The concierge's words led me to forgive her her cats, and I would
+gladly have shaken hands with her if I had not been afraid of being
+clawed.
+
+"Madame," I said, "your sentiments do you honor."
+
+"_Dame!_ I say what I think, that's all. And then, the poor thing seems
+so unhappy! It ain't that she complains the least bit--oh, no! she's
+proud enough in her poverty! But, in the first place, she can't be
+happy, because her seducer's gone back on her altogether; that is, I
+suppose he has; for nobody ever comes to see her now, not even a
+cat--except mine; they sometimes go and bid her good-day. And then, when
+she came here, she had a modest little room on the fifth; and now she's
+left that and taken another one right up under the eaves, with a little
+round window and no fireplace. In fact, you can hardly call it a room;
+it's only a closet at best. But, dame! it only costs seventy francs a
+year, and the other room was almost twice that; and when you haven't got
+anything but your work to live on--and a woman earns so little--and on
+the point of being a mother, too!--Still, it don't make any difference;
+as I was just saying, she don't complain. She's making clothes for the
+baby; and when I go in to say good-day to her, she always shows me a
+little cap or a little shirt, and says:
+
+"'Look--this is for him!'--And then she smiles. Poor soul! she never
+smiles, only when she speaks of her child."
+
+"But what does the poor girl live on, in heaven's name?"
+
+"Oh! she works, she makes linen garments; she sews mighty well; and
+then, she's got a pretty taste for trimming caps and headdresses; I'm
+sure she could have kept her first room, if she'd wanted to; but I
+suppose that she said to herself that, as she was going to be a mother,
+she must be saving and put a little something aside against the time
+when the child comes. And, as I tell you, she's making him a pretty
+little outfit; I'm sure that there's a dozen little caps already."
+
+I was deeply moved by what I had heard. The concierge pointed out the
+staircase leading to Mignonne's lodging, but, as she did so, she said to
+me:
+
+"Have you come to give the poor woman an order for some work?"
+
+"Yes, that is my purpose."
+
+"This is what I was going to say, monsieur: since her--lover stopped
+coming to see her--a fellow with a big beard that I didn't call very
+good-looking--Madame Landernoy--we call her _madame_, you know--has got
+to be sort of wild like; you would say she was afraid. She says to me:
+'If any gentlemen come to speak to me, please to say always that I ain't
+in, that I've gone out; don't let 'em come up.'--As there hasn't been
+one come for a long while, I ain't had to say anything, but I just this
+minute thought of her orders. However, if you mean to give her work,
+that can't disturb her."
+
+"Never fear, madame; my only desire is to try to be useful to your
+interesting tenant, not to distress her in any way."
+
+"All right, then; go up--way up to the top, as long as you find stairs;
+then the door facing you. There's nobody but Madame Landernoy up there
+in the daytime, anyway; the other two rooms belong to servants, who
+never go up till bed time."
+
+I understood why the poor girl did not wish to receive visits from men.
+After the plot of which she had been the victim, she must naturally have
+retained a feeling of aversion for them and must look upon them all
+with suspicion. In that case, I should not be warmly received, and what
+was I to say? I had no idea; but, no matter! I was determined to see
+Mignonne, and even to face her wrath.
+
+I ascended the stairs, the first flights being broad and roomy, but the
+upper ones very narrow. On the fifth floor I paused to take breath; in
+front of me was a sort of ladder, the only means of access to the lofts
+which many landlords have the assurance to call rooms. I know that
+Beranger said:
+
+    "How happy one is in a garret at twenty!"
+
+True, when one is there to make love! but it must be a miserable sojourn
+when love abandons one there!
+
+I climbed the ladder and found myself in a low, narrow, dark passageway;
+I distinguished a door in front of me; that was where she lived. My
+heart beat as if I were on the point of committing some evil deed. Why
+are we no less excited when about to do good than when about to do evil?
+I like to believe that the sensation is different.
+
+I approached the door, and was on the point of knocking, when I heard a
+voice. I listened.
+
+"Yes, you will be warmly wrapped in this, dear child! Another little
+nightgown; that makes six. Ah! you see, I don't want you to lack
+anything; you will be my companion, my little companion; you will never
+leave me, and I shan't be alone any more, then; I shall be very happy;
+I'll kiss you as much as I choose, all day long, for I shall be the one
+to nurse you! Some people look as if they pitied me because I am going
+to be a mother! Ah! they don't understand all the joys and hopes that go
+with that title! Why, if it wasn't for my child, I should be dead! Oh,
+yes! I should have preferred to die! If it's a girl, I shall call her
+Marie; that was my mother's name. If it's a boy, I shall call him--I--I
+don't know yet. Edouard's a nice name, or Leon. But not Ernest, in any
+case! Ah! what a horrible name!"
+
+These last words were uttered in a trembling voice, and I heard nothing
+more. I knocked gently on the door.
+
+"Who's there? Is it you, Madame Potrelle? Wait a minute, and I'll let
+you in."
+
+The door opened. It was, in truth, Mignonne, as Fouvenard had described
+her to us: a pale, fair-haired girl, with soft, blue eyes; but the lips
+were no longer red, or the complexion rosy; grief and lonely vigils,
+during an advanced stage of pregnancy, had seamed and emaciated that
+youthful face, whose habitual expression now was one of melancholy.
+
+Mignonne stood as if struck dumb with amazement at sight of me. I
+removed my hat and bowed respectfully; I was desirous to inspire her
+with confidence; but as I did not know what to say, and as she seemed to
+be waiting for me to speak, we stood for several minutes, looking at
+each other, without a word.
+
+"Monsieur--you have mistaken the room, I think," faltered Mignonne at
+last, in an uncertain voice. "You did not mean to come to my room; you
+came up too high."
+
+"No, mademoi--no, madame; I think that I have not made a mistake. I am
+looking for Madame Landernoy; are not you she?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur, that is my name. What do you want of me?"
+
+Mignonne spoke in a short, sharp tone, which proved that my visit was
+not agreeable to her. I was still at the door, and she did not ask me to
+come in. Perhaps she did not wish me to see the wretched place she lived
+in, and, in truth, what I did see made my heart bleed, for, without
+entering, the whole room was visible. It was a tiny room, with no light
+except from a round hole in the sloping roof, the window being opened
+or closed by an iron bar, as it was so high as to be out of reach. So
+that she had no sight of anything but a little patch of sky when she
+raised her eyes to look out. There was no fireplace, but a small
+air-tight stove. A bed, a commode, a table, a small buffet, a water
+pail, and six chairs composed the poor girl's furniture. But everything
+was neatly arranged and spotlessly clean.
+
+Evidently, in my inspection of the room, I forgot to answer the question
+she asked me, for it was repeated in a still more imperative tone:
+
+"I asked you what you wanted, monsieur; for I don't know you."
+
+"Oh! I beg pardon, madame! I came to ask you--I am told that you do very
+fine linen work, and I wanted--I had some work to give you to do, if you
+chose to undertake it."
+
+"Who told you that I did linen work, monsieur?"
+
+"Why--a lady--for whom you have worked."
+
+"What is the lady's name?"
+
+I was sadly embarrassed. I stammered and stuttered, and finally replied:
+
+"Faith! I really don't remember. The lady told another lady, a friend of
+hers, who told me, because she knew I wanted some shirts made."
+
+"I am not very skilful, monsieur; and the person I work for must not be
+very exacting."
+
+"Oh! I am not at all exacting, madame; I want some shirts--to wear in
+the country. If you had the simplest kind of a pattern to show me."
+
+I took several steps forward; Mignonne allowed me to enter her garret;
+she seemed to have laid aside her distrust. I was conscious of a secret
+joy, and, while she was looking in a drawer, I took a chair, saying:
+
+"Excuse me, madame, if I sit down; but I came up rather rapidly, and the
+stairs are quite steep."
+
+"Pray rest, monsieur; I should have offered you a seat; but my room is
+not very cheerful, and it never occurs to me to do the honors. Dear me!
+I can't find any pattern. I remember now that the day before yesterday I
+returned the last shirts I had to make. But you have brought me a
+pattern, no doubt?"
+
+"No; I did not think of it."
+
+"But it is absolutely necessary."
+
+"I will bring you one, then."
+
+"If you will kindly hand it to the lady who gave you my address,
+monsieur, with the linen for the shirts, I will go there and get them;
+for, of course, you would not bring the package here yourself."
+
+She was determined to find out who had given me her address. In my
+earnest desire to obtain her confidence, I said:
+
+"Oh! I thought that you would probably undertake to buy it yourself--the
+linen, or percale, or Scotch batiste, or what you will; for I don't know
+anything about it; ladies are better at buying such things than we are.
+I can bring you a pattern; I will roll it up and put it in my pocket,
+and you won't need to put yourself out. In view of your condition,
+madame, you should avoid fatigue as much as possible."
+
+"But, monsieur, if I go out to buy linen, it won't be any extra trouble
+to call on the lady; and I can thank her at the same time for thinking
+about me."
+
+"Oh! that is natural enough! She knew that you could--that you had more
+claim than most women to her interest. She said to me: 'Mademoiselle
+Mignonne--that is to say, Madame Landernoy--deserves your full
+confidence, and I commend her to you.'"
+
+The moment that I mentioned the name of Mignonne, she sprang to her feet
+from the chair she had taken; her brow clouded, she fixed her eyes on
+the floor, trembling convulsively, and murmured:
+
+"Who told you, monsieur, that my name was Mignonne? None of the people I
+have worked for have known me by any other name than that of Madame
+Landernoy."
+
+"Mon Dieu! I can't remember now, madame. But someone must have told me.
+That lady probably learned it by accident."
+
+Mignonne made a slight movement of her shoulders, which I could not
+interpret as flattering to me. To be sure, for the last minute I had
+been stumbling and splashing about, with no idea of what I was saying. I
+saw that I had made an egregious blunder by calling her Mignonne. Of
+course, her Christian name was not generally known; and, as I knew it,
+she thought, no doubt, that I was a friend of the man who had so
+shamelessly betrayed her; perhaps she imagined that Fouvenard had sent
+me to her. That idea drove me to despair. A fine thing I had done,
+parbleu! How was I to regain her confidence?
+
+I took two hundred francs from my pocket and handed them to her, saying:
+
+"Here is some money to buy linen with, madame, if you will kindly attend
+to it. If it is not enough, please let me know----"
+
+Mignonne refused to take the money, saying in a severe tone:
+
+"It's not worth while for you to give me this money, monsieur; I am not
+in the habit of buying materials myself. Besides, I cannot, at this
+moment, undertake the work you offer me. I haven't time to do it; I have
+other work that is more urgent."
+
+I sadly put the money back in my pocket, mumbling:
+
+"But I'm not in any hurry for the shirts, madame; you may make them when
+you choose."
+
+"No, monsieur; I don't accept work unless I have time to do it.--Adieu,
+monsieur!"
+
+She had thrown her door wide open, and she stood at one side, apparently
+inviting me to go. She dismissed me, she was anxious to see the last of
+me. Clearly, to remain any longer would simply have irritated her more.
+I rose and bowed low, but I paused in the doorway to say to her:
+
+"I venture to hope, madame, that I shall be more fortunate another time,
+and that you will then consent to work for me."
+
+"Yes, monsieur, another time."
+
+And she closed her door almost in my face. I was incensed against
+myself. If I had not called her Mignonne, she would have undertaken the
+work I offered her. Now she looked upon me with suspicion, with horror
+perhaps, thinking that I was a friend of Fouvenard, and remembering why
+he sent his friends to her and how they treated her.
+
+I was convinced that she would forbid her concierge to allow me to go up
+to her room. I had guessed that by her manner when she said:
+
+"Yes, monsieur, another time."
+
+So I was dismissed, turned out of doors, by that girl whom I had visited
+with none but the purest and most honorable purposes! To be useful to
+her, to relieve her distress, to avenge her if possible for the outrages
+of which she had been the victim--that was my object in going to see
+her; and although the girl was pretty enough, never, not even since I
+had been in a position to judge of her beauty, had any ulterior purpose
+suggested itself to my mind. It seemed to me that Mignonne could be to
+me nothing more than a friend, a sister; no other thought had come to my
+mind or my heart.
+
+However, I determined to be of some use to her, no matter what she might
+do; and when I have determined on a thing, I am not to be deterred by
+obstacles.
+
+I hastened down the stairs, and passed the concierge and her cats
+without stopping. I walked very fast until I found a cab, which I
+entered, and was driven to a shop where they sold linens, batistes--in a
+word, stuff for shirts. I chose the first thing they showed me--Scotch
+batiste, I believe--and took enough to make a dozen shirts. Then I
+returned to my cab and went home, for I remembered that I must have a
+pattern. I took one of my shirts that seemed to be made in the simplest
+way, and was about to start off again, when it occurred to me that if,
+as I feared, she should refuse to see me, I had best leave a letter; so
+I concluded to write a few lines, and sign my name, in order to regain
+her confidence; when a man is not afraid to give his name, it is usually
+a proof that he has no evil designs.
+
+I sat down at my desk and wrote:
+
+     "MADAME:
+
+     "Although you refused the work I offered you, I take the liberty of
+     sending it to you. You can do it at odd moments; do not let it put
+     you out in the least. If I have been unfortunate enough, madame, to
+     arouse your distrust, and if you do not choose to receive me again,
+     you may hand the work to your concierge when it is done, with a
+     memorandum of what I owe you; and I will pay her. But I beg you to
+     believe, madame, that I was led to call upon you solely by the
+     interest that you cannot fail to arouse in all honorable persons,
+     and that my motive is one that can be unhesitatingly avowed.
+
+    "CHARLES ROCHEBRUNE."
+
+I closed the letter, took my cab once more, and returned to Mignonne's
+abode.
+
+All this going and coming had taken some time. When I stopped in front
+of the house the second time, it was nearly two hours since I had left
+it. I went at once to the concierge, with my bundle of linen under my
+arm. Before I had mentioned the girl's name, the concierge cried:
+
+"She ain't in, monsieur; that young lady's gone out; you can't go up. In
+fact, she don't want you to go up to her room any more; she scolded me
+for letting you go."
+
+"I thought that you might have received that order, madame, and I do not
+insist on seeing Madame Landernoy; but here is a letter for her, and a
+package, which I beg you to be good enough to hand her."
+
+"A package! I don't know if I ought to take it."
+
+"You cannot refuse to receive it, madame. Besides, I assure you that my
+intentions are honorable, and that young woman does very wrong to
+distrust me. I hope that she will do me justice later. I will return in
+about a fortnight."
+
+With that, I tossed letter and bundle on the concierge's knees, at the
+risk of crushing one of her cats, and turned away, paying no heed to her
+reply.
+
+
+
+
+XVII
+
+MADAME SORDEVILLE AND HER RECEPTION
+
+
+I had done all that I could, all that it was possible for me to do at
+that moment for Mignonne; and I felt better satisfied with myself. I
+determined to forget her for a while and think of my new love.
+
+I made up my mind to go to Monsieur Sordeville's on Thursday. I must
+wait until then to see the charming Armantine. The intervening four days
+seemed very long. There are some men who kill time and shorten the
+period of separation by talking of their loved one with their friends;
+but I have never had confidants; true love is always better placed in
+the depths of our hearts than in the memory of indifferent persons, who
+take no interest in it, or recall it only to laugh at us if we are
+betrayed, to call us fools if we are loyal, to envy us if we are happy.
+Moreover, is it true that we have any real friends? For my own part, I
+know of none. In my youth, I believed in the friendship of some young
+men with whom I was often thrown in parties of pleasure; at that time,
+over-flowing with confidence, I asked nothing better than to lay bare my
+heart, to devote myself in all sincerity to those who pressed my hand;
+but I was very ill repaid for my frankness and my kindliness. My
+delusions were destroyed too soon, and I held aloof from men and drew
+nearer to women; I have never repented of it, for in friendship women
+are infinitely superior to men.
+
+I do not call those people my friends whom I meet by chance at parties
+or dinners, like Balloquet and Dupreval; they are acquaintances, nothing
+more.
+
+Thursday arrived, and I betook myself to Monsieur Sordeville's, on Rue
+Neuve-Saint-Augustin: a handsome house, handsome hall, handsome
+apartments; a servant to announce the guests; all the externals which
+indicate opulence. I entered a very spacious salon, in which there were
+already many people, and passed rapidly through a throng of unfamiliar
+faces. Monsieur Sordeville left a group of men, with whom he was
+talking, to come to meet me and shake hands as if we were old friends. I
+could not help laughing inwardly at the prodigious expenditure of
+handshakings in society, among people who know one another as little as
+Monsieur Sordeville and myself, and often are not at all fond of one
+another. 'Tis a pity; it would be so pleasant to have one's hand shaken,
+if it were to be depended upon as an assurance of affection and good
+will. But men have spoiled everything, and the most expressive words
+and gestures mean nothing now, because they have been so abused.
+
+Monsieur Sordeville, still holding my hand and pressing it, took me to
+his wife.
+
+"My dear," he said, "here is Monsieur Rochebrune, who has been good
+enough to accept our invitation."
+
+The charming Armantine wore a fascinating gown, with infinite grace and
+coquetry. I did not recognize in her the unconstraint of my partner at
+Mademoiselle Guillardin's wedding party,--to-day she was a true
+_petite-maitresse_, a little affected, and a little ceremonious too. But
+she was a very seductive woman still. Moreover, it was natural enough
+that in her own house she should be more punctilious in her manners than
+at a wedding ball. Doubtless it seemed to her becoming to assume a more
+dignified bearing to receive her guests; a hostess is a different person
+from a guest at a party, who has not to play a leading part.
+
+It was too bad! she was so attractive at the ball! she laughed so
+readily, and seemed to invite one to laugh with her. However, she did
+the honors of her salon very gracefully; she welcomed me with an affable
+smile, and thanked me as her husband had done for remembering their
+invitation. I cannot say what answer I made; my eyes must have said more
+than my mouth. I tried to detect in her eyes an expression that would at
+least tell me that she understood me, that she guessed my meaning; but I
+saw only that gracious smile with which she received the homage of all
+the men who came up to salute her.
+
+A person is always awkward and embarrassed in a company to which he is
+an entire stranger, and where he can find no familiar face. I walked
+away from Madame Sordeville, as it was impossible for me to stand
+staring at her; that would have made me look like a fool, and would not
+have advanced my interests at all. With women whom one is anxious to
+please, one should, above all things, avoid looking like a fool; to be
+sure, that does not always depend on one's self.
+
+I looked about for Madame Dauberny; I looked forward to meeting her
+there, because she had seemed to me to be very intimate with the
+mistress of the house. I did not see her. Men were in a large majority;
+why were there so few women, and, above all, so few pretty ones? Was it
+intentional on the part of the hostess? Surely she was pretty enough to
+fear no rivalry!
+
+The guests were chatting together in groups in different parts of the
+salon. There was a piano, but thus far there had been no suggestion of
+music. I walked into another room, where two whist tables were in
+operation. There were fewer people there. If she should come into that
+room, I could talk more freely with her. But she was too busily engaged
+in receiving her guests and listening to the compliments they paid her;
+she seemed to me to be a great flirt. It has frequently been said that
+all women are--the desire to please is so natural! As if men were not
+flirts, too! Everybody wishes to produce an impression: the ugly man
+seeks to please by his wit; this one by his magnificence, another by his
+generosity, another by his attentions, his servility, his flatteries;
+but the end is always the same. So, let us not blame women for being
+coquettish; nature, when endowing them with beauty, grace, and charm,
+seems to have taught them what use they could make of these advantages.
+But the one person that I cannot endure is a capricious woman; is there
+anything more insufferable than to be greeted coldly or sulkily, when
+you do not know the reason and have done nothing to deserve it?
+Certainly I had no right to complain of Madame Sordeville; still, after
+her friendly treatment of me at the wedding party, after the sort of
+intimacy which the disclosure of my secret had at once established
+between us, I had flattered myself that she would receive me less
+ceremoniously. But I must wait and see.
+
+Monsieur Sordeville came to me and asked me if I cared for whist.
+
+"I like all games," I replied.
+
+An old gentleman, who closed his eyes when he spoke, as if he were going
+to sleep, joined us; I had no idea what he said, for the fascinating
+Armantine entered the room where we were, and I followed her with my
+eyes. A handsome young man with light hair was walking behind her,
+talking to her in an undertone--at least, so it seemed to me; the pretty
+creature laughed heartily, with divers little gestures and expressions
+that would have brought a regiment to terms. I was annoyed; it was
+unreasonable of me, perhaps, but I could not bear to have her listen so
+to that fellow; I was strongly tempted to join in their conversation.
+But it was impossible; the man who talked with his eyes closed was
+telling me things that must have been very interesting, judging from the
+way he emphasized every syllable. Mon Dieu! what tiresome people there
+are in the world! But, among the various species, the most insufferable,
+in my opinion, is the man who never stops talking, who joins the story
+he tells you on to another one, which in turn becomes entangled in a
+third, after the style of the _Thousand and One Nights_; so that he is
+quite capable of keeping you a whole evening in a corner of the salon,
+without ever giving you a chance of escape, unless you decide boldly to
+break away from him in the middle of one of his tales.
+
+I have no idea how my conversation with those two gentlemen veered
+around to politics, of which I have a perfect horror. I discovered to my
+surprise that Monsieur Sordeville was in government employ and already
+hinted at opposition. But it did not interest me. I was tempted to close
+my eyes, like the old gentleman; then I should be more at liberty to
+think of something else. Luckily, someone began to play on the piano,
+and gave me an excuse for leaving my politicians.
+
+I returned to the salon, and approached the mistress of the house,
+intending to say something agreeable to her. But I did not know how to
+begin the conversation, and I finally asked her if she were going to
+sing.
+
+"No, I don't sing; but I am ready to play an accompaniment, if anybody
+wants me to."
+
+"Do you play the piano?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur; and you?"
+
+"A little."
+
+"Do you sing?"
+
+"Only at home, when I am alone."
+
+"Ha! ha! that's selfishness."
+
+"Prudence, rather."
+
+"Surely you will depart from your habit this evening, and sing in
+company?"
+
+"Oh, no! I should not dare to, before you."
+
+"Why so? do I frighten you?"
+
+"You do something very different."
+
+She smiled, as she smiled at the ball. Ah! how sweet she was at that
+moment!
+
+But somebody spoke to her, and I was separated from her again. Someone
+was going to sing, and silence was requested; I took a seat behind two
+consummately ugly women, who would not distract my thoughts.
+
+The singer was a man, a stout, square-shouldered young man, who struck
+an attitude like Monsieur Keller as Hercules. I expected a voice that
+would make our ears ring and the windows rattle; surely nothing
+different could come from that colossus. In truth, at the first note
+everybody shuddered. What a voice! indeed, I doubt if it could be called
+a voice. For my part, I could think of nothing but the roaring of a
+bull. But there were some people who thought it magnificent. He sang an
+aria from _Robert le Diable_. The two ladies in front of me emitted
+_ohs!_ and _ahs!_ which led me to believe that they agreed with me and
+that the performance deafened them; especially as the singer, not
+content with bursting our ear drums, was almost invariably off the
+pitch; he sang false with imperturbable assurance. There were moments
+when he put forth such a volume of voice that I wondered if people
+passing through the street would not think that a crime was being
+committed in the house.
+
+At last the performance came to an end. The two ladies turned toward me
+with smiling faces, and I could not help saying:
+
+"I prefer an orchestra with four drums. I don't know yet whether I have
+any ears left; I believe they are split."
+
+The words were hardly out of my mouth, when the bulky singer walked
+across the salon and halted directly in front of the two ladies.
+
+"I am not in good voice this evening," he said; "it seemed as if my
+notes wouldn't come out. What did you think, mother?"
+
+"Why, my dear, you sang beautifully, I assure you."
+
+"Yes, brother; you sang very well, and you made a great impression. You
+can depend on us; we know what we are talking about, you see. There are
+people who set up for judges of music, but who don't understand the
+first thing about it. So much the worse for them! You sang with perfect
+taste, and I am sure that you made many people envious of you!"
+
+I had addressed my criticisms judiciously! the ladies in front of me
+were the singer's mother and sister! So the _ohs!_ and _ahs!_ indicated
+admiration, and I must needs tell them that I preferred to listen to
+drums! An additional proof that we should be careful what we say when
+we do not know the person to whom we are speaking.
+
+I saw that the singer's sister was casting withering glances in my
+direction, so I decided to walk away and take up my position on the
+other side of the salon. I had made two enemies; another time I would be
+more prudent.
+
+After the roaring of our friend, the audience required something soft to
+soothe its auditory nerves. A lady seated herself at the piano and sang
+an air with an abundance of trills and roulades. What a misfortune to
+think of singing in public when one has a shrill, squeaky voice! But I
+determined to make no comments this time, or express an opinion in any
+form of words. A young man behind me was not so scrupulous.
+
+"They call that singing with a lemon on the key-board," he muttered.
+
+"If this sort of thing goes on," I thought, "it certainly can't be for
+the music that people come to Monsieur Sordeville's."
+
+But the hostess made us some amends by executing with much dash and
+brilliancy a theme with variations which had the merit of not being too
+long. Next, the fair-haired youth whom I had seen talking with Armantine
+sang several ballads. He had a pleasant voice and sang with good taste.
+That added to my vexation, for I was convinced that he was paying court
+to her. But I did him the justice to admit that he sang well.
+
+While a duet for piano and violin was being performed, I went into
+another room; I confess that I was not enjoying myself. The hostess was
+so surrounded by courtiers and adorers that it was impossible to talk
+with her an instant. Indeed, she made no effort to give me an
+opportunity. Ah! how different from the night of the wedding ball! There
+were times when I fancied that she was not the same woman.
+
+I sat down at a baccarat table which had just been made up. I was well
+pleased to play cards, for I have always considered it the best of all
+ways to entertain people in society.
+
+I had been playing for some little time, when, happening to turn my
+head, I saw Madame Frederique. Never did a meeting afford me greater
+pleasure. She smiled at me, and said:
+
+"Good-evening! Are you in luck?"
+
+"Not thus far."
+
+"Will you give me an interest in your play? I will bring you luck."
+
+"With pleasure!"
+
+"Here is my stake."
+
+She tossed me a purse filled with napoleons, and turned away without
+giving me time to ask her how much she wanted to bet. Strange woman!
+But, at all events, she was just the same as she was the other evening;
+she was not like her friend.
+
+My partnership seemed to bring me luck in very truth; for the vein
+changed, and I won. I looked about for my partner, to ask her if she
+wished to go on, but I did not see her; so I continued to play, and won
+again. I dared not stop then; but the game was interrupted when tea was
+served. I saw Monsieur Archibald, Monsieur Guillardin's son, a few steps
+away, and bowed to him; he returned the bow, but very coldly, as if he
+did not care to renew the acquaintance. He need have had no fear, I was
+nowise inclined to strike up an intimacy with him; I remembered the way
+he looked at me on the night of his sister's wedding. I fancied that he
+looked upon me as a rival aspirant for Madame Dauberny's favor. How many
+false conjectures are constantly made in society!
+
+Certainly I had had very little entertainment in that house. Madame
+Sordeville laughed and talked with everybody but me. I was evidently
+mistaken the other evening, when I thought that she looked kindly upon
+me, that she felt drawn toward me.
+
+"Oh! these women!" I thought; "one never knows what to depend upon with
+them! But, yes, there is one thing that one can depend upon; I do not
+deem it necessary to name it."
+
+I was strongly inclined to go away; but I must first settle my account
+with my partner, and Madame Dauberny was at that moment deep in
+conversation with a gentleman possessed of a superb pair of red
+moustaches, and chin whiskers of the same hue. He was talking with much
+animation; and I am very much mistaken if he was not making a
+declaration of love to Madame Frederique.
+
+You will say that I am prone to discover love intrigues everywhere. The
+fact is that they are the commonest things in the world. And if we see
+many of them, you may be sure that there are many more of which we have
+no suspicion. Madame Frederique was listening to her companion as if he
+were telling her the story of Telemachus. I determined to wait until
+they had finished. I sat down in a corner of the salon, and pretended to
+listen to a man who had been drumming on the piano for a long time,
+without anyone being able to tell what he was playing. Luckily for him,
+nobody seemed to be paying any attention to him.
+
+In the midst of that assemblage of persons, almost all of whom were
+unknown to me, I had a feeling of emptiness, of melancholy, which did
+not surprise me at all. There was no one there who cared anything for
+me! Why should I care for them? I had come there on account of a woman
+who had fascinated me, whom I already loved, whom I would have adored;
+but her cold greeting, and her coquetry with all of her male guests, had
+forced back into the depths of my heart the sentiments she had inspired.
+I was vexed that I had fallen in love with her; I determined to think no
+more about her. Balloquet was more fortunate than I: he never took love
+seriously; he made an acquaintance as he ordered a coat; when the coat
+ceased to please him, he tossed it aside, often before it was worn out.
+He was right; that is the only sure way of being always well dressed.
+For my part, I have always had a deep-rooted feeling for the women who
+have been my mistresses. I do not refer to those I have known for a few
+days only; I do not call them mistresses. You will find it hard to
+believe that a man loves sincerely, when he confesses that he has had
+several mistresses at the same time. But are you familiar with the
+workings of the human heart? Nature has eccentricities and secrets which
+we shall never know.
+
+It is probable that my reflections had not given a cheerful cast to my
+expression; they absorbed me so completely that I did not notice the
+superb Frederique, who had stopped in front of me and finally said to me
+in a mocking tone:
+
+"Mon Dieu! how you seem to be enjoying yourself, Monsieur Rochebrune!"
+
+"Enjoying myself! No, indeed! and but for you, I should have gone away
+long ago. We won twenty-eight napoleons, and I have put your share in
+your purse; here it is, madame."
+
+"That is first-rate! I brought you luck, you see."
+
+"True; but that's all the luck I have had to-night."
+
+"I understand! Poor boy! somebody has not treated him as he had hoped."
+
+I contented myself with a slight movement of the head.
+
+"I am tempted to afford you a little diversion," continued Frederique.
+"Will you come and take supper with me?"
+
+I looked up at Madame Dauberny. She saw that I took her suggestion for
+a joke, and she instantly added:
+
+"What is there so extraordinary in that? I am in the habit of having
+supper every night; I invite you to join me, and, if you accept, I shall
+invite another gentleman, who has just made me a most grotesque
+declaration of love; but he's a Prussian, and hasn't perfect command of
+our language."
+
+"Is it the gentleman with red moustaches?"
+
+"Just so; Baron von Brunzbrack. There's a name for you! I have fairly
+turned his head, but I give you my word that I did it unintentionally.
+Come, what do you say--do you accept?"
+
+"With great pleasure; but, if I remember rightly, the night that I had
+the good fortune to make your acquaintance, you denied me the favor of
+calling on you."
+
+"That is quite possible; you see, that night, I thought for a moment
+that you proposed to make love to me. I was an idiot! You are in love
+with Armantine only; and as you have discovered to-night that many
+others besides yourself are in love with her, you are melancholy,
+ill-humored, desperate. Ha! ha! I have guessed the truth, haven't I?
+Come, monsieur, give me your hand; by taking you away, I advance your
+interests much more than you do with your languishing airs; all women
+are jealous of their conquests, and Armantine will think that I am
+trying to steal one of hers. You will be the cause of a dispute between
+us, but it will be only a cloud which the slightest breeze will blow
+away."
+
+The hope of causing Madame Sordeville some chagrin made me radiant. I
+gladly took the hand that was offered me. A large part of the company
+had already disappeared. Madame Dauberny said a word in the ear of the
+Prussian baron, who was standing like a sentinel in the middle of the
+salon. That word produced a magical effect: Herr von Brunzbrack jumped
+back and landed on the feet of the gentleman who talked with his eyes
+closed; he opened them very wide now, however, exclaiming:
+
+"Take care, monsieur! you've lamed me for life! What on earth is the
+matter with you?"
+
+Herr von Brunzbrack was profuse in his apologies; but at that moment he
+was so transported by the invitation he had received from Madame
+Dauberny, that, while he was apologizing, he trod on the dress of a lady
+who stood beside him, then overturned a chair, and, as he stooped to
+pick it up, caught his coat buttons in the lace-trimmed cloak of a lady
+who had just put it on to go home. The poor Prussian lost his head; he
+did not know where he was; he dared not take a step forward or back.
+Frederique extricated him from his plight by taking his arm and leading
+him away.
+
+"Come, baron, come," she said; "we are waiting for you!"
+
+We three left the salon; I cast a glance at Madame Sordeville, who
+seemed thunderstruck to see me go away with Madame Dauberny, who had
+sent the baron on ahead and had taken my arm with the greatest
+familiarity.
+
+I felt a thrill of joy and satisfaction, which fully compensated me for
+all the tedium of the evening. Frederique was right; by taking me away
+with her, she had served my passion more effectually than I had done by
+all the ardent glances I had bestowed upon the seductive Armantine.
+Women are never mistaken as to what it is necessary to do to make sure
+that the arrow reaches its mark.
+
+
+
+
+XVIII
+
+BARON VON BRUNZBRACK
+
+
+The baron's carriage, which was at the door, conveyed us in a very short
+time to Madame Dauberny's, on Boulevard Montmartre.
+
+On the way we said little; the baron was still dazed by the gaucheries
+he had committed and his joy at being invited to sup with the fair
+Frederique; and, besides, I fancy that my presence embarrassed him; he
+did not know upon what footing I stood with the lady, but he saw that I
+too was to sup with her, and I think that that fact kept his mind busy.
+
+Our singular hostess also seemed to be in a contemplative mood, and I
+was thinking of the glance Madame Sordeville bestowed upon me when I
+left her salon.
+
+But Madame Dauberny resumed her playful mood as soon as we reached her
+house, and devoted herself to the duties of a hostess. I was very
+certain that we should not meet her husband; I had a secret conviction
+that he never attended her little supper parties.
+
+"Three covers," said Frederique to a servant who was in the reception
+room. "And a good fire, for there's no satisfaction in eating when one
+is cold. Is there a fire in the salon?"
+
+"No, madame; but there is one in your room."
+
+"Very well! let us go to my room, then, messieurs; you will allow me to
+receive you in my bedroom, will you not? At one o'clock in the morning,
+we may snap our fingers at etiquette."
+
+"Ah, madame!" I said, bowing low; "it is a great favor, for which we
+thank you."
+
+"Ah, montame!" said the baron, in his turn, with a still lower bow; "id
+vould pe fery bretty in any room mit you."
+
+Without listening to our thanks, Madame Dauberny had already left the
+room before us. A lady's-maid carried a light. We arrived in the bed
+chamber of the lady whom Monsieur Archibald called a _gaillarde_. It was
+a delicious spot, furniture and draperies being in the most perfect
+taste; an alabaster globe hanging from the ceiling cast a soft light
+upon everything. Quantities of flowers, in lovely Chinese vases, filled
+the air with an intoxicating perfume. It was the retreat of a
+_petite-maitresse_; there was nothing there to suggest a _gaillarde_. I
+expected to find foils, pipes, and statuettes; I found nothing but
+flowers, and inhaled nothing but perfumes.
+
+We were hardly ushered into her room when the charming Frederique left
+us, saying:
+
+"Messieurs, I crave your permission to go and make myself comfortable."
+
+
+I was left alone with the Prussian baron; I examined him more closely,
+while he gazed amorously at the bed which stood at one end of the room.
+Herr von Brunzbrack seemed to be about forty years of age; he was tall
+and well built and powerful--a man of the type of those from whom
+Frederick the Great recruited a regiment of grenadiers. His blond
+coloring was a little too pronounced, although his hair, cut in military
+fashion, was less red than his moustaches; he had great blue eyes on a
+level with his face, which were always wide open, and which had not an
+intelligent expression; but, on the other hand, there was frankness in
+them, and a kindliness that soon gave place to wrath if anybody seemed
+inclined to make sport of him. Taken as a whole, Herr von Brunzbrack had
+what is conventionally called a "good face." He laughed very readily,
+opening a cavernous mouth; but he resumed his seriousness so suddenly
+that one was surprised to have heard him laugh.
+
+As he spoke French with difficulty, he deemed it advisable to accompany
+his words with a pantomime which he considered most expressive, I doubt
+not, but which was often more grotesque than intelligible.
+
+I do not know whether he was taking the trouble to draw my portrait at
+the same time, but I noticed that he glanced at me now and then out of
+the corner of his eye.
+
+I tried to converse with him.
+
+"This chamber is decorated with exquisite taste!"
+
+"Ja! te shamber pe fery bretty."
+
+"This cabinet is full of curious and well-selected objects."
+
+"Ja! tere's a lot of leedle chems--for shildren."
+
+"But the ladies like them, too."
+
+"Oh, ja! te ladies haf shildren for blaytings."
+
+"But I don't think that Madame Dauberny has any children."
+
+"Oh, ja! all apoud--and on te mandel, too."
+
+I did not understand him. I looked at the flowers in the vases, and
+said:
+
+"There's nothing prettier and more ornamental than flowers! What a pity
+that they are perfect poison in a bedroom!"
+
+The baron opened his eyes even wider than usual, and looked all about; I
+am not sure that he did not stoop to look under the bed. Then he
+rejoined:
+
+"I see no _poisson_ [fish] in te room."
+
+Luckily, Madame Dauberny's return put an end to this interview, in which
+I found little amusement.
+
+At sight of Frederique, a cry of admiration escaped the baron and
+myself. She had put on an ample robe de chambre, of blue cashmere,
+caught in at the waist by a girdle of orange silk. The gown was buttoned
+to the neck, about which was a narrow white silk cravat, carelessly
+tied. Her feet were encased in fascinating orange slippers, studded with
+steel beads. Lastly, on her hair, which she had arranged in haste, in a
+_bandeau_ on one side, and on the other in long curls, she had placed a
+small blue velvet toque, with an enormous silver tassel, which hung down
+on the same side as the curls and seemed to intensify their brilliancy.
+
+
+It is impossible to describe the charm which that neglige costume
+imparted to its wearer. Her figure was so gracefully outlined by the
+folds of the cashmere, her unique headdress gave so much expression to
+her features, that the baron and I remained under the spell and could
+not tire of gazing at her.
+
+"Here I am," said Frederique, with a smile. "As you see, I take the
+liberty of supping in a robe de chambre."
+
+"Ah! how loafely you pe so!" murmured the baron, passing his right hand
+over his face as he spoke, kissing it, and throwing kisses to the
+ceiling.
+
+"All right, all right, my dear baron! As I have told you, I can
+understand you without pantomime; so you may spare yourself so much
+extravagance of gesture.--Let us toast ourselves, messieurs, while we
+are waiting for our supper."
+
+As she spoke, Frederique seated herself in a great easy-chair in front
+of the fire; we took armchairs and moved them to her side, and in a
+moment all three had our feet on the andirons.
+
+"Now," said Frederique, "a few words by way of prologue to our
+supper.--You, Baron von Brunzbrack, I have known only two months, having
+met you in society; but I know that you are an honorable man. This
+evening you made a declaration of love in due form. You think, perhaps,
+that it was on that account that I invited you to sup with me. It is my
+duty to undeceive you. I do not love you, my dear baron; my heart will
+never beat one little bit faster because of you. It was to tell you
+that, and, at the same time, to offer you sincere friendship in place of
+love, that I asked you to sup with me. I trust that you are content with
+my course of action, and that you will show yourself worthy of my
+friendship."
+
+The baron rolled his eyes about in most extraordinary fashion; he made
+a piteous face; he did not know whether he ought to appear offended or
+gratified; he looked down at the floor, heaved a sigh, and was about to
+take refuge in pantomime; but Frederique placed her hand on his arm,
+saying:
+
+"Sit still, and let me go on. I now present to you Monsieur Charles
+Rochebrune; I have known him only five days; he is a more recent
+acquaintance than you, but I know whom I am receiving; I know monsieur
+as well now as if we had been brought up together. Well, baron, do you
+know why I have invited monsieur to share my supper with you? It is
+because I know that he has no thought of loving me, of paying court to
+me; because his heart is wholly occupied by a very pretty woman, who has
+tormented him cruelly this evening, but who will be more amiable another
+time, no doubt."
+
+The baron had no sooner heard these details concerning me than his face
+beamed with joy. The honest German had probably taken me for a rival,
+and a happy rival, I suppose; but as soon as he learned that nothing of
+the sort was true, and that I was not in love with Madame Dauberny, he
+turned to me and grasped my hand, crying:
+
+"Ah! you not rifal of me. Gif me your hand; ve pe gut frents, ve
+untershtand each oder, ve tell each oder all ve haf onto our hearts."
+
+And Herr von Brunzbrack put one of his hands to his breast, shook his
+head violently, and stamped on the floor like a horse anxious to leave
+the stable. I hastened to give him my hand, which he squeezed until he
+hurt me, repeating:
+
+"Ve pe gut frents. Montame, she not bleeze you, hein?"
+
+"We need not go so far, monsieur le baron; I beg you to believe that I
+do full justice to madame's wit and grace and abundant charms."
+
+"Oh! enough! enough!" cried Frederique; "you will alarm him. Just tell
+him simply that you are not at all in love with me and never expect to
+be."
+
+I do not know why I was reluctant to say that; I looked at the graceful
+folds of Frederique's gown, and did not reply.
+
+"You see, my dear Herr von Brunzbrack," continued our amiable hostess,
+"I thought it best to tell you that Monsieur Rochebrune does not love
+me, that his heart is engrossed by another; in short, that you must not
+look upon him as a rival, for I saw you glaring at him with your big
+eyes, which are very savage when they are not very sweet; and because it
+is more agreeable to me to see perfect harmony between my guests. But do
+not reason from that, that other men do not make love to me, and that I
+do not love anybody. I have told you that you would never be my lover,
+so that you have no rights over me; and whenever it pleases me, even in
+your presence, to allow myself to be made love to, remember that you
+will have no right to say the least little word. Otherwise, it's all
+over between us; I withdraw my friendship, and I see you no more."
+
+The baron heaved a sigh that reminded me of the low notes of the stout
+singer I had heard that evening. He beat his brow, gazed at the
+ceiling, then took my hand and shook it so that he nearly put my
+shoulder out of joint.
+
+"Ah! my gut frent," he murmured, "montame can pe fery unkind. I know not
+how to say. But, nefer mind, ve must do als she say. But alvays shall I
+loafe her; alvays shall I loafe her madly."
+
+"As for that," said Frederique, "you may do as you please; I have no
+further concern with it. But I am not at all worried about your future
+repose. When a man sees that he cannot retain any hope, he soon ceases
+to love."
+
+"Not te Prussian! Nein! nein! te more unhappier he is, te more constant
+he is!"
+
+"So much the worse for the Prussian, then; the best thing he can do is
+to adopt the French fashion. But we have had enough of love and of
+unveiling the secrets of our hearts; you must understand, baron, that
+this subject of conversation would soon become monotonous to us all. I
+propose that we don't have any more of it at supper."
+
+"Madame is served," said a footman.
+
+"Bravo! Come, messieurs, give me a hand each. I will escort you.
+Remember that I command here, and that I must be obeyed."
+
+"Here and everywhere, madame."
+
+"Ja," said the baron, "eferyvere and elsevere."
+
+
+
+
+
+XIX
+
+THE LITTLE SUPPER PARTY
+
+
+Frederique led us through a narrow hall, at the end of which we entered
+a small room, well carpeted and deliciously warm; in each corner, and
+between the windows, were boxes of growing flowers. The apartment was
+too elegant for a dining-room, and not enough so for a boudoir. A table
+was laid there, with all the luxurious appointments that add so much to
+the charm of a repast.
+
+"This, messieurs, is what I call my _Petit Trianon_, or my _petits
+appartements_--that is to say, it is the room where I receive my
+friends. I need not tell you that my husband is never admitted here. I
+believe that you did not come here to see him. We are like the sun and
+the moon: we are never seen together unless there is some serious
+disturbance in the solar system. As we have agreed that each of us shall
+enjoy absolute liberty, we live up to our agreement."
+
+"Ten id is apsoludely as if you haf no husbant, hein? Ha! ha!"
+
+"Oh! it isn't the same thing, by any means.--To table, messieurs!"
+
+We took our places, Frederique between us, of course. Her affable,
+unconventional manner instantly put her guests at their ease. The baron
+was radiant; he rolled his eyes about, and kept repeating:
+
+"Ich loafe sehr viel your _betit Trille-anon_."
+
+"Flowers everywhere!" I said, glancing at those on the table, and at the
+boxes that surrounded us.
+
+"Yes, I adore them; I must always have some about me."
+
+"Birds of a feather flock together."
+
+"Oh! my dear Rochebrune, pray don't put me on a diet of insipid
+compliments! I detest them. I prefer the volnay. Come, messieurs, drink!
+Do you prefer chambertin--or pomard? You have only to speak."
+
+"I should mit bleazure trink all te drei."
+
+"And you are quite right. Vive variety! It is charming, isn't it,
+messieurs?"
+
+"It's very nice, in the matter of wine."
+
+"And in everything else! own up to it, hypocrite!"
+
+"I am too honest to contradict you."
+
+"That's right! Why, see my flowers--how lovely they are! these roses and
+camellias and hyacinths and cactuses! Would the bouquet be so pretty, if
+I had nothing but roses?"
+
+"Evidently, flowers are your passion."
+
+"Faith! yes; and I believe the only one I have ever had thus far.
+Perhaps that is the reason I have been so frivolous, so fickle."
+
+"I vould like to pe a tulib," murmured the baron.
+
+"You choose ill, baron; the tulip has very little charm for me; I care
+little for odorless flowers."
+
+"In tat case, I vould like to pe--a beony."
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! you are not happy in your choice of flowers. Well,
+messieurs, what did you think of Monsieur Sordeville's reception? Was
+the concert good? I arrived very late."
+
+"Faith! that was lucky for your ears; for there were a lady and a
+gentleman who put us to a severe test. By the way, a young man, with a
+very light complexion, sang some ballads tolerably well. Who was he, I
+wonder? He talked a good deal with Madame Sordeville."
+
+"Oh! I know: it was Mondival. He's very good-looking, but a fool; he's
+conceited, and I hate conceited men. I prefer them ugly--and clever. I
+don't mean that for you, messieurs."
+
+And the fair Frederique laughed aloud. The baron felt called upon to
+follow suit. I said nothing, for I was thinking of Armantine. My
+neighbor, noticing my serious face, nudged me with her knee.
+
+"Well! he has nothing to say!" she exclaimed. "Have I offended you? But,
+no--I said nothing that was meant for you."
+
+"Offended me? How, pray?"
+
+"He doesn't even know what I said! He's thinking of his Armantine; I was
+sure of it! Do you love her so much, then--with all your heart, as they
+say?"
+
+"Yes--that is to say, I did love her."
+
+"And it's over already, because she played the coquette?"
+
+"She paid no more attention to me than if I had been a perfect
+stranger."
+
+"But she hasn't known you so very long! And then, I warn you that she is
+extremely capricious."
+
+"Oh! I have noticed that; it's a wretched fault."
+
+"It's common enough among _petites-maitresses_. I am not capricious,
+myself; to be sure, I am not a _petite-maitresse_! Pray drink,
+messieurs; you lag behind. You're not lusty suppers! Look at me: I'll
+set you an example."
+
+Frederique emptied her glass at one swallow. The baron tried to do the
+same, but swallowed it the wrong way; he left the table, to cough and
+stamp on the floor. The servant brought champagne and malvoisie; the
+supper was delicious. I began to feel less melancholy; Madame Dauberny's
+example led me on, and I did honor to the good cheer.
+
+The baron, having ceased to cough, resumed his seat; his cheeks were
+beginning to turn purple.
+
+"In a moment," said Frederique, "I will dismiss the servant; then we
+will put our elbows on the table and talk nonsense."
+
+"Ja! ja! nonzenz, I like to talk nonzenz; und mit unser foot on te
+table; tat vill be sehr amusing."
+
+"Not the feet; that would be uncomfortable. I said elbows."
+
+"Ja! te knees."
+
+"Impromptu parties forever! they are the only merry ones. Certainly I
+had no idea this morning that I should have you gentlemen to supper this
+evening, or rather to-night; and you didn't expect to come here."
+
+"We did not foresee our good fortune."
+
+"Oh! you are stupefying with your compliments, Rochebrune! I like to
+believe that you talk differently to the women you love. However, there
+are women who like that sort of talk; Armantine doesn't detest
+compliments."
+
+"I assure you, madame, that I had no intention of paying you one. But
+one can no longer say what one thinks. This supper is a genuine piece of
+good fortune, so far as I am concerned: I was depressed, you have
+restored my good spirits; I had abandoned all hope, you have renewed it;
+in truth, I can't tell you why I feel so happy now! You are willing that
+we should say just what we think, are you not?"
+
+"Oh, yes! for I do, myself."
+
+"Well, you have a headdress that does my heart good! If you knew how
+becoming it is to you!--Isn't it true, baron, that madame's headdress is
+fascinating?"
+
+The baron began by offering me his hand; I had no choice but to take it;
+and he began to shake mine, crying:
+
+"You not pe in loafe mit her, nicht wahr? you haf id to me pevore supper
+bromised."
+
+I could not help laughing at the baron's anxiety concerning the state of
+my heart.
+
+The seductive Frederique shrugged her shoulders slightly, and said with
+some show of impatience:
+
+"Why, no, a thousand times no! he doesn't give me a thought! Can't a man
+tell a lady that her headdress becomes her, that he likes that style of
+headdress, without being in love with her? If you return to that
+subject, Monsieur le Prussien, I'll put an end to the session."
+
+"I am dumb."
+
+"Oh! talk, but talk about something else.--_Vivat!_ we are free at
+last!"
+
+The servant had left the room, after bringing the dessert. Frederique
+filled our glasses, then rose, and rang a bell.
+
+"I forgot the best of all," she said.
+
+The servant returned.
+
+"Bring cigars, cigarettes, pipes, and tobacco, Jean. Hurry!"
+
+The baron uttered something very like an oath of admiration.
+
+"_Sapre tarteff!_" he cried; "are ve going to schmoke? Is id bermitted?"
+
+"I not only permit it, but set the example; not always, by the way, but
+to-night we are so snug and cozy, and I am like Rochebrune, I am
+satisfied with my supper."
+
+"Ah! do you smoke, madame?"
+
+"Does that surprise you?"
+
+"Nothing surprises me that you do?"
+
+"Really! I don't know whether I ought to take that as a compliment. But
+I must, must I not? one should take everything in good part."
+
+"Is it possible that I could dream of criticising you, who have been and
+still are so kind to me?"
+
+"Really! you think that I am kind?--Ah! here is what I sent for."
+
+The servant drew a small table near the supper table, and placed on it a
+large assortment of pipes, cigars, and several kinds of tobacco. Each of
+us chose what he liked best. I supposed that Frederique would confine
+herself to cigarettes, but she took a very fine Turkish pipe and filled
+it with tobacco from the same country. Then she threw herself back in
+her chair, emptied a glass of malvoisie, and smoked with the abandon of
+a Mohammedan.
+
+The baron clapped his hands, murmuring:
+
+"Sehr gut! sehr gut! you haf all te qualidies to bleeze."
+
+"Because I smoke? Why, my dear Brunzbrack, many people would call that a
+vice."
+
+"Ach, ja! I say tat to you id pe most pecoming; you pe a she-pear----"
+
+"A she-bear! Ha! ha! that can't be what you mean."
+
+"Bardon--how do tey say?--an animal of te desert--te female of te king
+of animals."
+
+"A _lionne_ [lioness]; that is what you mean."
+
+"Ja! you be te _lionne a la mode_; id is all te same."
+
+I took a cigar, and the baron an ordinary pipe, and in a moment we were
+all smoking for dear life. Herr von Brunzbrack, whom the pipe seemed to
+make thirsty, emptied his glass very frequently and belauded the
+champagne; for my part, the malvoisie suited my taste exactly; and I had
+such an exquisite sense of well-being, seated at that table beside that
+original creature, who acted just like a man!
+
+"Messieurs," she said, blowing a cloud of smoke at the ceiling, "life
+has some very pleasant moments."
+
+"It is delicious to me just now."
+
+"Id runs ein leedle; but id is gut."
+
+"What's that, baron? your life runs a little?"
+
+"I did not untershtand; I said id of mein bibe."
+
+"Oh, indeed!--It's a pity that we have bad days, that melancholy
+thoughts sometimes take possession of us!"
+
+"Melancholy thoughts come only as a result of disappointments of the
+heart."
+
+"True, you are right, Rochebrune; that is why your thoughts are so sad
+to-night, isn't it? The handsome Mondival distanced you; he had the pole
+to-night. Ha! ha! what a way to talk about love! What will you think of
+me? that I am a very _mauvais sujet_, eh?"
+
+"We should be too fortunate if that were so!"
+
+"Ach, ja! as mein frent Rochebrune say--if id vas so---- _Sapremann_, id
+is running again!"
+
+"Pray take another pipe, baron; there are enough to choose from."
+
+A thought that had come to my mind several times during supper still
+absorbed me. I do not know whether Frederique could read it in my eyes,
+but, after looking at me a moment, she said:
+
+"What are you thinking about? Come, tell me! It has come to your lips
+several times, and you keep it back. Is it something very unkind, pray,
+that you are afraid to say it?"
+
+"No; it's a very natural reflection, but one that I have no right to
+make, perhaps."
+
+"But you seem to have taken the liberty to make it. I don't like the
+things one keeps back; they are more dangerous."
+
+"Your gut healt', montame, and te bleazure id gif me to schmoke tis bibe
+in your company."
+
+"Thanks, baron, thanks!"
+
+"Vill you trink mit me?"
+
+"Certainly I will."
+
+While she honored Brunzbrack's toast, Frederique kept her eyes on me,
+and they peremptorily bade me to speak.
+
+"Well, madame," I began, hesitatingly.
+
+"Why do you continue to call me _madame_? I call you Rochebrune."
+
+"But, if not that, what may I presume to call you?"
+
+"I have told you to look upon me as your friend, your comrade. If I were
+a man, you would call me Frederique, as I call you Rochebrune; so, call
+me Frederique."
+
+"I shall never dare!"
+
+"Why not, when I give you leave?"
+
+"Because you don't seem to me in the least like a man."
+
+She smiled queerly, passed her hand over her head, took off her little
+cap and tossed it on the floor, ran her fingers through her curls,
+rumpled up the _bandeau_, and made curls of that, saying, as she thus
+rearranged her coiffure:
+
+"Does Monsieur Charles Rochebrune refuse to tell me what he has had on
+the tip of his tongue several times?"
+
+"I beg your pardon, madame--I was thinking--I was surprised--not to
+find--another person here."
+
+Frederique curled her lip and frowned slightly.
+
+"Do you refer to Monsieur Saint-Bergame?" she said.
+
+"Yes."
+
+"It is true that--three days ago--I should not have taken supper without
+him. But we have quarrelled."
+
+"Ah! you are on bad terms now?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Not for long, I presume?"
+
+"Perhaps so. When one has been able to pass two days without trying to
+see a certain person, one can pass a week; when one has passed a week,
+there is no reason why one should not pass a month, and so on. He did
+something that--displeased me, and I told him so. Instead of
+apologizing, he thought it became him to make a scene, and he made a
+miserable failure of it. He should have come the next day--that same
+night, indeed--to beg my pardon; he didn't do it, and now I think it
+would be too late. Look you, my friend--I want to call you my friend,
+and you give me leave, do you not, monsieur?--I believe that I can do
+without Saint-Bergame much better than I thought."
+
+As she spoke, she offered me her hand so prettily that I was tempted to
+throw my arms about her and kiss her. But I confined myself to taking
+her hand and putting it to my lips; whereupon she hastily withdrew it,
+crying:
+
+"Well, well! what in heaven's name is he doing? Are men in the habit of
+kissing their male friends' hands? that is a new idea, on my word!"
+
+
+
+
+XX
+
+BETWEEN THE PIPE AND THE CHAMPAGNE
+
+
+The baron, who was beginning to be drowsy with the combined effects of
+the wine and tobacco, and whose eyes were not nearly so wide open as at
+the beginning of the supper, saw me, none the less, when I kissed Madame
+Dauberny's hand. He immediately snatched his pipe from his mouth and
+glared at me, crying:
+
+"Mein gut frent, is id drue tat you pe not ein leedle pit in loafe mit
+montame? not ein leedle pit, I say?"
+
+"What has stirred you up now, baron?" laughed Frederique; "are you going
+to begin again?"
+
+"Nein, but for vat do mein gut frent Rocheverte, he kiss your hand? I
+haf seen him kiss your hand."
+
+"I did it without concealment, baron, and I ask nothing better than to
+do it again."
+
+"So! in tat case, so vill ich do id again; but I haf not yet done id at
+all."
+
+"Fill your pipe, baron, and let my hand alone. We were saying that
+Armantine's concert this evening was a bit _mouche_, to use a slang
+term--eh, monsieur?"
+
+"Yes, madame."
+
+"I haf not seen if tere vas _mouches_ [flies] at Monsir Sordeville's;
+but he pe ein sehr bleazant man, sehr--how you say?--he make me much
+talk; he loafe ven I talk; he say tat I shpeak vell te language."
+
+Frederique's face suddenly changed; her brow grew dark, and her
+expression was no longer the same. She looked keenly at the baron,
+saying:
+
+"What did you talk about with Monsieur Sordeville?"
+
+"Ve talk of pizness. As I haf come to France mit der ambassador, he haf
+question me of bolitics, of te gufernment, of many serious subjects. He
+pe a brovound man, he haf alvays agree mit me."
+
+Frederique seemed to be lost in thought.
+
+"And this was only the second time that you had been to Monsieur
+Sordeville's?" she asked, after a moment.
+
+"Ja! id vas te second time. I haf met te monsir at te house of Montame
+de Granvallon, vere I haf had te bleazure to meet mit you."
+
+"And you did not know Monsieur Sordeville before?"
+
+"Not at all; but he make agwaindance so easy, he vas sehr amiable; his
+vife, as he tell me, she haf peen much frent mit you."
+
+"Yes, Armantine and I were at the same boarding school; we were friends.
+I left the school long before she did; I refused to learn to do anything
+except fence and ride, and those things were just what they didn't teach
+there. I would have liked to go to the Polytechnic, and then to
+Saint-Cyr; to be a soldier, in fact. I held up to my parents the
+precedent of the Chevalier d'Eon, who, although a woman, was cunning
+enough to lead a man's life for years. But they declared that it would
+be too great a risk. Parents constantly thwart their children's
+inclinations like that.--When I met Armantine again, she was married,
+and we renewed our old friendship. She is good-humored, merry, a little
+inclined to be capricious, a great flirt, but good at heart. As for her
+husband--in my opinion, he pays too little attention to his wife; he
+gives her too much liberty. I don't say that she abuses it, but, you
+see, you gentlemen are sometimes very gallant, very adventurous! And
+when the husband is never on the spot, why, it's his own fault if
+anything happens to him."
+
+"What is this Monsieur Sordeville's business?" I asked Frederique. She
+did not answer for some time, but at last she said:
+
+"I thought that you knew him?"
+
+"From having met him two or three times at a house where they give balls
+and play cards. He talked with me, more or less; he doesn't lack
+intelligence, he talks well, and possesses the much rarer gift of making
+others talk. We see so many people in society whose conversational
+powers consist in interrupting one at every instant, and who do not
+understand that one may have something better to do than listen to them.
+I had some talk with Monsieur Sordeville, as I say; and then I met him
+again at that wedding party, where you were so kind to me, and where he
+invited me to his house. But I did not dream of asking him what his
+profession was. Indeed, if he is rich, he is justified in having none."
+
+"It seems that he has some property; but I have an idea that he
+speculates on the Bourse. Were you better pleased with him this evening
+than with--did he make himself agreeable? He received you cordially, I
+have no doubt; but what did you talk about with him? not his wife, I
+presume?"
+
+"No; he was discussing serious subjects with an old gentleman who kept
+blinking, or rather closed his eyes altogether, when he spoke. They got
+onto politics, and talked thereon a long while."
+
+Frederique was not at all the same woman as our hostess of a few moments
+earlier. After quite a long silence, during which our lovelorn Prussian
+continued to drown his heartache in champagne, I touched my neighbor's
+arm softly, saying:
+
+"You seem to be a long way off. Are you tired? do you wish us to go?"
+
+Frederique raised her head, passed her hand across her forehead, and
+resumed her jovial air.
+
+"Ah! you are right!" she exclaimed; "scold me, my friend. I have fits of
+musing, sometimes; I fall into a train of thought that is utterly void
+of sense! It is very wrong in me, for when you are with me is no time
+for me to have such thoughts. But I don't want you to leave me yet; we
+get along so well together! Are you inclined to sleep?"
+
+"Oh! no, madame!"
+
+"_Madame_ again! You irritate me! Beware! if you go on in this way, I am
+no longer your comrade."
+
+"Pray don't say that--Frederique."
+
+"He called me Frederique! that's very lucky for him! What a lot of
+trouble I had, to bring him to that! Ah! I am very glad I succeeded."
+
+She sprang to her feet and began to waltz about the table; then stopped
+in front of a mirror over the mantel, and changed the arrangement of her
+hair once more, this time twisting a red silk handkerchief about her
+head, _a la_ Creole. Then she went to the baron, took him by the
+shoulders, and shook him, crying:
+
+"Well! my friend Brunzbrack, you don't open your mouth! Have you gone to
+sleep?"
+
+The baron raised his head, rubbed his eyes, and tried to open them, as
+he replied:
+
+"Ach! _zaperlotte!_ gone to shleep, me! ven ich bin mit ein so bretty
+voman! mit ein voman who turns mein head und mein heart!"
+
+"I don't know whether I have turned your head, but it seemed to me that
+you were hardly following the conversation."
+
+"Id vas te bibe vich haf make mein head heafy ein leedle pit. But I haf
+not seen! Mein Gott! how you pe bretty mit tis oder way to do your hair!
+I know not vy you like to blay all tese leedle dricks mit your head, als
+if id haf not peen bretty enough pevore!"
+
+"Herr von Brunzbrack is right," said I, looking at Frederique, to whom
+the red silk handkerchief gave a saucy, wanton look that changed her
+completely. "Do you know, my friend, that it is ungenerous to keep
+changing your coiffure, and to invent such alluring ones? Do you want
+the poor baron here to die of love?"
+
+"Ha! ha! I'm not afraid of that. I have put on my nightcap; isn't a
+body at liberty to put on her nightcap? But I don't want you to go to
+sleep, baron! Come, let's sing and drink and laugh! Oh! I am in a
+laughing mood to-night!"
+
+"Ja! ja! let's trink und sing!"
+
+"Do you begin, baron; but no love songs, and, above all things, no
+languorous lamentations. What we want is something lively, a little
+decollete even. Do men stand on ceremony with one another?"
+
+She filled our glasses, then threw herself back in her chair, laughing
+till the tears came, because the baron gazed at her with such a tender
+expression, that his eyes were invisible and his face resembled an
+egg-plant.
+
+"Come, baron; we're waiting for you."
+
+"Ach! I must sing te first; und so vill I. Vait, till I remember me some
+bretty song; I know many--vait. Trum, trum, trum, trideri, tram, tram,
+tram. _Sapremann!_ So many I know! Vait! Troum, troum, troum, tradera,
+tradera. Id is sehr--how you say?--astonish! Ich kann nicht te peginning
+remember. Vait--trim, trim, turlulu, traderi----"
+
+"I'm afraid you are stuck fast, my poor Brunzbrack. While we are waiting
+for your memory to come back, Rochebrune will sing us something."
+
+"I?"
+
+"To be sure. Well! has this one lost his memory, too? Why, what sort of
+men are these two, that a glass of champagne puts their wits to flight?"
+
+"I am perfectly willing to sing; but I know nothing but nonsensical
+things."
+
+"Sing us a nonsensical thing! I will allow anything that isn't downright
+bad. Moreover, I am sure that my friend will not sing me anything
+unseemly."
+
+"On the contrary, I am very unseemly, sometimes."
+
+"In that case, monsieur, keep quiet."
+
+She assumed a pouting expression, and I hastened to hum a tune, saying:
+
+"This is only a little free."
+
+"Go on, then; I'll let it pass. Vade, Gallet, Favart. Clever things are
+never indecent, because if they were they would not be clever."
+
+"I am trying to remember the tune."
+
+"Mon Dieu! how insufferable they are with their tunes! Here, how is
+this: Tra la la la--tra la la; you can sing any song to that."
+
+"You are right; it's from the _Famille de l'Apothicaire_."
+
+"I don't know what family it's from, but if it's all right---- Begin,
+monsieur."
+
+"Here I go! I am going to sing _Le Vent_. Have I your permission?"
+
+"_Le Vent_ it is!"
+
+"I beg you to believe that it is not the _Vent_ which is the key to the
+riddle in _Le Mercure Galant_."
+
+"I trust not; it's the _vent_ [wind] that _blows through the mountains_;
+the _vent de Gastibelza_."
+
+"Just so. I am going to begin:
+
+    "'Quand on te propose----'
+
+Ah! that won't go to the tune of the _Famille de l'Apothicaire_."
+
+"That's strange; it ought to. Try some other tune."
+
+"I think the _Baiser au Porteur_ will do the business."
+
+"Oh! how long it takes you to get started, my dear fellow!"
+
+"I begin:
+
+    "'Quand on t'offre une promenade----'"
+
+"Trum, trum, trum, traderi dera, troum, troum, troum."
+
+"Oh! please be kind enough to hold your tongue, baron, with your troum
+troum!"
+
+"I dry yet to find mein tune."
+
+"You can find it later; listen now to Rochebrune, who is going to sing
+us a _risque_ little chansonnette."
+
+"Ach! gut, gut! _risque!_ tat must pe sehr amusing! _Risque!_ Vat is a
+_risque_ chanson?"
+
+"That means lively; but we may as well speak out, as we are all men: it
+means naughty."
+
+"Ach! id vill pe sehr bretty so! I loafe tat kind! Ve vill much laugh.
+Let us hear te naughty song. Ha! ha! How id vill pe amusing! Ho! ho!"
+
+The baron laughed so heartily in anticipation of the pleasure in store
+for him, that Frederique had much difficulty in silencing him; he ceased
+at last, and contented himself with muttering between his teeth:
+"Naughty, _risque!_--_risque_, naughty!" while I sang to the tune of the
+_Baiser au Porteur_:
+
+    "'Quand on t'offre une promenade,
+      Lisa, prends garde au temps qu'il fait!
+      S'il fait du vent, dis-toi malade,
+      Ou bien, l'on en profiterait
+      Pour te faire ce qu'on voudrait.
+      Va, je ne ris pas, sur mon ame!
+      Par ce temps-la je fus prise souvent!
+      Ma chere, il n'est pour une femme
+      Rien de plus traitre que le vent.'"[B]
+
+I paused after the first verse and glanced at Frederique. She smiled;
+that was a good sign. As for the baron, he repeated each line after me,
+sometimes with variations, and with an accompaniment of loud guffaws. We
+heard him mumbling:
+
+"Noding so slyer als der vind! Ho! ho! ho! Gut, gut! Naughty!"
+
+"Go on," said Frederique.
+
+I cleared my throat, drank a glass of wine, and cried like Ravel in the
+_Tourlourou_:
+
+"Second verse, same tune:
+
+    "'Et puis, comment veux-tu qu'on fasse?
+      On s'habille quand il fait beau:
+      Le vent arrive, on s'embarrasse,
+      On ne peut tenir de niveau,
+      Le bas d'sa robe et son chapeau;
+      On a les yeux pleins de poussiere
+      Lorsque ca souffle par devant,
+      Mais c'est plus perfide, ma chere,
+      Quand on n'voit pas venir le vent.'"[C]
+
+"My loafe! Ven she don't feel te vind plowing! Ho! ho! gut! gut! gut!
+Troum! troum! troum!"
+
+Frederique laughed outright.
+
+"Oh! how insufferable he is with his repetitions! Next verse."
+
+    "'Si la pluie est desagreable
+      Et sur nous mouille nos jupons,
+      Le vent est libertin en diable!
+      Il dessin' ce que nous avons.
+      Il nous fait comm' des petits cal'cons;
+      Un homme, alors, garde moins de mesure,
+      Car ca le monte au ton du sentiment!
+      Et ce n'est pas notre figure
+      Qu'il regarde tant qu'il fait du vent.'"[D]
+
+"Ho! ho! ho! gut! gut! Id is not te face. Ich nicht untershtand."
+
+"So much the worse for you, baron; for I don't propose to have it
+explained to you. It seems to me that it's plain enough. It's a little
+free, but it's amusing. Is that all?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"Only three verses! That's a pity!" And Frederique put her glass to her
+lips, adding: "After all, where's the harm? In the old days, men sang
+more and they weren't so ill-tempered as they are to-day. Poor French
+gayety! what has become of thee? O merry meetings of the _Caveau_! In
+truth, it was only to sing that men sought admission to thy meetings."
+
+"Troum, troum, traderi dera. Ach! I remember me mein song now."
+
+"Let's have it, baron; we are listening."
+
+The baron opened his enormous mouth, and we supposed that a stentorian
+voice would issue therefrom; but we were agreeably surprised. When he
+sang, Herr von Brunzbrack had a shrill voice resembling that of a child
+of two; it reminded me strongly of the voice of the _Man with the Doll_.
+
+    "'Moi, qui jadis ch'affre eu le gloire,
+      De chansonner bour Montemoiselle Iris,
+      Che vais avec votre bermission fous dire l'histoire
+      Du jeune perger Paris;
+      Sur le mirlidon.'"[E]
+
+"Enough! enough!" cried Frederique; interrupting him without ceremony;
+"we know that, my dear Brunzbrack. You needn't have taken so much pains
+to remember that song."
+
+"Vat! you know id?"
+
+"Who doesn't know the _Judgment of Paris_; to the air of _mirliton_,
+_mirlitaine_? I think Colle wrote it. Perhaps I ought not to have
+admitted that I know it; but as I have told you that I am a man, that
+shouldn't astonish you."
+
+"Id is sehr bretty! Id ended alvays mit: Mirlidon, mirlidaine, mirlidon,
+don, don."
+
+"Yes. I advise you to think of something else, baron."
+
+Frederique threw her red handkerchief on the table, then ran again to
+the mirror, took a little comb from the pocket of her gown, and in an
+instant entirely rearranged her coiffure. She selected a beautiful white
+rose, put it in her hair, made curls much longer than before, and gave
+herself the aspect of one of those charming English faces of Lawrence,
+which have been freely reproduced in engravings, and which one cannot
+look at without the reflection that one would be very fortunate to
+possess the model.
+
+A most extraordinary woman, this Madame Dauberny! How far I had been
+from imagining her as she then was! What a captivating succession of
+moods! First, a very madcap, laughing uproariously; then, of a sudden,
+serious, almost melancholy, stern even; free in her actions, reserved in
+her speech; one moment assuming the tone and manners of a man; then
+abruptly recurring to the graces and dainty ways of a woman! I was still
+uncertain what opinion to form of her; but the one thing of which I
+could entertain no doubt was her perfect frankness; I was perfectly
+certain that she never had any hesitation about saying exactly what she
+thought.
+
+"Mirlidon, don, don, mirlidaine!" hummed the baron, between his teeth.
+
+Frederique resumed her place at the table, looked me squarely in the
+eye, and said:
+
+"Well, comrade, what do you think of this arrangement of the hair? But,
+first of all, my dear fellow, be assured that there isn't the slightest
+coquetry in all this! It amuses me to vary my headdress, to give myself
+a serious, saucy, romantic, harum-scarum look, turn and turn about. I
+would have liked to be an actress, so that I might have changed my role
+constantly. Sometimes I am as much of a child as when I was twelve years
+old; but, I repeat, I don't do all this to make myself attractive; it is
+only to amuse myself."
+
+"Suppose you were coquettish, where would be the harm? You are entitled
+to be."
+
+"I know it, and that's just why I am not. Still, perhaps I am,
+unconsciously. They say one doesn't know one's self. Why don't you tell
+me how I look?"
+
+"Because I am at a loss what to say. You were more alluring a moment
+ago. Now, your aspect inclines one more to reverie, which, I think, is
+more dangerous."
+
+"And you, baron--what do you think of my new coiffure?"
+
+By dint of humming _Mirlidon, don, don, mirlidaine_, Herr von Brunzbrack
+had fallen asleep; his only reply was a mumbled repetition of the
+refrain.
+
+"He is in some imaginary country," said Frederique, turning again to me.
+"Let's let him sleep. For a German, he's a very poor drinker; I mean, he
+drinks too much. But you are different; you don't show it. It's great
+fun to get merry, but it's stupid to get tipsy and go to sleep. For my
+part, I can drink all the champagne I choose, and it only makes me
+talkative, expansive, don't you know, my friend, don't you know? Ah! I
+have a strange fancy; if I don't yield to it, I shall stifle!"
+
+"What is it, in heaven's name? Pray yield to it at once!"
+
+"Well, I have a fancy to _tutoyer_[F] you; are you willing?"
+
+I cannot describe the effect produced upon me by that: "Are you
+willing?"--A sort of shiver passed through my body. I was moved to the
+very depths of my being. For a man cannot, unmoved, hear a young and
+attractive woman address him thus familiarly. It was of no use for me to
+say to myself that with Frederique that meant nothing, that it was
+simply one effect of her originality; I was perturbed, and I did not
+know what to reply.
+
+She saved me the trouble by going on:
+
+"It's agreed; we will _tutoyer_ each other. I will be your confidant,
+and you shall be mine. Like the intimate friends we are, we will have no
+secrets from each other. Give me your hand. Your name is Charles, I
+believe? Well, I will call you Charles; it's less ceremonious than
+Rochebrune. Come, shake hands. Aren't you willing to address me as
+_thou_?"
+
+"Oh, yes, indeed! I am delighted! I will gladly address you--address
+thee--_thou_."
+
+"One would say that it came rather hard! For my part, I feel as if you
+were my brother, and I had _thou'd_ thee all my life."
+
+"Ah! you feel as if I were your brother, do you?"
+
+I was not at all pleased to have her look upon me as her brother. Ah!
+what conceited fools men are! I fancied that I had turned Frederique's
+head! Her last words dispelled my illusion. I was silent for a moment,
+but I soon recovered myself and shook her hand, saying:
+
+"It's agreed, my dear friend: confidences and questions to the fore!
+Tell me why your brow darkened just now when we were talking of
+Monsieur Sordeville? Are you afraid that he doesn't make his wife
+happy?"
+
+Frederique resumed her grave--yes, sombre air; she lowered her eyes and
+was silent for some time before she replied:
+
+"You have made an unfortunate choice for your first question. I can't
+answer it, my dear Charles; there are some things that one must keep
+concealed in the depths of one's soul, that one cannot reveal--even to a
+friend--especially when---- I did wrong to give way to thoughts that----
+No, it's impossible! it cannot be! I say again: I ought not to have had
+those thoughts that banished my cheerfulness for a moment. It is
+altogether useless to mention that subject again."
+
+"I see only one thing clearly, Frederique; and that is that you have a
+secret that you won't trust to me. You may do as you please!"
+
+"Now it's my turn to ask questions, monsieur. I have been told--by
+someone I have talked with about you since that wedding; for I have made
+some inquiries since then, otherwise you must not think, my dear friend,
+that I would have asked you to sup with me; a lady in whom I have
+perfect confidence, and whom you loved dearly once on a time--that ought
+not to surprise you, you have loved so many! Have you kept notes of your
+loves?"
+
+"Go on, I beg! What did this lady say to you?"
+
+"She said much that was flattering to you; that's a fine thing on the
+part of a mistress one has left; but she expected it, she had served her
+time. Moreover, it seems that you were very considerate in your
+treatment of her, and that you remained good friends."
+
+"Her name?"
+
+"It's not worth while to tell you. This lady, then, spoke to me about
+you; I led her on, for I was glad to be posted. You had pleased me at
+the first glance; I had divined at once that we should be good friends
+some day--good friends, do you understand? that's much better than lover
+and mistress: it lasts longer."
+
+"But, you see, I have continued to be that lady's friend, although she
+was once my mistress."
+
+"That's an exceptional case. Why do you say _you_?"
+
+"I beg your pardon; I am not used to the other yet. You were saying?"
+
+"I keep digressing, don't I? I prattle along, and say everything that
+comes into my head. Ah! but it's so nice to be able to lay bare one's
+thoughts! Don't be impatient; there's no hurry. You are comfortable,
+aren't you? No woman is expecting you, eh? Let my words flow on at the
+bidding of my imagination, which sometimes whisks me away from one
+subject to another. You must be indulgent to your friends!"
+
+As she said this, she passed an arm about my waist and leaned against my
+shoulder; her head was close to my face; and when, as she talked, she
+raised her eyes and fixed them on mine, our glances mingled. We were so
+close together that I felt her breath on my cheek. "Ah!" I thought;
+"this woman must be very cold, very indifferent, to treat me as if I
+really were her father or her brother!"--But we were heated by the
+champagne, and it seemed to affect us differently. Frederique saw in me
+only a friend, to whom she could show herself as she really was;
+whereas I saw in her a lovely woman. Certainly it did not occur to me to
+make love to her; but the more freely she abandoned herself to her
+natural unreserve, the more seductive she seemed to me; and I felt that
+she was putting my friendship to a severe test by almost taking my
+breast for a pillow.
+
+"To return to this lady--your former friend--she told me that you were
+engaged to be married some time ago, and that your engagement was
+suddenly broken off for some reason unknown to her. She asked you the
+reason, and you refused to tell her; and she has an impression that that
+was the beginning of your rupture with her."
+
+"That is possible."
+
+"But some things that a man doesn't tell to his mistress, he may confide
+to an intimate friend. What was it that broke off your marriage? Tell
+me."
+
+Frederique's last words suddenly dispelled my gayety; a painful memory
+drove all before it. I sighed, and held my peace.
+
+"Well! you don't answer?" cried Frederique, after a long silence.
+
+"The fact is--I am terribly sorry, my charming friend, but you have made
+an unfortunate choice for your first question, and I cannot tell you
+what you wish to know."
+
+"Ha! ha! ha! that's a good joke!"
+
+"What are you laughing at?"
+
+"Why, don't you see? here are two intimate friends who have sworn to
+have no secrets from each other, and neither of us can--or chooses
+to--answer the first question the other asks! It's almost always so, my
+friend, with the plans we make. Let us never bind ourselves to
+anything--that's the safest way; and then, no matter what happens----"
+
+"Mirlidon, don, don--don, don!"
+
+"Ah! mon Dieu! How that frightened me! I thought that the baron was
+awake; and, frankly, I am quite willing that he should sleep."
+
+"He is dreaming that he's singing, that's all."
+
+"Look you, my little Charles, there's one thing I will tell you. You
+think my behavior very strange, no doubt--perhaps very blameworthy?"
+
+"Why, I pray to know?"
+
+"Let me speak. I know very well that I offend the proprieties, that I
+run counter to the prejudices of the common herd; that people indulge in
+numberless comments upon me, which are rarely favorable; but I--snap my
+fingers at them! Listen."
+
+
+
+
+XXI
+
+CONFIDENCES
+
+
+"I was not twenty-one years old when I was married; but I had already
+loved, or thought that I loved. I was impulsive and passionate. I come
+from a region where women do not know how to conceal their sentiments,
+where they sometimes anticipate a declaration; and in my case, 'the
+accent of the province is in the heart as well as in the language,' as
+La Rochefoucauld says. At eighteen, I fell in love with a very comely
+youth--at eighteen, a girl thinks a good deal of physical beauty; and
+that is natural enough, for we pass judgment first of all on what we
+see. My rosy-cheeked, fair-haired, blue-eyed young man was two years
+older than I; but he had the manner of a sixteen-year-old schoolboy:
+awkward, shy, embarrassed; he did not know what to say to me, and was
+content to stare at me; but, as his eyes were fine, I considered myself
+fortunate in having them always fastened on my face. 'He loves me,' I
+said to myself; 'he must be very much in love with me, to stand in rapt
+contemplation before me as he does.'--Still, I should not have been
+sorry to hear a word or two of love from his lips. I tried to furnish
+him with opportunities to be alone with me; I thought that he would
+finally speak out. But Gabriel--his name was Gabriel--didn't know enough
+to seize an opportunity. When he came, and I had a girl friend with me,
+I would motion to her to leave us for a moment; young girls understand
+each other very readily. But when she had invented some excuse for
+leaving the room, Gabriel always felt called upon to take his hat and go
+with her. You can judge whether I used to fret and fume. But one day,
+when Gabriel started off on the heels of a peddler I had just dismissed,
+I detained him by his coat tails, and he was compelled to remain; which
+he did, blushing to the whites of his eyes, and saying:
+
+"'Have I got anything on my back, mademoiselle?'
+
+"'No, monsieur, there's nothing on your back, but I want to talk with
+you; that's why I detained you. I was driven to resort to this method,
+because you always run away as soon as I am alone.'
+
+"Gabriel looked at the floor, playing with a little bamboo cane that he
+usually carried. I invited him to sit down on a sofa beside me; he did
+so, but moved as far away from me as possible, and continued to keep his
+eyes averted, gazing sometimes at the ferrule and sometimes at the head
+of his stick.
+
+"'Monsieur Gabriel,' I cried at last, irritated by his silence, 'haven't
+you anything to say to me? Do look at me, at least; before to-day, when
+you were not speaking, you always had your eyes on me; why, pray, do you
+gaze at your cane all the time to-day? Come, monsieur, look up, and tell
+me just what you're thinking about; and come a little nearer; anybody
+would think you were afraid of me, that I was scolding you.'
+
+"Gabriel made up his mind at last to look at me and to move a little
+nearer. He was as red as a cherry. He acted like a schoolboy who is
+afraid of the birch; but he was such a handsome boy!
+
+"'Monsieur,' I continued, 'I see that you don't dare to tell me what it
+is that makes you sigh so when you are with me. But when a person
+doesn't explain himself, he doesn't make any headway. As I am less
+timid than you--as I like to know what to expect--I am going to help you
+to speak out, for I believe that I have guessed the secret of your
+heart. You--you--are in love with me, aren't you, Monsieur Gabriel?'
+
+"My bashful suitor began anew to examine the two ends of his cane, which
+annoyed me beyond words. At last, he stammered:
+
+"'I--I don't know, mademoiselle.'
+
+"'What, monsieur, you don't know? Then you must try to find out. Don't
+you think me pretty?'
+
+"'Oh, yes, mademoiselle!'
+
+"'Don't you feel great pleasure in being with me?'
+
+"'Yes, mademoiselle.'
+
+"'Then, monsieur, of course you are in love with me.'
+
+"'_Dame!_ it is very possible.'
+
+"And he kept on playing with his stick. Unable to contain myself, I
+snatched it out of his hands and threw it on the floor.
+
+"'It seems to me, monsieur,' I cried, 'that, while I am speaking to you,
+you might stop playing with your cane; it looks as if you weren't
+listening to me, and that's very impolite!'
+
+"The poor boy was thunderstruck by my action. He glanced at his cane out
+of the corner of his eye, and murmured:
+
+"'I wont do it any more, mademoiselle.'
+
+"Somewhat mollified by his submissive air, I continued:
+
+"'Well, Monsieur Gabriel, as you are in love with me, of course you want
+to marry me; for my parents say that people ought not to love unless
+they're going to be married. I don't know how true that is. Would you
+like to marry me, Monsieur Gabriel?'
+
+"'Why, certainly, mademoiselle, if you think it's possible.'
+
+"'Why shouldn't it be, monsieur? Isn't it true that young men are
+brought into the world to marry young women?'
+
+"'I don't know, mademoiselle.'
+
+"'What's that? you don't know? For heaven's sake, what did they teach
+you at your school, monsieur?'
+
+"'Latin, Greek, mathematics, geography, mademoiselle.'
+
+"'And nothing at all about young ladies and love and marriage?'
+
+"'Nothing at all!'
+
+"'Much good it does to send boys to school! it's a funny kind of
+education they get! However, Monsieur Gabriel, you're in love with me,
+you love me, you want to marry me; and I ask nothing better than to be
+your wife. Well, monsieur, you must go to my father and ask him for my
+hand.'
+
+"'You want me to go to monsieur your papa?'
+
+"'Yes, monsieur, and right away; he's in his study now. Go and prefer
+your suit.'
+
+"'But--mademoiselle--you see--I don't think I'd dare say that to
+monsieur your papa.'
+
+"'My papa! my papa! Great heaven! can't you say my _father_, Monsieur
+Gabriel? You talk like a little boy of six! This is no time to tremble
+in your shoes and be afraid; if you don't go and make your request, some
+other man will be bolder than you; he'll speak out, my father will
+listen to him, I shall be bound to another, and I shan't be your wife.'
+
+"Gabriel summoned all his courage, cast a glance at his costume, and
+cried:
+
+"'I will go and speak to monsieur your pap--your father, mademoiselle.'
+
+"'Good! and you must come right back and tell me what answer he makes.'
+
+"'Right away?'
+
+"'Why, of course! Do you think that I am not interested in it?'
+
+"'I will come back, mademoiselle.'
+
+"He walked to the door of the salon, then retraced his steps and picked
+up his stick, which lay where I had thrown it. I stamped the floor
+angrily, and said:
+
+"'What, monsieur! you have come back for that?'
+
+"'Because I am used to having it in my hand, mademoiselle; it encourages
+me. When I haven't it, I don't know what to do with my hands.'
+
+"'When a person's mind is occupied, monsieur, he is never embarrassed by
+his hands. But go, and hurry back!'
+
+"When Gabriel had gone, I was anxious and impatient; I imagined that I
+loved that young man with a very profound love. In girls of that age,
+the slightest sentiment, the most trivial caprice, at once assumes the
+form of a passion. A pleasing illusion! which lasts too short a time,
+thanks to you, messieurs, who are so well skilled in opening our eyes to
+the melancholy reality!"
+
+"My dear Frederique, the illusions and disappointments are the same in
+both sexes! You are more affectionate, perhaps, but you are more easily
+fascinated, too. We change without reason, you change from pure
+coquetry. There is no more fidelity on one side than on the other."
+
+"Do you think so? That may be true. Let me finish the story of my first
+love.
+
+"Gabriel was not long away; in about ten minutes he returned; his face
+was flushed, his eyes gleamed--but not with joy. I must tell you that my
+father, an ex-naval officer, was not good-humored every day, that his
+language was often brusque, and that his manners corresponded with his
+language.
+
+"'Well, monsieur,' I said, 'did you see my father?'
+
+"'Yes, mademoiselle.'
+
+"'Did you ask him for my hand?'
+
+"'Yes, mademoiselle.'
+
+"'What answer did he make?'
+
+"Gabriel began to twirl his cane.
+
+"'If you don't keep your cane quiet, monsieur, I'll throw it out of the
+window! What did father say?'
+
+"'Mademoiselle--monsieur your father--he is not in a very good humor--he
+listened to me with a sarcastic expression, and then--then he took me by
+the hand, and--and put me out of his study. "Go and blow your nose!" he
+said; "you may come again in ten years and talk about your love."'
+
+"'What! is it possible? My father told you to--to go and blow your
+nose?'
+
+"'Yes, mademoiselle; and I give you my word I had no desire to.'
+
+"I was petrified. My father's response seemed to me so rude, so
+humiliating, to Gabriel, that I asked him, looking him in the eye:
+
+"'And you took that without a word?'
+
+"'What would you have had me do, mademoiselle? I could not--threaten
+your papa, could I?'
+
+"'No, of course not. Well, Monsieur Gabriel, as he looks upon you as a
+schoolboy, you must show him that you're a man. You must--you must--run
+off with me.'
+
+"'Run off with you!'
+
+"Gabriel was paralyzed; but I, afraid of nothing, and having no
+comprehension of the importance of my projected action, continued:
+
+"'Mon Dieu! Monsieur Gabriel, you seem dumfounded. However, it's a very
+simple matter. You carry me off--that is to say, I run away--to-night,
+after dinner. No one suspects anything, and it will be easy enough for
+me to do it. You must be waiting for me at the corner, wrapped in a
+cloak--do you hear? You must have a cloak,--no one ever abducts a girl
+without that,--and a broad-brimmed hat pulled down over your eyes. I
+will wear a long pelisse and a veil. It will be great fun! You must take
+me--wherever you choose. Then you can write to my father that I am with
+you, and he can't help consenting to our marriage; that's the way it
+always ends.'
+
+"'In that case, mademoiselle, I will run away with you; I should like
+to.'
+
+"'To-night?'
+
+"'To-night.'
+
+"'I will leave the house at eight o'clock; be on the lookout for me.'
+
+"'I will.'
+
+"'And you will wear a cloak?'
+
+"'I have one, mademoiselle; but I haven't a broad-brimmed hat.'
+
+"'Buy one.'
+
+"'To be sure; I didn't think of that.'
+
+"'And think about where you will take me.'
+
+"'I'll think about it.'
+
+"'Now go; until to-night!'
+
+"I can't tell you, my dear Charles, all the thoughts that assailed me as
+soon as I had persuaded my lover to abduct me. I was glad, and sorry; I
+looked forward with delight to being abducted, for I had read many
+novels, and, unluckily, of the sort in which one never finds a truthful
+line; in which nature, constantly perverted and distorted, like the
+language of the characters, is made to produce only such individuals as
+never existed, with an accompaniment of stilted, bombastic phrases; and
+whose moral is that vice or crime is always triumphant over virtue and
+honesty. Is it not true, my friend, that those are villainous books, and
+that if by chance they contain charm of style and poetic thoughts the
+author is all the more culpable, since he employs his talent solely to
+disgust us with what is good and beautiful, with what has always been
+held in respect?
+
+"As I was saying, I was intensely excited, in a sort of delirium, in
+fact. I had had no mother from childhood! Abandoned at an early age to
+the care of paid dependents, never having found a heart into which I
+could pour out my thoughts and feelings, treated by my father like a
+little girl, or rather like a boy who was left to himself all day to
+raise the deuce, I had no one but myself. Ah! if my mother had lived!
+how many, many things would not have happened to me! She would have made
+me more prudent and careful; and it is probable that you would not be
+supping with me to-night.
+
+"I had no thought of drawing back. At the appointed hour, I stole out of
+the house, wrapped in my pelisse, with a veil over my face, carrying a
+small bundle, in which, I remember, I had put a ball dress, a pair of
+bracelets, a package of candy, a toothbrush, three pairs of gloves, two
+cakes of chocolate, a fan, and a shoehorn.
+
+"I found Gabriel waiting for me. The poor fellow was trembling much more
+than I was; he had the conventional cloak, but his head was almost
+invisible in an enormous hat like those worn by the porters at the
+market; it crushed him, made him look small and insignificant, and was
+not at all the style of headgear that I had hoped to see on my abductor.
+And, to cap the climax, he still carried in his right hand that
+miserable switch which had already caused me so much vexation of spirit.
+
+"He came to meet me, and stammered something or other. I took possession
+of his arm, saying:
+
+"'Let us make haste, we may be followed. Where's the post chaise?'
+
+"'The post chaise? There isn't any. You didn't mention a post chaise.'
+
+"'I thought that you would understand that. Where are you going to take
+me, then?'
+
+"'Oh! never fear! I have engaged a lodging. Come.'
+
+"I followed where he led. But I could not help saying to him:
+
+"'That's a horribly ugly hat!'
+
+"'Why, mademoiselle, it has a turned-down brim.'
+
+"'So I see! but it's too much of a good thing. You ought to have a hat
+such as they wore under Louis XIII, with a feather curled round it. You
+look like a miller.'
+
+"'_Dame!_ you didn't tell me----'
+
+"'Great heaven! must I tell you everything?'
+
+"We halted in front of a furnished lodging house in the heart of the
+town, into which my abductor escorted me. I considered that very
+unromantic; I had flattered myself that I was to be spirited away to
+some venerable chateau, or to some village inn, where there would be
+robbers, or, at all events, very dark passages. Instead of that, we were
+shown into a pleasant, well-lighted room, where a table was laid, but in
+which there was nothing to suggest that we were to pass the night there.
+I said nothing, but it seemed strange to me. When we were left alone,
+Gabriel, who had removed his cloak and his plebeian hat, began to play
+with his cane.
+
+"'Mademoiselle Frederique,' he said,'do you like roast duck with
+olives?'
+
+"You cannot conceive the impression produced upon me by that question,
+at a moment when I expected my lover to throw himself at my feet with
+passionate protestations of love.
+
+"'Was it to feed me on roast duck with olives that you eloped with me,
+monsieur?' I demanded angrily.
+
+"'No, mademoiselle; but we must eat. They won't take us in here unless
+we order supper; and while we're waiting for them to come for you----'
+
+"'To come for me! Who, pray?'
+
+"'Why, your papa.'
+
+"'My father come here for me! Who can have told him that I am here?'
+
+"'Why, I did.'
+
+"'You? What do you mean? You bring me to this hotel, to conceal me, and
+you send word to my father!'
+
+"'Why, mademoiselle, it was you yourself who said to me: "You will carry
+me off, then you will write to my father, and he'll have to consent to
+our marriage."--I have followed your instructions; I have sent a letter
+to your papa by a messenger, telling him that I have carried you off and
+that we are here.'
+
+"'Oh! is it possible that anybody can be such a stupid fool! Why,
+monsieur, the time to write to the parents is after a few days have
+passed; when the elopement has made a great sensation, and they have
+hunted everywhere for the girl, and when--when--things have happened
+that---- Oh! how stupid you are, monsieur! Mon Dieu!'
+
+"Gabriel was at his wits' end, and I was choking with rage. At that
+moment, I heard my father's voice in the street. He was just entering
+the house, with a friend of his, and I heard him say:
+
+"'It's a boy and girl's joke, but I don't like it.'
+
+"The thought of being found there by my father, and of the bundle I had
+brought, together with Gabriel's dazed look, drove me into a perfect
+frenzy of rage; and in my longing to be revenged, to vent my spleen upon
+someone, I seized my lover's cane, and, without taking time to reflect,
+beat him soundly over the shoulders before he knew what I was doing.
+Then I opened the window--we were only on the entresol--and jumped
+without a moment's hesitation. I landed in the street, uninjured,
+hurried home, and succeeded in creeping up to my room without being
+seen. I quickly scrambled into bed, so that when my father returned he
+concluded that the letter he had received was simply a hoax, and never
+mentioned it. As for little Gabriel, I never saw him again.
+
+"That, my friend, is the story of my first love, if one may fairly give
+that name to the impulsive fancy of a mere girl, which makes her think
+that she loves the first fair-haired stripling who sighs when he looks
+at her.
+
+"A few months after this adventure, another young man paid court to me;
+but he was not timid, not he! he knew how to speak out, and was not at
+all embarrassed about declaring his affection; he expressed himself too
+eloquently, perhaps, for he turned my head with fine phrases which I
+thought superb at the time, but which would seem quite devoid of sense
+now. After declaring his passion to me, he asked my father for my hand,
+and was formally refused. He had not a sou, and I have learned since
+that he was a very bad character. But at that time I looked upon my
+father as a tyrant, and when Anatole proposed an elopement, to be
+followed by a marriage, it seemed to me a perfectly natural proposal.
+
+"However, I hesitated. The memory of my escapade with Gabriel had cooled
+my ardor somewhat on the subject of elopements, and at first I made some
+objections. Anatole thereupon drew from under his waistcoat a little
+dagger with a gleaming blade, swearing that he would kill himself before
+my eyes if I did not consent to be abducted. A man who proposes to kill
+himself for love of you! That is magnificent, and not to be resisted. I
+consented.
+
+"The elopement was carried out without difficulty--I was so poorly
+guarded! This time I had the pleasure of being abducted in a carriage;
+but we went only three leagues from the city. Anatole told the coachman
+to stop at an inn, where we were to pass the night. Ah! that time I was
+in great danger.
+
+"In the common room of the inn, where we had to wait while a room was
+prepared for us, we met two ladies on their way to Bordeaux. I fancied
+that I detected an interchange of smiles and knowing glances between
+them and Anatole. I was suspicious, but I said nothing. I refused to eat
+any supper, and went up to the room that had been prepared for me,
+telling Anatole not to put himself out on my account, but to sup without
+me. He assented, which was in itself rather ungallant; for there are
+times when a man ought not to think of eating. Although I had had little
+experience, it seemed to me that that was one of the times.
+
+"A quarter of an hour later, I opened my door very softly and crept
+downstairs without meeting a soul. As I passed through a hall into which
+several doors opened, I heard laughter, and recognized Anatole's voice.
+I went to the door from which it came, and put my ear to the crack. I
+cannot describe my feelings when I heard the man who had eloped with me
+speak of me as a little fool whose head he had turned without
+difficulty. I heard two women's voices also; they spoke sneeringly of me
+and laughed at my expense; then they kissed, chuckling over the good
+times they would have with my dowry. I was furious, and for a moment I
+was tempted to rush into the room and box my seducer's ears as well as
+his companions'. But I restrained myself, reflecting that a scandalous
+scene in an inn would compromise me much more, and that it would be far
+better to go away without a word and leave Monsieur Anatole to his
+reflections.
+
+"I had no difficulty in leaving the inn; I found my way to the highroad
+and entered a diligence going to Bordeaux. To make a long story short, I
+succeeded in returning home before my absence was discovered; so that my
+father had no suspicion that I had eloped a second time. That was
+wonderful luck; but I swore that I would never take the risk again.
+
+"Several days passed before I heard from Anatole, but at last I received
+a letter from him. He demanded an explanation of my conduct and
+reiterated his protestations of undying love; in conclusion, he asked
+for a meeting. You will readily understand that I did not answer the
+letter. The next day came another, in which he himself appointed a
+meeting. At that, I went to my father and told him that Monsieur
+Anatole, whom I could not endure, had the assurance to make assignations
+with me, and I mentioned the place where he proposed to meet me. My
+father kissed me in acknowledgment of my trust in him and my prudence,
+saying that he would take it upon himself to administer fitting
+chastisement to the impertinent scoundrel who presumed to write to me.
+In fact, that same evening Monsieur Anatole received from my father's
+foot a number of blows on a sensitive spot."
+
+Frederique paused to moisten her lips with malvoisie, and I turned my
+face so that I could see her better.
+
+
+
+
+XXII
+
+MONSIEUR DAUBERNY
+
+
+After a moment's silence, during which we both seemed to be lost in
+thought, Frederique continued:
+
+"Such, my friend, were the results of my first two girlish passions; I
+was entirely disillusionized concerning the pretty love romances that
+girls dream of at boarding school. Some time after, my father proposed
+Monsieur Dauberny to me as a suitable match. I did not know him, but I
+readily assented. I did not propose to love again, and it mattered
+little to me whom they gave me for a husband.
+
+"So I married Monsieur Dauberny. As you do not know my husband, allow me
+to draw his portrait for you. He was thirty-six years old when he
+married me, and is now forty-four. A man of thirty-six is still young,
+especially when he is a bachelor. My husband is a handsome man, with
+regular features; his face has no mobility, but, at first glance, that
+lack may easily be taken for gravity; at that time he was not so stout
+as he is to-day. In the early days of our union, I did not dislike him;
+I simply thought that he did not take enough pains to please me. I was
+nineteen years old! Frankly, I was well worth the trouble of making love
+to. Instead of that, my husband already neglected me to go--where? I did
+not know; but one day I took it into my head to find out. I dressed as a
+man; I had often worn a masculine costume for my own amusement, and I
+wore it with as much ease as that of my own sex.
+
+"I played the spy on Monsieur Dauberny; he took a fiacre, and I followed
+him in a cabriolet. I supposed that he would go to visit some lorette,
+or perhaps some grisette. I was surprised when I found that his cab
+turned into Faubourg du Temple, passed the barrier, and stopped at La
+Courtille, in front of one of the most famous restaurants there. So
+Monsieur Dauberny frequented La Courtille. But why did he go there? Was
+it simply from curiosity? from a liking for those popular scenes, with
+which the court used to divert itself, so they say, at the Grand-Salon
+on Rue Coquenard? It was necessary to follow Monsieur Dauberny in order
+to obtain fuller information. I confess that I hesitated a moment. I
+felt a sort of thrill of terror when I found myself in the midst of a
+throng so entirely unfamiliar to me, hearing a medley of shouts, oaths,
+howling, singing, and laughter all about me. But, as you know, I am not
+fond of retreating. I entered a wine shop which seemed very popular, and
+followed the crowd past a succession of long counters, looking about for
+my husband.
+
+"Everybody seemed to be going up a broad staircase, and I did as the
+others did. Luckily, my costume, being very simple, did not attract
+attention. Still, several men in blouses had glanced at me as they
+passed, saying to one another:
+
+"'Who in the devil's this fellow?'
+
+"'I should think he was some English lord's valet.'
+
+"'How sheepish he looks in his coat! One would say he didn't dare to
+stoop. My eye! see the gloves! There's style for you! gloves! He looks
+as if he'd been to a wedding.'
+
+"All this was not calculated to put me at my ease. I hastened to take
+off my gloves, and stuffed them in my pocket; then I cocked my hat over
+one ear, to give myself a swaggering air, and went up to the first
+floor.
+
+"I found myself in an enormous room, where there was an orchestra. The
+centre of the room was reserved for dancing and was surrounded by a
+railing. But outside the railing were tables, without cloths, with
+wooden benches beside them. There were men and women eating and drinking
+at almost all the tables. All those people did not hesitate to talk in
+loud voices, laugh and sing, or blackguard one another. They kept
+shouting to the waiters, who had much ado to fill the orders of the
+customers; and when to that uproar were added the music of the
+orchestra, in which wind instruments and the bass drum predominated, and
+the clatter of the dancers, who were not shod in pumps, the result was a
+bacchanalian tumult quite capable of deafening and stupefying a person,
+especially one who heard it for the first time.
+
+"The heat was suffocating; the room was filled with a heavy vapor
+produced by the smoking dishes, the wine spilt on the table, the dust
+raised by the dancers, and the perspiration, which seemed to be the
+normal condition of the company. There was a sort of mist before my
+eyes; they smarted painfully, and I felt that I staggered like an
+intoxicated person. I leaned against a table. A waiter passed me,
+carrying glasses of eau-de-vie to several women; I asked him for one of
+them and swallowed it at a draught, amid the applause of the women who
+sat about the table.
+
+"'He's doing well, that boy is!' said one of them; 'with his little
+touch-me-not air, he tosses down his dram like a regular fireman! I give
+him my esteem!--I say, little one, I engage you for the waltz.'
+
+"I thanked them, saying that I did not waltz, and walked quickly away
+from the table, for they seemed altogether too kindly disposed toward
+me. At last, I discovered my husband in the midst of the crowd around
+the tables. He had just taken his seat at one, at which two women in
+fichus were already seated dressed like fishwomen in their everyday
+clothes.
+
+"The brandy I had drunk had restored my spirit; I was no longer afraid,
+but was inclined to fight anybody who chose to place any obstacle in the
+way of my plans. I stole cautiously behind Monsieur Dauberny, and seated
+myself on a bench at the table next to his, and ordered wine, bread, and
+veal cutlets. I could hear my neighbors' conversation, especially as my
+husband's companions had voices of the sort that drowns every other
+noise, even that of a bass drum.
+
+"The two women in fichus were young; one was ugly, while the other had
+rather pretty features. But such a shameless expression! Such bold eyes,
+such a voice, such gestures, and such language! I have never been
+prudish, but I confess that I felt the color rising in my cheeks when I
+heard that woman's remarks. But it seemed to be much to Monsieur
+Dauberny's taste; for he sat very close indeed to Mademoiselle Mariotte,
+as they called her whose look seemed to defy a regiment. I heard her
+call my husband _Bouqueton_; that was the name he had adopted for use
+with his conquests at La Courtille. They were already acquainted, for
+Mademoiselle Mariotte said to him:
+
+"'Why didn't you come night before last, as you promised, you vagabond?
+It was all on your account I accepted a salad and a sword knot from the
+Garenboule brothers, who made me drink a lot of stuff and play cards
+with 'em till I won all their cash. If you don't keep your word better'n
+that, I'll play tricks on you as would give the monkeys the go-by!'
+
+"Monsieur Dauberny apologized, and ordered two or three dishes and
+several bottles of wine. I expected to see him dance with his belle, but
+he contented himself with treating her and even making her tipsy.
+Mademoiselle Mariotte was sentimental in her cups; I heard them kissing
+behind me, but I beg you to believe that my heart felt no wound. Since I
+had seen my husband make soft eyes at Mademoiselle Mariotte, I had felt
+nothing but contempt for him, and contempt, I can assure you, is the
+sovereign remedy for love; but I had never loved Monsieur Dauberny.
+
+"The caresses became more frequent, but that was a very common
+occurrence in that den; for there was an incessant volley of them from
+all the tables. Suddenly my husband's mistress rose and led him away.
+
+"'I believe private rooms ain't for wax figures!' she cried.
+
+"And they went off, arm in arm. That time I had no desire to follow
+them; I had seen and heard enough. I made haste to pay for the food and
+drink I had not touched, and to leave that wine shop where sport was so
+noisy and love so shameless.
+
+"I did not see my husband for several days. I said that I was ill, and
+kept my room; when he came to the door and asked to see me, I alleged my
+need of rest as an excuse for not receiving him. I felt such an
+unutterable aversion for him that even the sound of his footsteps upset
+me completely. However, before deciding definitely what course to
+pursue, before letting him know that I was aware of his debauched
+tastes, I asked myself if it were not possible that he had been led away
+once by some unusual combination of circumstances; if it would be just
+to condemn him on the strength of a single act. You see that I meant to
+deal fairly by him. What I had seen would have been enough to lead many
+women to consider themselves released from their oaths. But I determined
+to follow him once more, being fully persuaded beforehand that I should
+simply acquire fresh proofs of his disgusting habits.
+
+"On the second occasion, instead of putting on a frock-coat and a round
+hat, I dressed in a blouse, with a workman's cap on my head; I was
+careful not to wear gloves, and I tried to blacken my hands. In short, I
+disguised myself as a street urchin. Well for me that I did so! for,
+instead of leading me to La Courtille, Monsieur Dauberny, who was on
+foot, went in the direction of the Cite, and in due time turned into a
+narrow, muddy street, where the houses had a very evil look. I have
+learned since that it was Rue Saint-Eloy. I remembered the _Mysteries of
+Paris_, and I shuddered at the thought that I might perhaps have to
+follow my husband into a _tapis franc_! but my costume protected me, and
+no one paid any heed to me.
+
+"Monsieur Dauberny stopped in front of a hovel that was styled a cafe,
+and looked through the window. It must have been hard to distinguish
+anything, for the glass was covered with a coating of smoke; and
+Monsieur Dauberny, who probably had not succeeded in looking in, seemed
+to hesitate, when a man entered the street at the other end and tapped
+my husband on the shoulder. I recognized the new-comer as one Faisande,
+who was very intimate with Monsieur Dauberny, and sometimes came to the
+house; but the fellow, who was a clerk at the Treasury, had always
+seemed to me so reserved in his language, he professed to entertain such
+rigid principles and displayed so little indulgence for the most trivial
+peccadilloes, that I believed him to be a perfect Cato!"
+
+"Faisande!" cried I; "a clerk at the Treasury! Hypocrite, tartuffe, and
+debauchee! Ah! that's the very man!"
+
+"Do you know him?"
+
+"He was at the dinner at Deffieux's, the night that I made bold to
+attend Mademoiselle Guillardin's ball. He was very much shocked because
+we were a little free in our talk; he preached morality to us."
+
+"Oh! that's the man to the life! Let me finish my story:
+
+"When Monsieur Faisande appeared, I stretched myself out on a stone
+bench in front of the hovel. I turned my face to the wall, and listened
+to their talk.
+
+"'I was waiting for you,' my husband said.
+
+"'Why didn't you go in?'
+
+"'I am not so well known here as you are. I was not sure that they'd
+give me the little secret room.'
+
+"'You must say: "I am Saint-Germain's friend,"--that's the name I go by
+here,--and they'd have taken you there at once.'
+
+"'It seems that you're a regular habitue?'
+
+"'I sometimes pass a whole week here, without putting my nose outside
+the door.'
+
+"'A week! What about your place?'
+
+"'I let it go to the devil!'
+
+"'And your wife?'
+
+"'The same with her. I have never put myself out for her. A week after
+my wedding, I slept away from home three nights in succession. A man
+should always put his wife on the proper footing at the outset. You
+ought to have done the same with yours.'
+
+"'Oh! my wife pays very little attention to what I do. I can stay away
+all night if I choose; she won't say anything.'
+
+"'That's all right! But let's go in; the women must be here, waiting for
+us.'
+
+"'How many are there?'
+
+"'Two each, or rather four each, as there are four of them.--Ha! ha!'
+
+"'Pardieu! that's true. By the way, remember not to call me anything but
+Bouqueton.'
+
+"'And I am Saint-Germain.'
+
+"'It's a good idea to change our names.'
+
+"'All the better, when you have a grudge against someone: you take his
+name in some risky affair, and if there's any trouble about it, why, it
+all comes back on the man whose name you took.'
+
+"'What a devil of a fellow! He thinks of everything; he's far-sighted.
+Let's go in.'
+
+"My husband and his worthy friend entered the vile resort. A few moments
+later, three or four urchins of fourteen or fifteen years went in, and I
+slipped in with them. I was anxious to get a glimpse of the interior of
+the place. It was very bold, was it not, my dear Charles? But there are
+days when I would brave the greatest dangers; apparently that was one of
+the days.
+
+"I found myself in a very large room, but no higher than the ordinary
+entresol. The atmosphere was so dense with smoke that when I went in I
+could not see a billiard table at one end of the room. Not for some
+little time did my eyes become so far accustomed to the mist that I
+could distinguish anything. There were tables on all sides. A large
+number of men, of all ages, stood about the billiard table, which was
+dimly lighted by two lamps hanging from the ceiling. A common kitchen
+lamp stood on a desk near the outer door. There were no other lights in
+the room, so that in places it was quite dark. There were, as I say,
+many people about the billiard table; very few women, but many youths,
+or rather children, barely fourteen years old, whose worn faces, hollow
+eyes, and leaden complexions denoted premature debauchery. As for the
+women! I need not tell you to what class they belonged. There was no
+noise such as had deafened me at the ball at La Courtille; on the
+contrary, everybody spoke in undertones, and, except for a few energetic
+oaths from the billiard players, a forbidding silence reigned. My heart
+sank when I found myself in that den of iniquity. The dance hall at La
+Courtille was a veritable Chateau of Flowers compared with that ghastly
+cafe. I stood inside the door, and was about to go out again, when four
+women entered together. They were all young and shapely, and dressed
+like the wretched creatures who roam the streets in that quarter;
+breasts uncovered, eyes inflamed, heads thrown back, and faces upon
+which all the vices were engraved. Several men in blouses ran to meet
+them, crying:
+
+"'Ah! here's the _siroteuses_! We're going to have some sport to-night.'
+
+"'Bonsoir, _la fourmi_!'
+
+"'Bonsoir, _la mouche_!'
+
+"But the four women forced their way through the men who surrounded
+them, saying almost disdainfully:
+
+"'We ain't for you to-night. There ain't no show! We're engaged! Have
+Messieurs Bouqueton and Saint-Germain got here?'
+
+"'To be sure!' said a woman at the desk, who had been darting fiery
+glances at me for some minutes. 'They're waiting for you, and the
+table's set.'
+
+"'The devil! there's going to be a treat, it seems!' cried one of the
+men.
+
+"'Yes, yes,' said the girls. 'We're going to earn some shiners. And if
+you behave yourselves, there'll be something for you. Get out of the
+way! Let us go to work.'
+
+"And the four women hurried to the other end of the room and disappeared
+through a little door, which closed behind them. I made haste to escape
+from that horrible place. I believe that it was high time, for the woman
+at the desk had pointed me out to some men, who were scrutinizing me
+closely.
+
+"As soon as I was in the street, I ran at the top of my speed. I thought
+then, and I still believe that I was not mistaken, that I was chased by
+some men who came out of the cafe behind me. But some soldiers came
+along, and I walked beside them until I reached a more frequented
+quarter. Then I took a cab and went home.
+
+"I cannot tell you what took place in my heart when I was able to
+reflect calmly on my plight--that I was the wife of a man of honorable
+birth and breeding, the bearer of an honorable name, who was at liberty
+to frequent respectable society in Paris, and who had a wife who was
+young and pretty, and not a fool,--I flattered myself, perhaps!--and
+that that man was at that moment in one of those sink-holes of vice
+which are tolerated in great cities because fugitives from justice can
+be found there; that he was in the company of public prostitutes of the
+lowest type, and that he would probably pass the night there.
+
+"I trembled convulsively from head to foot, I had paroxysms of passion,
+and cried in a sort of frenzy: 'And I am tied to such a creature!'
+
+"To calm myself I thought of that hypocrite Faisande; he too had a wife;
+I had happened to meet her twice, and I knew that she was young and
+pretty and had all the qualities of a good wife and mother; she was
+virtuous, orderly, economical, not coquettish, and she adored her
+husband! It seems that there is a fatality about it: the worst
+scoundrels always obtain such phoenixes. Moreover, Monsieur Faisande
+had a daughter; but even that did not deter the wretch! He abandoned
+himself to his abominable tastes, wholly oblivious of the fact that he
+was a father.
+
+"I, at all events, had no child; and I thanked God for it at that
+moment. Recovering my strength of will and my courage, I said to myself
+that in all probability many wives had passed through such ordeals as
+mine. Ah! if we knew all the family secrets of our friends! This is not
+romancing, my friend; I invent nothing; it is history.
+
+"I was conscious of a thrill of joy at the thought that I was free; that
+Monsieur Dauberny had released me from all the oaths that bound me to
+him. For I did not feel disposed, for my part, to imitate Madame
+Faisande, who, although she was aware of her husband's conduct, hardly
+dared to say a word of reproach, and remained faithful to her vows. That
+is very fine, but I am not so self-sacrificing! and, frankly, I have
+never understood that precept of the Gospel about returning good for
+evil. No, no! let us not forgive an insult, let us not kiss the hand
+that strikes us; for then the insult and the blow will be repeated. The
+_lex talionis_! that is the natural law, and it is my idea of justice!
+
+"Three days passed before I saw my husband; he probably passed them in
+that den where his friend Faisande sometimes passed a week. At last,
+Monsieur Dauberny came to my room one morning and approached me as if to
+kiss me. I felt as if I were about to come in contact with a toad. I
+rose hastily, and I doubt not that my face expressed what was passing
+through my mind, for Monsieur Dauberny stopped in utter amazement.
+
+"'Monsieur,' I said to him, pointing to the door, 'you will never cross
+that threshold again! More than that, you will never seek to see me or
+to speak to me. Henceforth we are utter strangers to each other. I will
+never go out with you; when I dine at home, it will not be at your
+table; we will have our meals separately. Absolute liberty, monsieur! I
+shall do whatever I please--absolutely! do you understand, monsieur? And
+you will not venture to find fault with any act of mine.'
+
+"Monsieur Dauberny, bewildered at first by what I said, tried to demand
+an explanation. I closed his mouth with these words:
+
+"'I know all about La Courtille, Mariotte, the vile hole on Rue
+Saint-Eloy, and the four _siroteuses_!'
+
+"He turned deathly pale and trembled like a leaf; he stammered some
+words which I could not understand, then bowed, and rushed from the
+room. Since that day--and that was years ago!--I have not exchanged a
+word with my husband. We live as I had resolved. Sometimes I don't see
+him for three weeks; and if we chance to meet, we bow, and that is all.
+The world has become accustomed to seeing me go about without my
+husband. What the world thinks about it matters little to me! It is so
+often mistaken in its judgments that we are fools to worry about it. I
+have always thought that our own esteem was worth more than the
+consideration which is often most freely bestowed on people who hardly
+deserve it."
+
+
+
+
+XXIII
+
+A MOMENT OF FORGETFULNESS
+
+
+"Now, my dear Charles, you know the secret of my entire liberty, and of
+my conduct, which gives rise to so much gossip; of my inviting you to
+supper to-night with our dear baron, who is sleeping so soundly now; of
+my having a table of my own, in short, at which I can entertain whom I
+please, without the slightest concern as to whether anyone will
+criticise me for it. Are you glad that I have told you?"
+
+"Oh, yes!" I said, pressing her hand with force. "Yes! In the first
+place, I am proud of having inspired you with confidence in me. And
+then, too, I--I----"
+
+"You are very glad to find that I am not such a good-for-naught as you
+thought at first, eh?"
+
+She was right. Her conduct seemed to me now to be perfectly natural, or,
+at all events, excusable. Frederique's head no longer rested on my
+shoulder: she sat up and passed her hand across her forehead, saying:
+
+"I believe it is time for us to think of separating. I feel a little
+tired, my friend. You will go home with Herr von Brunzbrack, will you
+not? He is a little--tipsy, and I should be sorry if anything happened
+to him. And, although he has his carriage here, he is quite capable of
+refusing to go home."
+
+"Yes, yes; I will put him in the hands of his servants. But just a
+moment; why need we separate so soon?"
+
+"The clock has just struck half-past three."
+
+"Suppose it has? what does the time matter, when we are so comfortable
+and our own masters?"
+
+"Oh! as far as that goes, nobody is more uncontrolled than I am now.
+Stay on, if you choose. But, if you do, you must tell me something,
+confide in me. Do you fence?"
+
+"Yes; why?"
+
+"Because, if you do, you must come here and fence with me; it's a form
+of exercise that I am very fond of."
+
+"What! do you really know how to handle a foil?"
+
+"And very prettily too, I flatter myself. I told you that I was a man;
+so, of course, I have learned the things that go to perfect a man's
+education."
+
+"Then you must ride too?"
+
+"Oh! that is another exercise that I adore. We will ride together--and
+you will see that I am not afraid, and that I have a good seat. But you
+don't seem to be listening to me! What in the deuce shall I talk to him
+about?--Poor boy, talk to me about Armantine. It is such a joy to speak
+of the person one loves! And you are very much in love with her, aren't
+you?"
+
+I confess that at that moment I was thinking much less of Madame
+Sordeville. So that I replied, rather coldly:
+
+"I was very much in love with her; but her treatment of me to-night
+cooled me off."
+
+"Oh! when a man is really in love with a woman, monsieur, he doesn't
+cease to love her just because she flirts a little with other men; on
+the contrary, he often loves her all the more for it."
+
+"Coquetry has never had that effect on me."
+
+"Go and see Armantine in a few days, in the daytime. I'll wager that she
+will be very amiable to you."
+
+"So the lady is capricious, is she?"
+
+"Exceedingly capricious."
+
+"That is a failing which I have never been able to endure."
+
+"Ah! but when one loves a woman, one loves her with all her failings."
+
+"My theory is that when one really loves, one is not capricious in
+dealing with the object of one's love. Consequently, I am persuaded that
+all these women who have caprices don't know what it is to love."
+
+"Perhaps you are right. But I think that Armantine is in reality very
+susceptible."
+
+"You think so? You are not sure?"
+
+"How is one to be sure of other people? one is not always sure of one's
+self."
+
+We sat for some time without speaking; but to me that silence was not
+without charm. It is often pleasant to think, in the company of a person
+who is thinking at the same time.
+
+Suddenly Frederique looked me in the face and said:
+
+"Well, Charles! you don't seem to talk about Armantine?"
+
+"I have so little hope!"
+
+"Oho! monsieur plays the modest adorer! After all, I don't pretend to
+say that she will yield to you. That is a mystery--the secret of the
+gods."
+
+"True; but you might tell me whether--whether any previous weakness on
+her part gives me reason to hope."
+
+"My dear man, it isn't right to ask me that. If Armantine had given me
+her confidence, I would not betray it. But, frankly, I know nothing
+about it. All that I can say is that Monsieur Sordeville is not in the
+least jealous; that he gives his wife her liberty in a way that strongly
+resembles indifference; that Armantine is pretty, coquettish, likes to
+be courted; and that all those things may very well lead to certain
+results. But whose fault is it, if not her husband's? Oh! these
+husbands! I've learned to my cost not to love them!--Well! what are you
+thinking about? you are not listening."
+
+"Yes, I am. I was thinking that you--that---- Oh, no! it isn't worth
+while; I prefer not to say anything."
+
+"My dear fellow, you don't like capricious women, you say, and, for my
+part, I detest a person who begins a sentence, then stops, and doesn't
+finish it. There's nothing so impertinent as that, in my opinion! It is
+almost equivalent to a confession that you had something disagreeable to
+say, and discovered it in time. Sometimes our conjectures go beyond the
+truth. Finish what you were going to say, I insist! I demand it! or I am
+done with you! Come, quickly! don't try to fabricate something, for you
+would simply lie."
+
+Frederique pressed me so hard that I had no time to invent a lie, as
+often happens in such cases, and I replied, almost shamefacedly:
+
+"I was thinking of Monsieur--Saint-Bergame; and I was wondering about a
+lot of things. You told me that you and he had quarrelled. But are you
+not afraid of offending him still more, if he knows that you had guests
+to-night at supper?"
+
+Frederique compressed her lips and frowned. I realized that I had been
+indiscreet, that I had no right to ask such questions; but the thought
+had been at the end of my tongue for some time, and it must escape me
+sooner or later; it had been tormenting me since the very beginning of
+the supper.
+
+"What on earth made you think of Monsieur Saint-Bergame?" cried
+Frederique at last, with something very like anger. "Would you have
+liked to have him here? Would you have enjoyed being with him? In that
+case, you are not like him, for he can't endure you. I don't know why it
+is, but he is not attracted to you."
+
+"I do not regret the gentleman's absence in the least, far from it! But
+it surprised me, because----"
+
+"Because you had guessed that he was my lover, eh? Mon Dieu! it did not
+require much perspicacity to discover that!"
+
+"Well! as you make no concealment of it, you ought not to be angry
+because I ask the question."
+
+"There are some things that one doesn't conceal, or conceals
+imperfectly, that one doesn't like to have thrown in one's face, none
+the less. But you have said a lot of----"
+
+"Stupid things! Finish the sentence, pray! I am like you, I hate
+unfinished sentences."
+
+"Well, yes! _Stupid_ isn't just the word, but things that people keep to
+themselves when they think them."
+
+"I beg your pardon. I have the bad habit of saying whatever comes into
+my mind. It's a serious fault, I admit, and I have often had occasion to
+regret it in society. I regret it all the more, because I see that it
+has annoyed you, for you have ceased to _tutoyer_ me; and yet you were
+the one who said to me just now: 'Let us have no secrets from each
+other.'"
+
+Frederique turned her face to mine, with a charming smile, and held out
+her hand, saying:
+
+"You are right I was foolish to be angry, as we agreed to be like two
+brothers. Come, give me your hand! That's right! The fact is, you see,
+that you touched a sensitive chord. I have quarrelled with
+Saint-Bergame; the wound is still fresh; and wounds in the vicinity of
+the heart do not heal quickly. I will tell you about it."
+
+"No, it's not necessary. I don't want to know it."
+
+"Oh! but I want to tell you, now. Upon my word, he is trying to prevent
+my speaking!"
+
+"Because I sincerely regret----"
+
+"Hush! Be quiet, and listen.--You know that Saint-Bergame writes for a
+newspaper?"
+
+"Yes."
+
+"The newspaper in question has much to say about literature and the
+stage; and Saint-Bergame writes almost all the dramatic criticisms. I
+have often thought that his judgments were partial and unjust, and I
+have not hesitated to tell him so. When I have read in his article,
+after a play has been successfully produced, that it has failed
+miserably and been hissed, I have exclaimed:
+
+"'What you have written is false! It's a shame! Why do you cry down that
+play?'
+
+"'Because the author is not my friend. Because he didn't come to bespeak
+my good will.'
+
+"'So, because an author is conscious of his dignity, because he doesn't
+go about begging praise; because, in short, he relies upon your sense of
+justice, your impartiality, you abuse him and belittle his work! And you
+call that exercising your profession of critic! In that case, it's a
+vile profession; you had better be a mason, monsieur, if your talents
+lie in that direction.'
+
+"But Saint-Bergame always laughed at my anger, and that was the end of
+it. A few days ago, however, I saw at one of the boulevard theatres a
+very pretty young debutante, who showed great promise in her part.
+Saint-Bergame was with me, and echoed my opinion of the young actress's
+talent.
+
+"'Then, of course, you will speak well of her in your newspaper?' I
+said. He smiled in a curious way, and answered:
+
+"'We shall see; that depends.'
+
+"'Depends on what? What is there to prevent your writing what you think
+at this moment?'
+
+"'One of my friends is making love to this debutante.'
+
+"'Well! what has that to do with the article you are going to write?'
+
+"'The girl is playing the prude. She refuses to listen to my friend's
+proposals, and won't accept his bouquets. That's a familiar manoeuvre
+to increase her value.'
+
+"'But suppose your friend doesn't please her? Isn't she her own
+mistress, pray?'
+
+"'Bah! that's all mere comedy! She means to lead my friend on. But he
+has invited her to a nice little dinner to-morrow. I am to be there. If
+she comes, I exalt her to the skies; if she doesn't, I tear her to
+tatters.'
+
+"I said nothing, but I cannot describe my sensations. I turned my eyes
+away so that Saint-Bergame should not see their expression, in which he
+might read what I thought of him. I waited impatiently for the second
+day following--that was the day before yesterday. I lost no time in
+opening the newspaper edited by Saint-Bergame, in which I found an
+article on the young debutante we had seen. Not only did he criticise
+her acting, her methods, and her stage manner in the most contemptuous
+terms, but he also attacked her personal appearance; she is pretty, and
+he called her ugly; she has a fine figure, and he said she was deformed;
+she is exceedingly graceful, and he could not find words to describe her
+awkwardness and her embarrassment; in short, according to that article,
+she was a sort of monster who had been allowed to go on the stage to
+amuse the public for a moment.
+
+"I crumpled the paper in my hands and threw it on the floor; I was
+furiously angry with Saint-Bergame. When he appeared, I threw his
+abominable article in his face, and told him that he was a dastard; that
+a man who would empty his gall so on a woman deserved no woman's love,
+and that I forbade him to darken my doors again. He tried to insist, to
+turn it into a joke, and called me hot-headed. But when he saw that I
+was in earnest, I believe that he lost his temper, too, and asked me by
+what right I presumed to pass judgment on his writings. I made no
+answer, but locked myself into my room. He went away in a rage, and I
+have not seen him since."
+
+"And if he comes back?"
+
+"I shall not receive him. It's all over! all over!"
+
+"And you don't regret him?"
+
+"I regret having had any relations with him--that is what I regret. He's
+a good-looking fellow, and I liked him. But I realize now that I never
+loved him."
+
+"But if he loves you, he will return; he will beg you, beseech you."
+
+"He will do nothing of the sort. He never loved me, either. It flattered
+his self-esteem to make a conquest of me, and that was all. He is one of
+the men who think that a woman is too highly favored when they deign to
+look at her. Oh! I know him now, I know him too well! I see him now as
+he is! Besides, he was not faithful to me, I am sure. How do I know that
+it was not he himself who was making love to that actress? Ah! my dear
+Charles, how does it happen that a connection so intimate, which is
+sometimes based on sincere love, often leaves nothing but regrets and
+bitter memories in the heart? After love should come friendship. Should
+not that be the natural consequence of the relation lovers have borne to
+each other? But, instead of that, they part in anger, and sometimes come
+to hate where they have loved so dearly."
+
+"No, Frederique, no! that does not happen when two hearts have burned
+for each other with a sincere passion. The connection may be broken, but
+a pleasant remembrance of the happiness they have enjoyed always
+remains."
+
+"Do you think so? In that case, I never loved Saint-Bergame. Yes, I am
+sure now that I didn't love him; and, more than that--would you like me
+to tell you my inmost thoughts? Well! I believe that I have never loved
+any man! and I propose to continue on that line; it's much more amusing.
+Then one treats men just as they treat us--one drops them as soon as
+they cease to be attractive! You won't say that I am right; but in the
+bottom of your heart you think so."
+
+"I--I--I am thinking that you are free at this moment----"
+
+"Yes, and I believe I am almost as delighted as I was when I ceased all
+relations with Monsieur Dauberny."
+
+"Oh! for all that--before long--another sentiment----"
+
+"We shall see; one can be sure of nothing; but not very soon. No, I am
+in no hurry to assume new chains, however light they may be. I believe
+that I was born to be independent. It is such fun to do just what you
+please! For example: if I had been Saint-Bergame's mistress still, I
+couldn't have had you to supper to-night. It would have displeased him;
+or else I should have had to conceal it from him; and I don't like
+mysteries.--Ha! ha! ha! how poor Brunzbrack is snoring! If that's his
+way of making love to a woman----"
+
+"He won't be the man to replace Saint-Bergame, will he?"
+
+"No, indeed! Besides, I don't mean to love any more; I have decided. I
+don't feel sure--whether--I am--right; tell me--if I'm--right. It's very
+late--isn't it? I must--go to bed. You don't tell me anything; I have to
+do all the talking myself."
+
+For several minutes Frederique had had difficulty in fighting against
+the drowsiness that made her eyelids heavy. While she was talking, she
+let her head fall on the back of her chair; her eyes closed and still
+she talked on. But suddenly she ceased--she had fallen asleep.
+
+I turned and leaned over her to gaze upon her at my leisure. I could not
+tire of contemplating that strange woman, whom I had known so short a
+time, and with whom I was already on the most friendly terms. I liked
+that face, which reflected so clearly the impressions of the heart;
+surely that mouth could not speak falsely! Her forehead was noble and
+distinguished; at that moment, her lovely hair, through which she had
+passed her fingers a moment before, fell in long curls about her temples
+and partly covered her face. I have seldom seen black hair of such
+brilliancy and of such a beautiful shade. I could understand why she
+enjoyed changing its arrangement; with that natural adornment she was
+sure of always looking well.
+
+She was speaking at the moment that sleep overcame her. Her lips were
+partly open; but her expression was rather serious than smiling. When
+she fell asleep she threw her body back, so that there was nothing to
+prevent my examining her bust, her waist, and the graceful figure which
+the fine, soft fabric of her gown outlined while it concealed them, and
+which disappeared at one point beneath the clinging folds, only to
+reappear farther on more alluring than ever.
+
+I took much pleasure in that scrutiny. I can hardly define the sentiment
+that made my heart beat fast; but I was profoundly moved. I tried to
+forget the fascinating sleeper for a moment by glancing about the room;
+but the oddity of my position, the place, the time, and everything
+within my view, simply intensified the agitation that had taken
+possession of me. Imagine yourself, in the middle of the night, in a
+deliciously cosy retreat, near a table at which you have enjoyed a
+dainty supper, and on which the decanters are still half full of
+exquisite wines which you have not spared; the lamps diffusing only a
+dim light; and beside you, seated, or rather reclining in an easy-chair,
+a young, fascinating, original woman, a woman who addresses you _thou_
+and who has confided to you the secrets of her heart; that woman in a
+ravishing neglige which permits you to admire a portion of her charms
+and to divine the rest. If all this does not give you a sort of vertigo,
+upon my word I pity you! As for the third person who was with us, he did
+not count. He was snoring like a bell ringer, with his head resting on
+his hands, and his elbows on the table.
+
+I moved nearer to Frederique, then drew back. I resumed my contemplation
+of her; and suddenly, unable to resist the impulse that drove me on, I
+put my lips to hers and stole a kiss in which there was nothing
+fraternal.
+
+Frederique woke instantly, pushed me away, and sprang to her feet; her
+brow was clouded, her bosom rose and fell more quickly, and I thought
+that her eyes, which she turned away from me, were wet with tears.
+
+"Ah! so this is the way you treat me!" she cried, in a quivering voice.
+"What do you take me for, monsieur, in heaven's name? I receive you in
+my house, I look upon you as a friend; and you treat me like one of the
+women with whom a man seeks to gratify a caprice! Do you suppose that I
+asked you to my house to make you my lover? that I, the friend of
+Armantine, whom you love to distraction, asked you to sup with me in
+order to steal from her the heart of a man who is paying court to her?
+Ah! you know me very little, monsieur. I do not love you, I shall never
+love you! It was because I knew that you were in love with Armantine
+that I invited you this evening and then offered you a brotherly
+affection. You understand me now. Adieu, monsieur! It is not worth while
+for you to come to my house again."
+
+She took a lamp and vanished before I had recovered from the shock her
+words had caused me, or had found anything to say in reply.
+
+But in a few moments my excitement subsided, and I had no other
+sentiment than irritation at having allowed myself to be so roughly
+handled by the lady with whom I had supped. I said to myself that when
+one is dealing with a _gaillarde_ of Frederique's stamp, it does not pay
+to do things by halves. If, instead of kissing her so gently, I had been
+more audacious, would she have shrieked louder? I could not say, but, at
+all events, she would have had some excuse for shrieking. Oh! these
+women! I utterly failed to understand that one. The idea of forbidding
+me her house because I had kissed her! Could she not have scolded me
+gently, instead of flying into a rage? I decided that I should be a
+great fool to waste another thought on Madame Dauberny.
+
+But as one should never forget to be polite or to keep one's promises, I
+went to the Baron von Brunzbrack, whom none of these episodes had
+aroused from his heavy sleep, and shook him violently.
+
+"Wake up, monsieur le baron, it's time for us to go! Madame Dauberny has
+gone to her room."
+
+He raised his head at last, rubbed his eyes, and exclaimed:
+
+"Vat! is id bossible? Haf I pin ashleep? _Sapremann!_ Nein, nein! I vas
+not ashleep; you tought--you haf been mishtook."
+
+"As you please; but let us go."
+
+"Wo ist te bretty hostess--Montame Frederique?"
+
+"She has gone to her room, I tell you, requesting us to go home."
+
+"Ach Gott! is id tat she too tought tat I haf pin ashleep? I am fery
+annoyed--I haf not shlept; I haf reflected; I haf pin shtill in loafe
+mit te lady; and you, mein gut frent, you must not loafe her ein leedle
+pit; you haf bromised."
+
+"No, monsieur le baron, I am not at all in love with Madame Dauberny.
+Make love to her, if you will; I shall not be your rival."
+
+"Gif me your hand, mein frent."
+
+"But it's very late; let us go."
+
+"I vould vish to say gut night to te lady; to say to her tat I haf not
+shleep."
+
+"You can come another time and tell her that. She has gone to her room,
+and to bed probably; she would not see you. Come!"
+
+I succeeded at last, with much difficulty, in inducing the baron to
+leave the place. When we reached the street, he himself asked me to get
+into his carriage, and insisted on taking me home. But we were no sooner
+seated than his head fell back heavily against the cushions and he slept
+once more. I told the coachman to drive to his master's hotel, where he
+and the footman undertook to take him up to his apartment.
+
+I returned on foot to my lodgings. The fresh air always does one good
+after a banquet at which one has not been abstemious; and then, too, I
+have always loved to be out late in Paris. It is so easy to walk, and
+the noisy, bustling city wears such a different aspect! Everything is
+quiet and deserted. You may walk through the most frequented streets,
+the most populous quarters, as if you were strolling on the outer
+boulevards. No carriages to block your way; no itinerant hucksters to
+deafen you with their yells; no passers-by to elbow you; no awnings, no
+stands outside of shop doors for you to run into; no dogs to run between
+your legs; no horses to splash mud on you; no concierges to sweep their
+gutters onto your boots. Vive Paris at night! especially since the
+streets have been lighted by gas, so that one can see as well as at
+noonday.
+
+
+
+
+XXIV
+
+COQUETRY AND BACCARAT.--A FIASCO
+
+
+A week had passed since the unique night I had spent at Madame
+Dauberny's. I had respected that lady's orders and had made no attempt
+to see her; I had simply left my card with her concierge.
+
+When the image of _my friend Frederique_ presented itself to my mind, I
+exerted myself to banish it without pity; it seemed to me that my supper
+in her apartments was a dream, which it was not necessary that I should
+remember.
+
+For several days, too, I had felt strongly inclined not to call again on
+Madame Sordeville. But, before renouncing my hopes in that direction
+altogether, I determined to go to her house once more. If she received
+me coldly a second time, I swore that I would not try to see her again.
+
+One fine day, after making a careful toilet,--which always made my
+servant Pomponne smile, for he was bent on considering himself very
+sly,--I presented myself at the door of the pretty brunette, whose hair,
+by the way, was not so beautiful as her friend Frederique's; but we
+cannot have everything.
+
+"Madame is at home," said the concierge.
+
+I went upstairs, gave my name, and was admitted to madame's boudoir, a
+charming sanctuary, the divinity of which was sure to attract many of
+the faithful.
+
+I was greeted with the most gracious smile imaginable; she reproached me
+most kindly for having left her so long without a glimpse of me. Never
+had Armantine looked lovelier to me, and her amiability was delightful.
+I found once more my partner of the ball at Deffieux's.
+
+I passed an hour at Madame Sordeville's, and at the end of the hour it
+seemed to me that I had just arrived. What did I say to her? I have no
+idea; but I think that I squeezed her hand more than once, and that it
+did not seem to offend her. I went so far as to put her hand to my lips;
+she withdrew it, and said in a tone in which there was no trace of
+severity:
+
+"Well, well! what are you doing? what are you thinking about?"
+
+"You, nothing but you."
+
+"Oh! pardon me if I do not believe you! When one thinks so much of
+people, one doesn't go whole weeks without seeing them."
+
+"When those people have received us with icy coldness, is it not natural
+that we should hesitate before venturing to present ourselves again?"
+
+"Coldness! Ought I to have taken your hand, made you sit down beside me,
+and talked exclusively with you all the evening?"
+
+"Oh! you are laughing at me, madame! You are well aware that, even in a
+crowd, before witnesses, there are a thousand ways of pouring balm on a
+suffering, anxious heart; a word, a glance, is enough."
+
+"But, monsieur, such words and glances are almost signs of a mutual
+understanding, and are only exchanged by persons who know each other
+very well, who are sure of each other."
+
+I kissed her hand. That time she made no objection and did not withdraw
+it; but she faltered:
+
+"You are so impulsive! I begin to think that a tete-a-tete with you is
+very dangerous."
+
+"And you will not receive me again?"
+
+"I didn't say that."
+
+"And you will permit me to love you?"
+
+"If I should forbid you to, would you obey me?"
+
+"Oh, no!"
+
+"Then you see that I may as well permit it."
+
+"And I may hope?"
+
+"Ah! I didn't say that!"
+
+"But you will not say anything!"
+
+"I am not so quick as you.--By the way, I did have something to say to
+you. The other evening, you went away with Madame Dauberny, I believe.
+Did you escort her home? That would be very natural, as my friend was of
+such great assistance to you at the Guillardin ball that you should be
+polite to her."
+
+I did not know what to say; I was uncertain whether Frederique wanted it
+known that she had invited us to supper. In that uncertainty, it seemed
+to me more becoming to say nothing about that episode; one never repents
+having been discreet.
+
+"I escorted Madame Dauberny to her door," I replied, after a moment,
+"and left her there."
+
+"Ah! that is strange! It took you a long time to tell me that!"
+
+"Because--I had forgotten."
+
+"Indeed! Frederique is so original--so disdainful of conventionalities
+sometimes, that I had thought----"
+
+"What, pray?"
+
+"But, no, that would have been contrary to all the proprieties! To be
+sure, she snaps her fingers at them."
+
+"But what was it that you thought?"
+
+"Nothing; or, rather, I don't choose to tell you."
+
+"You must have seen your friend often since that evening?"
+
+"Only once. I have no idea what she is doing now. She is hardly ever
+seen in society. She probably has something to keep her busy.
+Saint-Bergame must be replaced. For you know, I suppose, that they have
+quarrelled? Frederique is not in the habit of remaining unengaged.
+Before Saint-Bergame there was another, and before him another, and
+another. She loves variety."
+
+I admire the way women abuse their intimate friends! At that moment, I
+wondered what they would say when they spoke of their enemies; the
+difference could hardly be perceptible.--And so Madame Dauberny had had
+a large number of weaknesses! She had never had a serious attachment!
+That was a pity; and it surprised me; for it seemed to me that she was
+just the woman to inspire one.
+
+I do not know what I should have said in reply to Madame Sordeville's
+remark, but a visitor arrived: a lady of uncertain age, almost lost in
+gauze and lace and veils, which were heaped upon her head and hung down
+about her body. I fancied that I had a cloud before me, or one of
+Isabey's pictures, minus the beautiful coloring. I surrendered my place
+to that atmospheric personage, and took my leave. Madame Sordeville made
+me promise to attend her next reception, and honored me with a glance
+that filled my soul with joy.
+
+I left the house, as light as a feather. I did not walk, I fairly
+bounded. Pleasure transformed me into a goat; I longed to dance. You
+will consider, doubtless, that I was very childish, and that a man who
+had had so many amorous adventures should have been more blase; you are
+entirely wrong, for I was blase in no respect; my last _bonne fortune_
+made me as happy as the first of all. That was a dispensation of
+Providence in my favor, for blase people have two drawbacks: they do not
+enjoy themselves, and they bore their friends.
+
+Pomponne smiled again when I reached home; that fellow was not such a
+fool as I supposed: he read my face very well indeed.
+
+I waited impatiently for the Thursday which was to give me an
+opportunity to see the charming Armantine once more. I had thought of
+nothing else since my call upon her; she was so affable and expansive
+that day, that I believed that the moment of my happiness could not be
+very distant. She had received the avowal of my love without
+indignation; nay, she had seemed to listen to it with pleasure; she had
+abandoned her hand to me and let me put it to my lips; and, but for that
+inopportune visitor, who could say that I should not have obtained more?
+No matter! it seemed that I was fairly justified in hoping.
+
+Thursday arrived in due course. Pomponne was ordered to surpass himself
+in dressing my hair; I do not know whether he succeeded, but I do know
+that he pulled my hair for half an hour; so that he made my head
+extremely sore. But I did not scold him. I dressed with my eye on the
+clock. I longed to be there, but I said to myself that it was more
+adroit to make her wait a little--and I had no doubt that she was
+waiting for me.
+
+The moment came at last. I set out with my heart full of Armantine's
+image. I arrived at her door. I remembered that in society one must wear
+a mask, so that one's secret thoughts may not be divined. But that mask
+embarrassed me; I could hardly endure it.
+
+There were a good many people there before me. So much the better, I
+thought. The more numerous the company, the greater one's freedom of
+action. Monsieur Sordeville greeted me warmly, shook my hand, and
+reproached me for not coming to their little receptions for several
+weeks. His excessive amiability should have made me remorseful; but I
+had never had the slightest liking for the man; and, in any event, why
+did he neglect his wife?
+
+I succeeded in approaching her for whose sake, and that alone, I had
+come. She greeted me most graciously; but when I tried to exchange with
+her one of those glances which are far more eloquent than empty words, I
+could not meet her eye. She had turned to a young man who had just been
+presented to her, and received his compliments with a profusion of
+little smirks and grimaces, which were very pretty, perhaps, but which I
+considered sadly out of place at that moment. I flattered myself,
+however, that my turn would come; that she had not forgotten that I was
+there, within a few feet. But lo! the fair-haired youth of the other
+evening, Monsieur Mondival, came up and entered into conversation with
+her; the fellow must have said something very amusing, to make her laugh
+so heartily! But Madame Dauberny had assured me that the man was stupid,
+and I relied upon her judgment. Next, a tall man, with black beard,
+whiskers, and moustaches, came to pay his respects to the mistress of
+the house. She greeted him with a smile, playing with her fan; their
+conversation seemed likely to be protracted, and I began to grow weary
+of waiting for my turn. I walked away, presumably with a very long face;
+and to cap the climax of my woes, I almost ran into the arms of the
+gentleman who kept his eyes almost closed, but who saw well enough to
+recognize me, and entered into conversation with me.
+
+I have no idea what answer I made. I turned my back on him, for he bored
+me beyond words. I watched the whist players for a while, but soon
+returned to the salon where Armantine was, saying to myself:
+
+"It can't go on like this; if she laughs with others, there is no reason
+why she shouldn't laugh with me; I am a fool not to stand my ground."
+
+And I approached Madame Sordeville, who was talking with a lady.
+Suddenly she turned toward me and burst out laughing.
+
+"Mon Dieu! what on earth is the matter with you to-night, Monsieur
+Rochebrune? What a horrible face you are making! Have you the
+toothache?"
+
+When one is already in an ill temper, and is trying to conceal it, there
+is nothing more maddening than to have someone ask what the matter is;
+the result is that, instead of simply looking unhappy, you make a
+grimace; and that is probably what I did, for Armantine restrained with
+difficulty a longing to laugh again, while I muttered, biting my lips:
+
+"The matter, madame? Why, nothing. What do you suppose is the matter? I
+have never had the toothache."
+
+"Monsieur," said a tall, thin old woman, who was sitting beside Madame
+Sordeville, and had, I suppose, heard my last words, "put in some cotton
+soaked in eau de Cologne. Soak the cotton thoroughly and put it in the
+tooth. It's an excellent remedy, I assure you! It doesn't take away the
+pain at once, but, after a few days, you suffer much less."
+
+"But, madame," I said to the old lady who insisted upon my having the
+toothache, "I have not complained, I am not in pain! I don't know why
+you insist that----"
+
+"Then, monsieur," she continued, paying no heed to me, "you have another
+remedy, bay salt. Two or three grains of it produce saliva; you spit,
+and take more salt, and keep on till the pain is relieved."
+
+I saw that Madame Sordeville was laughing heartily at the impatience
+with which I listened to the old lady, who continued:
+
+"Above all things, monsieur, don't have them extracted! Oh! keep your
+teeth, monsieur! keep them, by all means! You no sooner have them taken
+out than you regret them. I myself, monsieur, have lost fourteen, and I
+am in despair to-day! I feel that something is lacking. Of course, I
+know that one can----"
+
+I had had enough. Something more was to be lacking to that lady; to wit,
+myself as a listener for the entire evening. I had not come there to
+attend a course of lectures on dentistry. It seemed to me that Armantine
+was laughing at me while I was having that consultation about my teeth.
+She had gone to the piano, meanwhile, and the concert began. If it was
+to be as fine a performance as on the previous evening, the prospect was
+captivating. I felt inclined to find fault with everything. Now that the
+music was under way, it would be hard for me to talk to Armantine; she
+either accompanied, or turned the pages for singers and players. In
+short, she devoted herself to everybody, except myself. So I had
+encouraged myself with a false hope! She did not love me--and yet, how
+charming she was only three days before! Did she not let me squeeze her
+hand and kiss it? Did she not smile at my declaration of love? Suppose
+that she ostentatiously treated me coldly before the world, only to
+conceal more effectually the sentiments I inspired? I grasped at that
+idea, because it left me some hope. Moreover, if it were not so, Madame
+Sordeville was a downright coquette, who had been making sport of me and
+would do it again! I preferred to believe that she was dissembling her
+love; if so, she dissembled perfectly.
+
+The Baron von Brunzbrack entered the salon and came up to me:
+
+"Ponshour, mein gut frent Rocheprune!"
+
+"Good-evening, monsieur le baron!"
+
+"Do you know if Montame Dauberny vill come to tis barty?"
+
+"I have no idea; I have not seen her since we three were together."
+
+"Ach! you haf not seen her."
+
+And the baron pressed my hand with new warmth.
+
+"So id is mit me. I haf pin often to bay mein resbects, put te lady, she
+haf pin always oud. Haf you pin to see her?"
+
+"No; I have left my card, nothing more."
+
+"Ach! gut, gut! you pe not in loafe mit her shtill?"
+
+"What, baron! are you still harping on that idea? How many times must I
+tell you that I have never made love to Madame Dauberny, that I have
+never thought of doing it?"
+
+"Ach! ja! ja! You pe in loafe mit anoder. I haf forgot."
+
+The baron could not understand how anybody could fail to make love to
+Madame Dauberny, and I could not understand how Madame Sordeville could
+allow everybody to make love to her; in love, each of us has his own way
+of looking at things.
+
+Suddenly Brunzbrack seized my arm as if he meant to tear it from its
+socket. I thought that he had an attack of hysteria; but, as I saw
+Madame Dauberny enter the salon at that moment, I understood what had
+caused his convulsive movement.
+
+Frederique wore an original costume, as indeed she generally did. A
+black velvet gown, high in the neck, fitted closely to her figure, which
+seemed more than ordinarily slender; her hair was dressed with sprays of
+jet and black velvet bows, and that severe style gave to her face, which
+was unusually pale, a serious expression. I did not know whether I ought
+still to be angry with her; I remembered the decidedly brusque way in
+which she had dismissed me, but in the next moment I remembered all the
+confidence and friendship she had shown me. While I hesitated, trying to
+make up my mind, Frederique passed us, and bowed coolly enough to us
+both.
+
+Brunzbrack left me, to dog the steps of the woman he adored, and I
+continued to prowl about Armantine. We were both playing the same game.
+Should we have luck? Up to that time, I had seen no prospect of it.
+
+Monsieur Mondival sang several ballads; he sang them precisely as a
+schoolboy repeats his lessons; but as the ballads themselves were
+amusing, the company laughed heartily, and the singer attributed it to
+his own performance, whereas his only merit was his skilful choice of
+songs.
+
+After he had finished, the black-bearded man, who had talked a long
+while with Armantine, seated himself at the piano, and sang a grand aria
+with infinitely more assurance than voice. But assurance is a great
+thing in society. He was loudly applauded, and when he left the piano I
+was certain that Madame Sordeville complimented him. If I chose--one
+thing was certain, that I had a better voice than that man.
+
+All this irritated me; I was intensely annoyed to find that she paid no
+attention to me, and I went to the piano and began to turn over the
+music. But she observed my movements sufficiently to see that I was
+there, for she came to me and said:
+
+"It's a great pity that you sing only when you are alone; for I should
+have been delighted to hear you, monsieur."
+
+"Mon Dieu! if it will give you any pleasure, madame----"
+
+"You will sing? How good of you!"
+
+"I will try to sing something. I don't know whether I can manage it."
+
+"Oh! that is an amateur's modesty! I am sure that you sing beautifully."
+
+She walked quickly to a seat, saying:
+
+"Monsieur Rochebrune is going to sing. Silence, if you please!"
+
+Everyone ceased talking, and the room became perfectly still. I began to
+be afraid that I had gone too fast. To be sure, I sing rather well, but
+it so rarely happens that I sing before strangers. However, I realized
+that I must do my best; it was impossible to back out.
+
+I sat down at the piano. My fingers refused to move. What was I to sing?
+I must make up my mind, for everybody was waiting. I settled upon a
+romanza by Massini; as is usually the case when one is afraid, I
+selected the most difficult piece I knew and the one that I sang least
+well.
+
+At the outset, I forgot the accompaniment and struck two or three
+discordant notes in the bass--something that had never happened to me
+before. That was calculated to give my hearers rather a sorry idea of my
+musical organization.
+
+When I came to the second verse, I forgot the words. I stopped, and
+began again; but it was of no use, and I mumbled between my teeth:
+
+"Tradera, deri, dera!"
+
+The words of the third verse came to me all right, and I determined to
+be revenged for the mess I had made of the other two. I attacked it with
+confidence, and when I came to an _ad libitum_ passage I risked a note
+which I had taken a hundred times without any trouble. But I had
+something in my throat that night. Was it fear? was it ill humor? This
+much is certain, that I made a vile fiasco, and that I ended my song
+coughing as if I had swallowed something the wrong way.
+
+I left the piano, purple with chagrin, and still coughing. Somebody was
+malicious enough to applaud me; but I saw in the eyes of the guests that
+malignant joy which people always feel in society when they have a fair
+opportunity to laugh at somebody. What distressed me most of all was
+that I had made an ass of myself before Armantine, who was much given to
+raillery, and who could hardly restrain her laughter; while Herr von
+Brunzbrack said to me with the utmost good faith:
+
+"Vat a bity tat you haf ein cold! Id vas going so vell!"
+
+I made no reply; I would have liked to crawl under a sofa. I slunk away
+to a corner of the salon, where I heard a voice in my ear:
+
+"That false note puts you back at least three months!"
+
+Frederique was behind me. I understood her meaning perfectly. In truth,
+in the eyes of a vain, coquettish woman like Madame Sordeville, to make
+one's self ridiculous before witnesses is a great crime! There are so
+few women who love us for ourselves! With the great majority we owe our
+success solely to all the previous successes we have had.
+
+I took refuge in the card room. Frederique followed me there and
+organized a game of baccarat, with herself as banker. The stakes were
+high, and she won from everybody, until she had a pile of gold in front
+of her. Herr von Brunzbrack had lost all the money that he had with him;
+but that did not disturb him: he tried to obtain a word, even a glance,
+from the superb banker; but to no purpose, she paid no attention to him.
+After a time, in my effort to distract my thoughts, I took my turn
+against Madame Dauberny, who played with perfect tranquillity, utterly
+indifferent to her good fortune, and did not deign to notice the laments
+or the ogling of those whom she had despoiled.
+
+"Ah! so you are going to play," she said to me, in a bantering tone.
+"Indeed, you are very wise, for, if the proverb is to be depended on,
+you will be very lucky to-night. But proverbs take the liberty of lying
+sometimes--poor Baron von Brunzbrack is a living example. If anyone
+ought to win, he is the man! And yet, I have ruined him as well as all
+the others. Come, monsieur, let us play, let us play! I shall not be
+sorry to vanquish you also."
+
+It seemed to me that there was an ironical tone in Madame Dauberny's
+voice, which was not usual with her. I remembered what her friend had
+told me as to the numerous lovers who had succeeded one another in her
+heart; if I chose to be sarcastic, there were many things I might say to
+her by way of retort. But, no--I was conscious of an indefinable feeling
+of sympathy with that woman. I loved her--not with love; it was rather
+friendship, confidence, which drew me toward her. Why, in heaven's name,
+did I steal that kiss while she was asleep? But, on the other hand, why
+did she keep changing her coiffure, and make herself so alluring, so
+seductive? A woman ought not to try such experiments, even on a man who
+is in love with her friend.
+
+I placed some gold in front of me, and began to play. I won; I doubled
+my stake, and won again; I continued on the same line, and won
+incessantly. But after a few moments Frederique seemed to be inattentive
+to her game; I noticed that she glanced frequently and with evident
+impatience toward her left: Monsieur Sordeville was there, talking
+confidentially with the Baron von Brunzbrack. Suddenly my banker
+interrupted the game and cried, turning to the two men:
+
+"Mon Dieu! Monsieur Sordeville, do let that poor baron alone for a
+moment; he comes here to amuse himself, and you compel him to talk to
+you about the affairs of his government! Really, you abuse your position
+as host; it is not generous."
+
+Monsieur Sordeville became dumb; his lips blanched, but he forced
+himself to smile, and replied, after a brief interval:
+
+"In truth, madame, I was ill-advised to converse with one of my guests;
+it is robbing you of an adorer."
+
+"Come and play, baron," said Madame Dauberny, making no reply to
+Monsieur Sordeville's compliment.
+
+The baron came to the table with a blissful air, crying:
+
+"I vould like noding petter, but I haf not ein sou."
+
+"You may play on credit, monsieur; you are one of those men whose honor
+is evident to all, and of whom no one ventures to speak slightingly."
+
+The baron bowed; he was radiant with joy. It seemed to me that there was
+a hidden meaning in Madame Dauberny's last words, and that they were
+accompanied with a glance at Monsieur Sordeville, who did not stir.
+
+The baron seated himself by my side. I offered to lend him money; he
+accepted, and in a short time we broke the bank. Thereupon the fair
+Frederique gravely rose and left the table, saying:
+
+"Faith! the proverb did not lie; it was written that you should both
+win."
+
+"Are you going, montame?"
+
+"Yes, baron."
+
+"Vill you not bermit me to escord you in my carriage?"
+
+"No, not to-night."
+
+"Monsir Rocheprune, he vill come mit us."
+
+"Thanks; but I do not care for an escort to-night. Nights succeed one
+another, but do not resemble one another."
+
+Frederique took her departure, leaving the baron discomfited. I returned
+to Madame Sordeville, as I was determined to speak to her before I went
+away. I saw that she was alone, so I hastened to her side and told her
+how happy I should be if I could see her again soon and tell her of my
+love, without witnesses. She listened with a distraught, indifferent
+air; and when I thought that she was about to reply, she cried:
+
+"Dear me! they haven't served the tea yet, and it's after twelve!"
+
+And she left me. I stood for a moment as if rooted to the floor. I could
+not understand the caprice, the coquetry, the bewildering changes, in
+Armantine's treatment of me. I asked myself if a false note could have
+caused it all; and if so, what reliance was to be placed upon a lady's
+favor. I concluded that it would be well for me to go away. At that
+moment, the tall, thin woman who had previously spoken to me accosted me
+again:
+
+"When your teeth ache too badly, monsieur, you can fill them yourself.
+I'll show you how. Come and sit here."
+
+I had no desire to hear any more, and turned and fled while she was
+seating herself in a convenient position to show me how one can fill
+one's own teeth.
+
+
+
+
+XXV
+
+A YOUNG MOTHER
+
+
+Three months had passed, and I had not tried to see Madame Sordeville
+again. However, her image had not faded from my heart; on the contrary,
+she was constantly in my thoughts, and I imagined her as amiable and
+fascinating as on the first day that I saw her. So that I was not cured
+of my passion for that lady, although I had sufficient self-control not
+to call upon her again. To my mind, it was perfectly natural to love a
+person who did not love me; that is something that happens every day;
+but I did not understand how any man could consent to act as laughing
+stock to a coquette. One must needs try to retain a certain amount of
+dignity; to forget one's dignity is not the way to win love. When,
+burning with desire to see Armantine, I was on the point of forgetting
+my resolutions and running to throw myself at her feet, I remembered how
+she had left me abruptly, to attend to her tea, without a word in reply
+to what I had said to her.
+
+I had not once met Madame Dauberny, and I regretted more deeply every
+day the loss of that strange creature's friendship. It was so novel to
+be _thou'd_ by a woman whose lover I had never been. At least, it was a
+change, a departure from common custom. And then, she had given me her
+confidence so unreservedly! Why had I sacrificed all that by a moment's
+forgetfulness?
+
+But, after all, I considered that Frederique had treated me very
+harshly. She might well have scolded me, have made me understand my
+mistake, without breaking off all relations with me on the spot. The
+idea of being so angry about a kiss! It was a most extraordinary thing,
+for that is one of the offences which the sex readily forgives. And
+then, there were so many extenuating circumstances! The supper, the
+champagne, the hour! And that hair of hers, which she arranged in a
+different way every minute!
+
+It was the end of February, and the cold was still very sharp, when, on
+one of those keen, bracing mornings that invite one to walk, I happened
+to remember Mignonne Landernoy. Poor girl! How could I have forgotten
+her so long, and all for a coquette who certainly did not give a thought
+to me! I determined to repair my neglect at once. I enveloped myself in
+a heavy coat, put a comforter around my neck, and started for Rue
+Menilmontant.
+
+As I walked along, I recalled Mignonne's plight when I saw her in
+November; I thought of all that must have happened since then, and I was
+conscious of nothing but an eager desire to have news of the young
+woman. I quickened my pace, and at last found myself in front of the
+concierge's door. She was surrounded by cats, as on the occasion of my
+first visit.
+
+At sight of a man enveloped in a heavy coat with the collar turned up,
+and with his face almost entirely hidden by a comforter, Madame Potrelle
+sat up in her chair and took one of the cats in her right hand as if to
+hurl it at my head.
+
+"What do you want, monsieur?" she cried, with an imposing air; "what
+does this mean? Do people come into other people's houses disguised like
+that? Unmask yourself, monsieur; I don't answer masks, I tell you!"
+
+I removed my comforter, and could not refrain from laughing at the
+concierge's alarm, as I said:
+
+"Are comforters unknown in your quarter, madame? It seems to be quite as
+cold here as it is where I came from."
+
+The good woman uttered an exclamation of surprise, for she recognized
+me; thereupon she placed on the stove the cat she had seized in lieu of
+a pistol, which instantly vanished. I stepped into the lodge.
+
+"What! is it you, monsieur? _Pardine!_ I remember you now! You're the
+young man with the shirts."
+
+"The same, madame; it was I who left with you some work for--Madame
+Landernoy."
+
+"And a letter; yes, yes! Oh! I recognize you. But I couldn't see
+anything but your eyes just now, and, you see, that startled me at
+first. Well! you've taken your time about coming to get your shirts;
+anybody can see you ain't in a hurry!"
+
+"Tell me about that poor young woman."
+
+"She's pretty well, although she works awful hard. You see, she has to
+work for two now! She was confined more than two months ago; she's got a
+little girl, a sweet, pretty little thing."
+
+"Ah! so much the better! And the child is with her?"
+
+"Yes, to be sure; oh! there's no danger of her parting with the child;
+she nurses her herself, and never leaves her a minute; she's so afraid
+something'll happen to her, that she'll cry or need her care, that she
+wont let her out of her sight a single minute. When she goes out to buy
+her provisions, she carries her in her arms. Sometimes I say to her:
+'Why, Madame Landernoy'--I never call her anything but _madame_
+now--'why, Madame Landernoy,' I says, 'just leave your child here with
+me; I'll look after little Marie while you do your errands, and you can
+go much quicker if you don't have her to carry.'--But she won't do it. I
+believe, God forgive me! that she's afraid my cats will hurt the child;
+but they ain't capable of it, monsieur; I've brought 'em up too well for
+that. They're playful and sly--that's because they're young, and we've
+all been young; but as for bad temper and clawing, I never saw any signs
+of it in 'em."
+
+"I see that Madame Landernoy loves her daughter dearly."
+
+"Love her! why, her daughter's her life, her thought, her heart! Ah! my
+word! it would be a pity not to have a child, when one's such a good
+mother!"
+
+"You are right, madame; children are a burden only to those who do not
+know how to love them! Did the young mother consent finally to accept
+the work I left with you?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur. At first, when she read your letter--she read it here in
+my lodge--she shook her head like a person who ain't quite convinced.
+What can you expect? she's suspicious, poor girl! Well! just hear me
+call her a girl, will you! what a stupid! The poor woman has good cause
+for that. A scalded cat's afraid of cold water--mine all are; I can
+punish 'em more, monsieur, by throwing two or three drops of water in
+their faces than if I took a stick to 'em."
+
+"You were saying that when Madame Landernoy read my letter she did not
+seem fully convinced of the honesty of my intentions?"
+
+"There was a little doubt left in her mind; but then she says: 'I may as
+well do this work, as that gentleman will come here to get it.'"
+
+"So that my shirts are done?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur; they've been here more'n five weeks, with the little
+bill; and in the last few days Madame Landernoy's asked me two or three
+times if you'd been or sent anybody to get your shirts--because, I
+guess--just now---- _Dame!_ monsieur, work ain't always very plenty, you
+understand; and now that she's got a child, she has to have a stove in
+her room, because she don't want her daughter to take cold."
+
+"I understand, madame; I am very, very sorry that I delayed so about
+coming. Give me the bill at once."
+
+"Take your shirts first and see how well they're done! Such sewing! it's
+perfect!"
+
+The concierge had taken a parcel from her commode; but I pushed it away,
+saying:
+
+"I am sure they are well done. But the bill, the bill!"
+
+"I'll give it to you, monsieur. I'm sorry you won't look at your shirts.
+Here's the bill--yes, that's it."
+
+I looked to see what I owed, and read:
+
+"For making twelve shirts--twenty-seven francs."
+
+I put my hand in my pocket, and sighed.
+
+"Twenty-seven francs!" I muttered.
+
+"_Dame!_ yes, at forty-five sous the shirt," said the concierge, hearing
+the sigh. "Do you think that's too much?"
+
+"No, madame; on the contrary, I think that it's not enough. The young
+woman must spend at least two days making a shirt, doesn't she?"
+
+"I should think so! Say three, and you'll be nearer the mark."
+
+"So that, by working constantly, and robbing herself of sleep
+perhaps,--for she has a child that often requires her attention,--the
+poor woman would earn only fifteen sous a day. Can she live, board and
+clothe herself, and keep herself warm, on fifteen sous?"
+
+"Mon Dieu! monsieur, it ain't every woman who sews for a living as earns
+that. But then, as you say, they can't live, and they're obliged to--to
+do something else."
+
+"If I should have these shirts made at a shop, madame, I should have to
+pay at least three francs each. I am not a tradesman myself, and I don't
+care to make money out of a workwoman. Twelve shirts at three francs
+makes thirty-six francs which I owe Madame Landernoy. Be kind enough to
+hand it to her for me."
+
+I held out the money to the concierge, who did not take it, because she
+was wiping her eyes. My action seemed to her very meritorious, and yet
+it was no more than just.
+
+"You are a very good man, monsieur," she said at last, in a tearful
+voice; "if everybody thought as you do, seamstresses could live and we
+should see fewer poor wretches on the streets at night. But still, I
+don't know whether I ought to take the sum you offer me."
+
+"Why not, pray?"
+
+"Because the little woman's so proud in her poverty. She'll say: 'He
+only owed me twenty-seven francs, and you ought not to have taken any
+more.'"
+
+"You can explain to her that it's the price I always pay."
+
+"Oh, yes! but that won't seem right to her. _Dame!_ what can you
+expect? She's suspicious, as I told you. And, worse luck! people do so
+few--honest things in these days----"
+
+"You must remind her that her daughter may need a thousand things."
+
+"Oh, yes! I know; that's where I shall have to catch her. Well, I'll
+keep what you give me; and I can give it back if she won't take it."
+
+"She must take it! But that is not all, madame; has she much work at
+this moment?"
+
+"I don't think so; so this money'll come in very handy."
+
+"That isn't enough; it will soon be spent."
+
+"The deuce! how fast you go! My, thirty-six francs is a lot of money!"
+
+"I would like to give Madame Landernoy other work to do."
+
+"But you can't go on having shirts made forever."
+
+"Mon Dieu! what can I give her? Ah! does she make waistcoats?"
+
+"I believe she tried one for the landlord's little boy; but they said it
+was a failure. Still, that little fellow's terrible hard to suit; he had
+his cap made over five times, and finally swore he'd have a
+three-cornered hat! He's so spoiled that he's unreasonable. But just let
+him try again to set my cats fighting!"
+
+"Then it's understood, madame, that I am to buy some material for
+waistcoat fronts, which I will bring you, together with a pattern, and
+you are to give the work to Madame Landernoy to do, and tell her not to
+worry; that her customer isn't exacting, that I am having them made for
+someone in the country."
+
+The concierge dropped her cats to shake hands with me.
+
+"I understand you, monsieur," she said; "you're afraid the young mother
+won't have work enough; you mean to give her work, by hook or by crook.
+You're interested in her, and I'll bet that she makes a mistake to
+suspicion you. Oh! I know what's what, I do; I can scent one of those
+empty-headed puppies who comes to talk nonsense, when he's a mile away!
+They don't go about it the way you do; they slip a piece of money in my
+hand, with a little note that smells of musk and hair oil, and then they
+examine the house and the yard and the windows as if they meant to break
+in. I know 'em, I know 'em!"
+
+"No, Madame Potrelle, I am not a lover--here, at all events."
+
+"_Pardi!_ I can understand that you may be, somewhere else. It would be
+a pity if you didn't think about such things, at your age."
+
+"I will go and buy the material and bring it to you."
+
+"But that will give you the trouble of coming back again, monsieur. If
+you want, I can save you that. My niece happens to be here just now, and
+she can look out for my lodge while I go to monsieur's address; and I'll
+tell you at the same time whether Madame Landernoy consents to take the
+thirty-six francs."
+
+Something told me that the woman had some hidden reason for making that
+suggestion. I fancied that she desired to come to my lodgings, so that
+she might find out more about me and be certain that I had given my own
+name in my letter to Mignonne; indeed, might it not be that the young
+mother herself had asked her to try to find out who I was?
+
+As I had nothing to fear from such information as Madame Potrelle could
+collect about me, I accepted her proposal.
+
+"Here is my address," I said, handing her one of my cards. "Be there in
+two hours, and I shall have made my purchases. Please be good enough to
+bring me my shirts at the same time."
+
+"With pleasure, monsieur!"
+
+Madame Potrelle was prompt; I had been at home only a few minutes, when
+Pomponne appeared and said with comic gravity:
+
+"There's a woman outside asking for you, monsieur. She has something in
+her apron, and a parcel under her arm. I suppose she's a second-hand
+dealer who wants to sell you something."
+
+"Hold your tongue, Pomponne, and show her in!"
+
+My servant obeyed my order, although he seemed much puzzled that I
+received in my salon a person whom he evidently considered unworthy of
+the honor; and he kept his eye on the object which the concierge held to
+her breast, wrapped in her apron. I motioned to him to withdraw, and he
+left the room, walking backward.
+
+Madame Potrelle made a succession of reverences, and handed me my
+shirts, which she had under her arm, wrapped in a handkerchief. The good
+woman expressed her admiration of my apartments and their furnishings;
+which goes to show that opulence always produces its effect on the
+multitude and on private individuals as well. I tried to put her at her
+ease, and forced her to sit down in an easy-chair; but she continued to
+hug her apron to her breast, and it seemed to embarrass her.
+
+At last she partly opened the apron, saying:
+
+"I beg your pardon, monsieur, for venturing to bring him here--but he
+never goes out, poor dear, and I thought it would do him good."
+
+"What do you mean, Madame Potrelle? have you got a child in there?"
+
+"No, monsieur, no; it's one of my cats, Bribri, the youngest one. The
+others let him be and won't ever play with him, just because he limps a
+bit, poor little rascal! He's got a little trouble in his leg. Cats are
+as bad as men; they turn up their noses at the weak ones! That's why I
+wanted to give the poor dear a little pleasure."
+
+"You did well, Madame Potrelle; let Bribri run about a little, if you
+wish."
+
+"You see, monsieur, my cats are well brought up; they ain't capable of
+forgetting themselves, no matter where they be."
+
+"I am sure of it."
+
+The concierge opened her apron entirely, and a small black and white cat
+escaped from its folds and scuttled under a piece of furniture.
+
+"Well," I said, "have you seen Madame Landernoy?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur; when she found out that you'd given me more money than
+she'd put in her bill, she wouldn't take it, and she almost got mad with
+me. It was no use for me to say: 'The gentleman always pays that price;'
+she said that didn't make any difference to her. The only way I could
+make her take the money was to tell her that you had other work for her
+to do and she could let it go on that.--Well! on my word! there he is on
+the couch now! Bribri! you mustn't get upon that, you scamp!"
+
+"We will see, when it comes to paying for the waistcoats. Poor girl!
+what noble pride! what an upright soul! And this is the sort of woman
+that men take pleasure in defiling!"
+
+"What do you say, monsieur?"
+
+"Nothing, Madame Potrelle. Here are the material, the linings, and the
+pattern. Take them all, and please accept this for your trouble."
+
+I slipped five francs into the concierge's hand; she made some objection
+to taking it, declaring that whatever she did for her tenant she did
+unselfishly. I succeeded without too much difficulty in removing her
+scruples. She took the material; but the next thing was to capture
+Bribri, who had established himself under a sofa and refused to come out
+at all, or came out only to run under something else. It seemed to me
+that he showed much agility for a cripple.
+
+Madame Potrelle made the circuit of my salon several times on all fours.
+At last, by rolling a ball of paper across the floor, we succeeded in
+enticing and catching Bribri, whom his mistress replaced in her apron,
+saying reprovingly:
+
+"You ain't been a good boy; you shan't go out again for six
+weeks.--Adieu, monsieur! you haven't got any other word to send to my
+tenant?"
+
+"Tell her that I am very fond of children, and that I would like to kiss
+her daughter."
+
+"Ah! if she could hear you, monsieur, I'll bet that she'd hold her
+little Marie up to you right away. But you won't let three months go by
+without coming again, will you, monsieur?"
+
+"No, Madame Potrelle; I shall come very soon to hear about Madame
+Landernoy."
+
+"And I'll tell her, monsieur, that you're an excellent young
+man--because--anyone can see right away that---- Well! if the little
+rascal ain't swearing now! Ah! catch me taking you to walk again!"
+
+I dismissed the concierge, who went away without giving Pomponne a
+chance to see what she had under her apron. He was thunderstruck.
+
+
+
+
+XXVI
+
+THE SQUIRREL
+
+
+As I was about to leave the house, Pomponne handed me a card; it was
+Balloquet's. He had been several times to see me and had failed to find
+me. I was ashamed of my discourteous treatment of that young man, to
+whom I was indebted for my acquaintance with Armantine and Frederique.
+It was not his fault if nothing had come of that acquaintance, neither
+love nor friendship. I was very sure that he had been more fortunate
+than I, and that the liaison he had begun at Monsieur Bocal's party had
+led to something. But there was no reason why I should not convince
+myself of the fact, and I determined to pay Balloquet a visit.
+
+I betook myself to the young physician's abode on Place Breda. Balloquet
+had established himself there in the hope of obtaining patients among
+the lorettes. He considered that with such a clientage his fortune was
+assured. He had my best wishes, but it was not medicine that he
+practised with those ladies.
+
+As I was entering the house in which lived my jovial companion of the
+night of the weddings, the concierge stopped me.
+
+"Where is monsieur going?"
+
+"To see Monsieur Balloquet, physician."
+
+"He has not lived here for two months, monsieur."
+
+"His address, if you please?"
+
+"Rue d'Amsterdam, No. 42, near the railroad station."
+
+To Rue d'Amsterdam I went. It seemed that Balloquet had not obtained the
+practice that he hoped for among the lorettes; perhaps he had decided to
+be a railroad doctor--that is to say, to be on hand to attend to
+arriving and departing travellers. That would not be a bad idea.
+
+I arrived at No. 42. It was a handsome house, and quite new, naturally
+enough, as the street was new. I asked for Dr. Balloquet. The concierge
+pointed to a staircase at the rear of the courtyard:
+
+"Top floor, door facing you. He must be in."
+
+The top floor was at least the fifth. It seemed to me that it must be a
+bad thing for a doctor to live so far up. Some of the patients who came
+to consult him would certainly find it hard work to climb so high.
+Probably Balloquet loved fresh air, and made more visits than he
+received.
+
+The hall was quite light and very clean and neat; but I had to climb six
+flights of stairs before I reached the top landing. I got there at last,
+and found the name of Balloquet, with his professional title, on a
+little card nailed to the door that faced me. It occurred to me that a
+copper plate would be better. I thought that I remembered that he had a
+very fine one at his other lodgings; probably he was having it changed.
+
+I pulled a dilapidated tassel, which had at one time done duty on a
+curtain. The bell rang shrilly, but nobody opened the door. Perhaps the
+apartment was very large. I rang again, but nobody appeared. Still, the
+concierge had said:
+
+"He must be in."
+
+I tried another method. Sometimes young men dread a woman's visit,
+especially when they have another woman with them. I coughed in several
+keys, and in a moment the door opened a little way and Balloquet's nose
+appeared. When he spied me, he threw the door wide open, crying:
+
+"Why, it's my dear Rochebrune! Come in, my dear fellow, come in! That
+was a good idea of yours, to cough. I was apprehensive of other visits."
+
+"A doctor doesn't ordinarily fear them."
+
+"That depends on what kind they are."
+
+"Perhaps you have company, and I disturb you?"
+
+"Not at all. I am alone. Come in."
+
+I passed through a very small room, in which I did not see a single
+piece of furniture, into a large bedroom with an iron bed, a desk,
+chairs, two trunks, and a small book-case. Clothes and toilet articles
+were scattered about on all the furniture and in every corner. If
+picturesque disorder is the result of an artistic temperament, it is
+impossible to be more artistic than Balloquet, who offered me a chair,
+saying, as he removed the dressing gown in which he was wrapped:
+
+"I'll go back to bed, with your permission?"
+
+"Certainly; but you lie in bed very late; are you ill?"
+
+"Not now; but I've had a hard time."
+
+"You are changed, that is true. Where is your fine coloring, and the
+fresh complexion that procured you so many soft glances?"
+
+"Oh! as to my fresh complexion, I have lost that entirely; but it will
+come back. It's infernally cold here!"
+
+"That is true."
+
+"Come nearer the fireplace."
+
+"I haven't the slightest objection, but how will that help me? There's
+no fire."
+
+"No fire! Gad! that's so. I remember now that I didn't find a single
+stick this morning in that trunk that I use as a woodbox; indeed, that's
+why I stayed in bed, because it was warmer here. Will you get into bed
+with me, without ceremony?"
+
+"No, thanks; I prefer to be cold. But, tell me, Balloquet, what in the
+deuce has happened to you since I saw you last? Then you had a very
+pretty little suite of rooms, handsomely furnished; you had everything
+you wanted, and a fellow didn't freeze in your room; and to-day you are
+perched on a sixth floor, in a single room; for I don't see any other
+than the one I entered, and this is evidently the whole apartment."
+
+"Yes; but how beautifully it's decorated, eh? Fresh paint, and this
+wall paper, and that ceiling with a centre-piece!"
+
+"Yes, yes, it's all fresh and new; for all that, I should think that
+you'd need some furniture."
+
+"Do you think so? For my part, when an apartment has pretty wall paper
+and fresh paint, it seems to me that very little furniture is required."
+
+"Very little, possibly, but some; and I didn't see a single piece in the
+outer room."
+
+"Furniture would make it look smaller, and it's none too large."
+
+I began to laugh, and Balloquet followed suit, rolling himself up in the
+bedclothes.
+
+"My dear Rochebrune," he continued, "I will conceal the truth from you
+no longer: you see before you a man who is completely _strapped_--yes,
+completely!"
+
+"Parbleu! did you suppose that I hadn't discovered it?"
+
+"I'll tell you what has happened to me.--Sapristi! where in the deuce is
+it? I can't find it, and I must have it."
+
+"What are you looking for under your bedclothes?"
+
+"A friend, a trusty companion, who is of great assistance to me."
+
+"A dog taught to fetch and carry, eh?"
+
+"No, no, it isn't a dog. Ah! here it is!"
+
+And Balloquet produced a little squirrel which he had just captured at
+the foot of his bed, and which he proceeded to fasten to the back of a
+chair by a small chain.
+
+"What do you do with that beast?"
+
+"He's a gift from the sentimental Satine; and he would have gone the way
+of everything else, but for the fact that he has often helped me out of
+a scrape."
+
+"That squirrel?"
+
+"Yes, my dear fellow. Perhaps you will have ocular proof of it before
+long. But let me tell you the story of my misfortunes. I am sorry that
+you won't get into bed; I'm afraid that you are cold."
+
+"No. Haven't you even a match here?"
+
+"Faith! it's doubtful. Ah, yes! I see three in the corner. Why? have you
+got some firewood in your pocket?"
+
+"No; but I have some cigars, and I propose to smoke one."
+
+"An excellent idea! smoking keeps you warm. Have you a cigar for
+friendship?"
+
+"Always."
+
+"I recognize you there!"
+
+"Could Achilles have smoked without Patroclus?"
+
+Balloquet gave me a single match, begging me to be careful of it. I
+lighted a cigar, and from it he lighted the one that I gave him. Then he
+covered himself with the bedclothes, I wrapped myself hermetically in my
+cloak, and he began:
+
+"The last time I saw you was at the dinner Dupreval gave us, where
+Fouvenard told us such a villainous story."
+
+"By the way, you were rather intimate with Fouvenard, I think; what is
+he doing now?"
+
+"I don't know. I never see him. I am very far from being a saint, but
+his adventure with that poor girl from Sceaux made me detest him."
+
+"Give me your hand, Balloquet; I am glad that you think as I do on that
+subject. I should have had a very poor opinion of you, if you had
+continued to be that man's friend. Take another cigar, and go on; I am
+listening."
+
+"You remember those two famous wedding parties, don't you? I attended
+Mademoiselle Petronille Bocal's, where, after some rather lively
+scrimmages, I became the jewel, the Benjamin of the family, thanks to
+your arrival with Papa Bocal's landlord. You saw how refreshments were
+served at that function: punch, mulled wine, and _bischoff_ circulating
+all the time. The women were of all the colors of the rainbow, and so
+lively and free and easy! the number of glances that were flashed at me
+was fabulous! but I had cast my spell on a buxom, high-colored
+brunette, with red roses in her hair."
+
+"I remember your charmer; I saw you talking with her."
+
+"In that case, you see that I don't flatter her. To make a long story
+short, after supper, during which there was a time when the whole
+company was fighting because Madame Girie, the groom's mother, swore
+that she hadn't had the second joint of a chicken that rightfully
+belonged to her, and that they hadn't given her any truffles when all
+the others had some, we left the mother-in-law quarrelling, the father
+swearing, the groom apologizing, and the bride weeping and tearing her
+hair, and stole away, my widow and I, in much better spirits than the
+givers of the feast. But it's almost always like that; _sic vos_--you
+know the rest.
+
+"My new conquest sold gloves; she had a fine shop on Boulevard des
+Italiens. No end of style! Mirrors everywhere, violet-wood counter, and
+an odor of perfumery as soon as you entered the shop! I was in raptures.
+'At last, here's a woman who won't cost you anything, and they're very
+scarce!' I said to myself. In fact, during the first few days, my pretty
+widow invited me to dine in her back shop. We dined very well, for
+Madame Satine likes good things, the delicacies of the season; moreover,
+she kept me in gloves; as soon as she saw that mine were shabby, she'd
+say:
+
+"'Fi! fi! what sort of gloves are you wearing? I like to have a man
+always well gloved; that's the way to recognize a dandy.'
+
+"I let her do as she pleased; I can never refuse a woman anything.
+
+"One day, my loving Satine, with whom I was dining, said to me:
+
+"'Look you, my little Loquet,'--she always called me by the tail of my
+name,--'I have an opportunity to make a lot of money.'
+
+"'My dear,' said I, 'you must seize it as you do my name--by the tail.'
+
+"'I know someone who has invented a way of making gloves without seams.
+They will be splendid; fashionable people won't wear anything else.
+There's a hundred thousand francs to be made in it.'
+
+"'Somebody once invented seamless boots,' I replied, 'but I don't think
+he ever made much money, for they didn't take.'
+
+"'Hands aren't like feet. I am sure of the success of this enterprise.'
+
+"'Go on and make your seamless gloves, then.'
+
+"'But I must buy the secret process first, and I can't get it for less
+than fifteen thousand francs.'
+
+"'That's rather dear for a few less seams.'
+
+"'But with that fifteen thousand francs I shall make a hundred
+thousand!'
+
+"'Buy the secret, then.'
+
+"'That's what I want to do. A mere trifle prevents me--I haven't any
+money; but I thought of you. You told me, you know, that it would make
+you unhappy if I didn't always think of you.'
+
+"'When it's a matter of love, that is true.'
+
+"'I think of you for everything. My little Loquet, you must lend me the
+fifteen thousand francs.'
+
+"'I should be delighted to oblige you, my sweet love; but there's a
+trifle that prevents me too: I have no money.'
+
+"'Oh! nonsense!'
+
+"'Five or six hundred francs, at your service, but no more. I am just
+beginning the practice of medicine, you understand; I have a large
+number of patients already: almost all the lorettes in the Breda quarter
+have me to attend them, and they often have trifling indispositions; but
+not one of them ever pays me, that isn't their custom. As for my
+parents, who live in La Beauce, they have got tired of sending me money.
+They claim that I ought to have acquired talent enough to earn my
+living. Parbleu! talent isn't what I lack, but paying patients.'
+
+"My brunette stamped impatiently, crying:
+
+"'I mean to make my fortune, I tell you, and I can do it by selling
+seamless gloves. Look you, my little Loquet, you can give me your notes
+of hand; I can negotiate them; the owner of the process will take them
+in payment.'
+
+"'But how am I to pay them?'
+
+"'The profits will begin to come in before they fall due; I shall be
+selling my new gloves, and we shall have the means to pay them.'
+
+"I hesitated; but my brunette was so sure of success; and then, I had
+dined well, and at such times I sign whatever anyone asks me to. I made
+five notes of hand, of three thousand francs each.--You can guess the
+result! The seamless gloves tore as soon as anyone attempted to put them
+on. My poor Satine was forced to assign. We paid the first two notes,
+but I was obliged to sell almost everything I possessed. The third has
+come due, and they will soon be here to demand payment. I am besieged
+already by a crowd of other creditors; for, after all, a man must live,
+and clothe himself, and have a roof over his head. I am completely
+cleaned out! But I don't bear my mistress any grudge; she has gone to
+law with the villain who defrauded her with his secret, and hopes to
+make him disgorge the last two notes at least, and----"
+
+A ring at the doorbell interrupted Balloquet, who sat up in bed and
+looked at me, saying in an undertone:
+
+"Damnation! there's someone!"
+
+"Shall I open the door?"
+
+"No, no! wait a moment. I recognize a creditor by his way of ringing;
+perhaps it's the bearer of that note. No matter! I might as well have it
+over with. Wait!"
+
+Balloquet jumped out of bed and opened a closet near the headboard, in
+which I saw a rather large iron chest set into the wall.
+
+"I found this safe here when I took possession," whispered Balloquet,
+"and it serves my turn splendidly."
+
+"I can't imagine what purpose a safe can serve, when you have no money."
+
+"You will see, my dear fellow."
+
+He opened the chest, threw in three large two-sou pieces, then said to
+me:
+
+"Will you lend me two hundred-sou pieces for a few minutes? They will do
+much better."
+
+"With pleasure, my dear fellow! do you want more?"
+
+"No, two are enough, but I don't happen to have any at this moment."
+
+He took out the two-sou pieces and replaced them by the five-franc
+pieces I had given him; then, untying his squirrel, he put him into the
+chest, and at once closed and locked the door, taking care to remove the
+key. Then he closed the closet. Having completed this operation, he
+returned to the bed, motioning to me to open the door.
+
+An old man stood on the landing, well dressed, very short and stout,
+with a red face; he had all the externals of a retired restaurant
+keeper.
+
+"Monsieur Balloquet, if you please?"
+
+"This is the place, monsieur."
+
+"I have come to collect a note for----"
+
+"Be good enough to come in, monsieur."
+
+He entered the inner room, where Balloquet, still in bed, nodded his
+head to him.
+
+"I have come," the visitor repeated, "to collect a note of hand for
+three thousand francs, due to-morrow; but to-morrow being a holiday, it
+falls due the day before."
+
+"Very well, monsieur. Please take a seat, and you shall be paid.--My
+dear Charles, will you be good enough to get the amount from my safe?
+It's in the closet at the head of my bed."
+
+Balloquet said this with a self-possession which I could not but admire;
+I opened the closet, and we heard the jingling of money in the safe. I
+guessed that it was the squirrel playing with the coins with which he
+was confined, and I had to bite my lips to keep from laughing, while
+Balloquet exclaimed:
+
+"I would like right well to know what my next-door neighbor is doing;
+something that shakes the house, apparently, as it makes the gold pieces
+dance in my safe; and it's like that almost all day. I shall end by
+complaining to the landlord.--Take three thousand francs and pay
+monsieur, will you, Charles?"
+
+I put my head into the closet and replied:
+
+"But the safe is locked and the key isn't in it."
+
+"What do you say? the key isn't in the lock?"
+
+"No."
+
+"Look on the floor--and on top."
+
+"I have looked on top and underneath, but I don't see any key."
+
+"Ah! the rattle-headed rascal! I'll stake my head that that's what has
+happened. Sapristi! it puts me in a pretty fix, on my word!"
+
+"What's the matter?"
+
+"Imagine, Charles, that I had twelve thousand francs to pay this
+morning. It was all right, the funds were ready--I am never behindhand,
+you know--but, being ill, I had asked Bertinet, a friend of mine, who
+happened to drop in, to stay with me, so that I need not have to get up.
+He consented, after some urging; he had business at Rouen and was in a
+hurry to be off. Luckily, my creditor came early to get the twelve
+thousand francs. Bertinet paid him, and soon after went away. Well, I
+see now that the careless fellow must have put the key of my safe in his
+pocket, by accident, and gone off with it! It's very amusing, as he
+isn't to return for a week!"
+
+Balloquet's tale was accompanied by the rattle of the silver pieces,
+which the squirrel kept constantly in motion in the safe. It seemed to
+me a most ingenious trick, and I rejoined, indulgently:
+
+"It's all the more disagreeable because these safes have secret locks
+and there's no way of opening them except by destroying them altogether;
+and that would be a pity, for they're quite expensive."
+
+"I should say so! that safe cost me nine hundred francs. But it's a
+solid fellow! You might try to smash it, but you couldn't do it. It
+would require a charge of gunpowder to open it, and then---- You see
+what has happened, monsieur; I am exceedingly mortified that you have
+come here for nothing, but it is not my fault; my friend will return in
+a week, and then----"
+
+The old gentleman, who had listened with an expression bordering on
+idiocy, rejoined in the same tone as when he first entered the room:
+
+"I have come to collect a note for three thousand francs, due to-morrow;
+but as to-morrow is a----"
+
+"All right, monsieur!" interposed Balloquet, impatiently; "I know
+perfectly well why you have come, and I was going to pay you. Parbleu!
+your money's there; it isn't the money that's lacking; indeed, you can
+hear my gold pieces dancing, thanks to my neighbor. But as I haven't the
+key of my safe, as it has been carried off by mistake,--for it wasn't
+done maliciously, I am sure,--I can't pay you to-day. It is annoying, I
+can understand that; but, after all, it's only a delay of a few days."
+
+The little old man blew his nose at great length, took a pinch of
+snuff, coughed, spat, wiped his nose, and began:
+
+"I have come to collect a note----"
+
+"Sapristi! this is too much!" cried Balloquet, throwing his head back on
+his pillow; then he crawled under his bedclothes, so that nothing was
+visible but the end of his nose, muttering: "Do what you please; I have
+had enough; I've nothing more to say."
+
+The bearer of the note of hand gazed at me in blank amazement. I tried
+to make him understand the situation. I took him by the hand and led him
+to the safe, where the squirrel was still at play, and said:
+
+"How do you expect my friend to pay you? He hasn't the key; it's at
+Rouen; and there's no way of forcing this lock."
+
+"But then I, who came here to----"
+
+"Come again in a few days; then my friend will have his key, and you
+will be paid. I have the honor to salute you, monsieur; if you should
+stay here three hours, the fact would remain the same, so you might as
+well go!"
+
+And I pushed him gently toward the door; he made no resistance, so I
+escorted him to the landing and closed the door on him. I heard him
+mumbling as he went downstairs:
+
+"I came to collect a note of hand for three thousand francs----"
+
+"Bravo, my dear Rochebrune, and a thousand thanks!" said Balloquet. "We
+had hard work; he was as tenacious as the devil, that fellow, but I am
+rid of him."
+
+"He'll come again in a few days."
+
+"He won't find me, for I am going to move, to hide myself, wall myself
+up. Would you have me pay a second time for those seamless abortions?
+Satine will find money somehow--that's her business."
+
+The bell rang again.
+
+"_Bigre!_ do you suppose the old fossil has come back? He can't have
+gone to get a locksmith, can he?"
+
+"It isn't probable; he hasn't had time. What are you going to do? Shall
+I open the door?"
+
+"Faith! the squirrel is still in the safe, playing his little game. If
+it happens to be a creditor, the trick may work again. Be kind enough to
+open the door."
+
+I complied with his request, and received a lady fully fifty years of
+age, who was dressed with much coquetry, although her costume was not
+absolutely fresh. She bowed to me, and, without waiting to be ushered
+in, walked quickly by me, saying:
+
+"I beg pardon, monsieur, it's Monsieur Balloquet I want to see, and I
+know he's in; I took pains to inquire."
+
+She was in the inner room before I had had time to answer her. Seeing my
+friend in bed, she started back; but she speedily recovered herself and
+went on.
+
+"Ah! so you're in bed, are you?" she exclaimed. "But, after all, the
+doctors visit us when we're in bed; so why shouldn't we do the same by
+them?"
+
+"Perfectly argued, Madame Philocome. Pray take the trouble to be
+seated."
+
+Madame Philocome took a chair, after some show of reluctance.
+
+"Are you sick?" she said, twisting her mouth out of shape.
+
+"Mon Dieu! yes, dear Madame Philocome, I am sick. But may I know to what
+I am indebted for the honor of this visit?"
+
+"Why, I happen to have in my hands a little _broche_ of yours."
+
+"A _broche?_"
+
+"A little note, if you like that better; a hundred and fifty francs.
+It's a small matter. You made it to your tailor's order; he paid it to
+me, and I came to collect it. If, at the same time, you could give me
+what you owe me for perfumery and essences, you know----"
+
+"Yes, I know that I owe you a trifle. Parbleu! if you have your bill
+here, we'll settle the whole thing together; I ask nothing better."
+
+"It will be an accommodation to me, especially as you don't come to see
+us any more, doctor; you've taken your custom away from us; that's all
+wrong."
+
+"Not at all; but when I moved into another quarter----"
+
+"Here's my bill; it amounts to a hundred and thirty-two francs."
+
+"Very good; a hundred and fifty and a hundred and thirty-two; that makes
+two hundred and eighty-two in all.--My dear Charles, do me the favor to
+take that amount from my safe."
+
+Thereupon we performed for Madame Philocome's benefit the scene of the
+lost key, with an accompaniment of money jingling by the squirrel. But I
+was pained to see that the perfumer shook her head and smiled in a very
+equivocal fashion. Finally, when Balloquet essayed to express his regret
+at the loss of his key, the old coquette interrupted him, saying:
+
+"It seems that you mislay your key very often, monsieur; for I have
+happened to see two of your creditors, and they have told me why you
+didn't pay them; it was exactly the same thing as to-day--the same
+scheme and the same details."
+
+"That may be, madame; in fact, I did lose my key several days ago."
+
+"Then, monsieur, why did you pretend at first that you were ready to pay
+me?"
+
+Balloquet buried himself under the bedclothes, with a horrible grimace.
+I closed the closet door so that we could no longer hear the squirrel,
+whose efforts thenceforth were of no avail. Madame Philocome settled
+herself comfortably in her chair, saying:
+
+"I'm very sorry, monsieur, but I want my money. You must have some,
+judging from that silvery tinkle in your safe. I refuse to be so
+good-natured as the others you have got rid of by this means. You must
+pay me; I won't go away until you do."
+
+"Then you'll stay here a long while, madame."
+
+"It's all the same to me, monsieur; I'm in no hurry."
+
+Balloquet angrily rolled himself up in his bedclothes. I seated myself
+beside the hearth, curious to see how it would end. Madame Philocome
+stared for a while at the centre-piece on the ceiling, then took a book
+from the shelves. If she began to read, the situation might be prolonged
+indefinitely.
+
+After some time, Balloquet broke the silence by groaning as if he were
+in pain; I rose and went to the bedside.
+
+"My friend," he said, with a wink that I understood, "is my face red in
+spots?"
+
+"Why, yes--you have some blotches."
+
+"Are the whites of my eyes yellow?"
+
+"Very yellow!"
+
+"The devil! Be kind enough to look at my tongue and tell me if there are
+any little swellings on it?"
+
+He put out his tongue, and I exclaimed after examining it:
+
+"It's covered with them!"
+
+"Damnation! Then it must be that; I can't fool myself any longer. I know
+now what my trouble is. However, I can take care of myself."
+
+"Why, what is your trouble?"
+
+"Pardieu! I am going to have the smallpox, that's all! However, I have
+been vaccinated!"
+
+Balloquet had not finished speaking, when Madame Philocome threw down
+her book, sprang abruptly to her feet, and rushed from the room, crying:
+
+"Adieu, doctor! you can pay me later; when you please!"
+
+"But, Madame Philocome, if you would rather wait for my key, I'll send
+to Rouen."
+
+It was unnecessary to say more; we heard the outer door open and close
+with a bang, and Madame Philocome scrambling down the stairs. Then
+Balloquet looked at me and roared with laughter, in which I joined. We
+were still laughing, I am sure, when the old coquette was a long way
+from the house.
+
+
+
+
+XXVII
+
+A CONSULTATION
+
+
+"What do you think of my second method, Rochebrune?"
+
+"Excellent; indeed, I think that it's better than the other, for it
+requires less preparation."
+
+"That depends. We have creditors who will defy smallpox, yellow
+fever--aye, the plague itself. But I must get up and liberate my
+squirrel, and return your ten francs."
+
+"I will take back the ten francs, which would be of no great use to you;
+but if you would like this five-hundred-franc note, which I put in my
+pocket with a view to settling with my tailor, why, don't hesitate to
+say so; I shall be glad to do you a service."
+
+Balloquet forgot that he was in his shirt; he leaped on my neck, crying:
+
+"Would I like it! I should say so! I wouldn't have asked for it, but you
+offer it! You're a friend indeed! Let me hear anyone say that there are
+no such things as friends nowadays! Dear old Rochebrune! And you don't
+know me very well, either."
+
+"I know you well enough to be happy that I am able to oblige you."
+
+"Oh! by the way, I ought to warn you of one thing: I can't say just when
+I shall be able to pay you."
+
+"Don't let that disturb you! You may pay me when fortune smiles on you
+again, when you have a profitable practice."
+
+"Oh! as for that, you will be the first person paid. So I'm in funds
+once more! _Vive la joie!_--No more potatoes! I've had enough of them;
+I've been stuffed with them for a long time. But I won't tell Satine
+that my pockets are lined, for she has always some invention or other in
+her head, and it's too risky."
+
+I was about to take leave of Balloquet, who was just pulling on his
+trousers, when we heard three little taps at his door. The young doctor
+listened and smiled.
+
+"What sort of a farce are you going to play this time?" I asked him.
+
+"Oh! this is no creditor, my dear fellow, I am sure. The creditor knocks
+noisily; but those soft little taps--I'll bet that it's someone to
+consult me."
+
+He went into the outer room and called:
+
+"Who's there?"
+
+"Someone who wishes to consult monsieur le medecin," replied a soft,
+female voice.
+
+"I will leave you," I said, taking my hat; but Balloquet detained me.
+
+"Do stay," he said. "Thus far you have seen nothing but the unpleasant
+features of my position as a debtor; it is only fair that you should be
+a witness also of the advantages we owe to our profession. This is some
+girl to consult me. It is sometimes quite amusing to listen. They
+conceal nothing from their doctor; they tell him some things that they
+certainly wouldn't tell their lovers."
+
+"But she won't dare to say anything before a witness, will she?"
+
+"It will be enough to tell her that you're a confrere; then she'll look
+on you as another myself. If there were ten of us here, and I should say
+they were all doctors, she'd take them all for her confidants."
+
+"In that case, I will stay and listen to the consultation."
+
+I resumed my seat, while Balloquet donned his dressing gown, and opened
+the door himself.
+
+The doctor was not mistaken; it was a young girl, with a costume halfway
+between that of a grisette and a nursery maid. Light hair, an attractive
+face, eyes cast down like an innocent schoolgirl, but with a certain
+twist in her gait which bore no trace of innocence.
+
+She made a courtesy, then glanced at me, and halted.
+
+"Monsieur is a confrere, another myself," said Balloquet; "so you may
+speak before him without fear; indeed, you may be the gainer by so
+doing, for two opinions are better than one. Be seated, mademoiselle,
+and tell me what brings you here."
+
+The girl courtesied again, and tried to smile; but in the midst of the
+smile, her features contracted with pain; she pressed her lips together,
+clenched her hands, and leaned against the desk.
+
+"Are you in pain?" asked Balloquet, pushing a chair toward her.
+
+She seemed to breathe with difficulty, but she smiled again, saying:
+
+"It's over now; I hope it won't amount to anything, but it makes me feel
+very bad at times."
+
+"Tell me what it is."
+
+"I am a lacemaker, monsieur; but there hasn't been much doing in that
+trade for some time, and one earns so little! And I admit that I'm a
+good deal of an idler; when I'm sent on an errand, I like to stop in
+front of the caricature shops and confectioners; and I like the theatre
+too, and balls. It's such good fun to dance at Mabille, at Valentino's,
+and at the Cite-d'Antin. In fact, I like a good time, I don't deny it."
+
+"That's characteristic of your age, mademoiselle; indeed, we all like a
+good time. Everyone enjoys it according to his tastes. At twenty, it's
+love and clothes; at thirty, money; at forty, ambition and titles;
+later, cards and rest. But at every age, when we seek to gratify our
+desires, we are always after a good time. Go on."
+
+"But, monsieur, when you want to enjoy yourself, and haven't any money,
+it's very hard!"
+
+"Sometimes; it depends on the sort of enjoyment you want."
+
+"One night, I was walking on the Champs-Elysees with a friend of mine,
+who's a good deal of an idler, like myself, and likes good things to
+eat, too. As we passed a cafe, we looked at the people eating ices at
+the tables outside, and my friend said: 'I've never eaten any of that!
+None of the lovers I've ever had have been good for more than a bottle
+of cider or beer. Oh, yes! there was one who ordered punch; but he drank
+it all and didn't leave me half a glass!'--'I don't know what ices taste
+like, either,' said I; 'but I'd like right well to try one.'--At that, a
+fat man behind us, who was listening to us, I suppose, said: 'Allow me
+to satisfy your longing, mesdemoiselles, and to offer you an ice. See,
+here's an unoccupied table; let's sit down here.'
+
+"I was rather taken by surprise and didn't know what to reply, but my
+friend nudged me and whispered: 'Let's accept and take the ices; what
+harm will it do? it don't bind us to anything. Besides, he's a
+well-dressed man, he's _comme il faut_. I'm going to accept,
+anyway!'--And she drew me toward the table. You can understand that I
+couldn't very well refuse.--Well, he treated us; my friend had three
+ices, but I only took two; they made my teeth ache a little. He stuffed
+us with cakes and macaroons, too; so my friend thought he was charming;
+but he wasn't at all to my taste. His face was red and all covered with
+pimples. However, he had pleasant manners, and, although my friend made
+eyes at him, he paid all his attention to me. That made my friend mad.
+At last, messieurs--monsieur le docteur--you understand?"
+
+"Yes, perfectly; you made the acquaintance of the stout man who paid for
+the ices; but that doesn't tell us why you are suffering now."
+
+"Ah! that's the sequel. I had known that gentleman about six months. I
+hadn't got used to him at all; but I had got used to his presents. It
+isn't that he was very generous---- However, when you don't love a man,
+you ask nothing better than to deceive him."
+
+"That is perfectly natural, mademoiselle; sometimes, indeed, you deceive
+him when you do love him."
+
+"Oh! that's true, too; I believe such things have been known. Well,
+about six weeks ago I made the acquaintance of a young man I liked very
+much."
+
+"And you left the stout party?"
+
+"Mon Dieu! I intended to, certainly--that was my purpose--but----"
+
+"You didn't have a chance, eh?"
+
+"That's it, monsieur. I was looking for an opportunity; I didn't know
+just what to do, for I had discovered that Monsieur Bouqueton was very
+brutal, with all his _comme il faut_ air."
+
+"Bouqueton!" I exclaimed, struck by that name, as I recalled Madame
+Dauberny's confidences on the subject of her husband. "So your stout
+man's name is Bouqueton, is it?"
+
+"Yes, monsieur. Do you know him?"
+
+"No, not I. But I have heard of him from a friend of mine, who didn't
+speak very highly of him. Go on, mademoiselle."
+
+"I was looking for a chance to break with Monsieur Bouqueton; but,
+meanwhile, I continued to receive his presents--so as not to make him
+suspicious. Well, three days ago, my lover--my real lover--came and
+asked me to dine with him at a little restaurant on Rue du Ponceau,
+where they have private rooms. Naturally, I said _yes_. When I went out,
+I met my friend, the one who had the ices with me on the Champs-Elysees.
+She asked me where I was going, and I was fool enough to tell her. Oh!
+women are such traitors! It's never safe to trust one's friends! I am
+sure that it was she who told Monsieur Bouqueton that I had another
+lover. By making trouble between him and me, she hoped he'd take her, I
+suppose--the vile slut! Well, messieurs, when I came out of the
+restaurant with my lover, I saw Monsieur Bouqueton standing guard at the
+door. I trembled all over. I didn't want to go home, but my young man
+couldn't take me with him, for he hadn't any rooms of his own: he lives
+with his employer, four clerks in one room. I couldn't go and play
+puss-in-the-corner with all four; so I says to myself: 'Never mind!
+here's the opportunity I've been looking for to break with Monsieur
+Bouqueton.'
+
+"Sure enough, I hadn't been at home half an hour, when someone knocked
+at my door. It was Monsieur Bouqueton. I was all of a tremble when I
+opened the door; but I was surprised to hear him speak to me very
+gently, and say: 'So you don't love me any more, Annette?'--My name's
+Annette.--'I can't blame you; for I know that liaisons like ours can't
+last forever. I have come to say good-bye to you; but I don't propose to
+part on bad terms; on the contrary, to prove that I don't bear you any
+grudge, I'll treat you to _bischoff_. I know a place where they make it
+delicious. We'll take a cab and go there; then I'll bring you home, and
+we'll part the best of friends.'
+
+"I was so delighted that Monsieur Bouqueton didn't make a scene, that I
+accepted his invitation. I certainly ought to have been suspicious of
+his honey-sweet air, but I'm very fond of _bischoff_. Oh! what a
+miserable thing it is to be a glutton! That fault has always made me
+make a fool of myself.
+
+"I put my cap on again, and we went out. Monsieur Bouqueton put me into
+a cab, but I didn't hear what he said to the driver. We started off. It
+was about ten o'clock at night. The cab went on and on.
+
+"'Is this cafe of yours very far?' I asked.
+
+"'Rather far; but we shall soon be there now.'
+
+"The cab stopped at last. Monsieur Bouqueton helped me out and paid the
+cabman, who drove away. I looked about; it was as dark as a pocket, and
+we had no lantern. All I could see was big trees.
+
+"'Where are we?' I asked, beginning to be frightened; for I began to
+suspect treachery. I couldn't see any light; but the trees made me think
+that we might be on the outer boulevards. But why should he have taken
+me there? At that time of night, in winter, all the restaurants must be
+closed.
+
+"Without answering my question, Monsieur Bouqueton took my arm and led
+me away; we walked for some minutes, but didn't meet a soul.
+
+"'I won't go any farther,' I said suddenly, and stopped. 'You have
+deceived me, and I want to go back to Paris.'
+
+"'Well! all right! we won't go any farther,' said my conductor, in a
+voice whose savage accent froze the blood in my veins. 'We are well
+enough here for what I have to say to you, and for the lesson I propose
+to give you.'
+
+"He had no sooner said this than he knocked me down with a blow of his
+fist. I shrieked as I fell; but the miserable villain knew well enough
+that no one would come to my rescue. He called me the most horrible
+names--beggar--oh! I can't tell you all the vile names he called me!
+Certainly, I deserved some of them! But he wasn't content with treating
+me like the lowest of the low; he kicked me in the head and breast and
+everywhere."
+
+"What a ghastly thing!" cried Balloquet, while I, restraining my
+feelings with the utmost difficulty, felt great drops of perspiration on
+my brow. The story of that loathsome conduct made my cheeks tingle.
+
+"I begged Monsieur Bouqueton to spare me," continued Annette. "I
+confessed my guilt and begged for mercy; but he would not listen; he
+kept on kicking me and calling me vile names. At last, he hurt me so
+that I could not speak. I don't know whether the monster thought he had
+killed me,--that was his purpose, I don't doubt,--but, when he saw that
+I didn't move, he may have been frightened, for he suddenly ran off, and
+I heard his steps die away in the distance. I lay there on the ground a
+long while, in horrible pain. At last a heavy wagon came along, and the
+driver heard me groaning. He came to me, put me in his wagon, and took
+me as far as the barrier, where he left me. There they gave me what
+assistance I needed. I came to myself, but when they asked me what had
+happened, I couldn't tell them the truth, so I made up a story about
+robbers. When I felt able to go home, they called a cab and sent me
+home. All men aren't as wicked as Monsieur Bouqueton, thank God! if they
+were, we should have to long for another Flood. The next day, I took
+some medicine. The blows on my hips and legs are all black and blue, but
+they won't amount to anything. I hoped it would be the same with the one
+I got here, on the breast, but it hurts me awfully, it cuts like a
+knife; and that's why I came to see you, monsieur."
+
+"Let me see the bruise, my child; you must show us your breast--doctors,
+you know----"
+
+"Oh! I'll show you whatever you say, monsieur."
+
+And, without any false modesty, Mademoiselle Annette unbuttoned her
+dress and bared her breast. At that moment we could examine it without
+any risk to her, for the thought that the poor girl was in pain put all
+other thoughts to flight. Under the left breast there was a purple spot,
+with a yellowish circle all about it. Balloquet frowned and his face
+became grave and sad; I believed that I could divine his thought and I
+turned my head away; the sight was too distressing. The girl meanwhile
+smiled a wan sort of smile, and said:
+
+"That was a famous blow I got, wasn't it, monsieur?"
+
+"Yes, mademoiselle, yes."
+
+The doctor put his finger on the purple spot.
+
+"Does that hurt?" he asked.
+
+"Oh, yes!"
+
+"And that?"
+
+"Yes!"
+
+"And that?"
+
+"Oh! yes, it does!"
+
+"We must look after this; you must do just what I say, and take the
+draught I prescribe."
+
+"But it isn't dangerous, is it, monsieur?"
+
+Balloquet made an effort to resume his customary cheerful expression as
+he replied:
+
+"No, mademoiselle, no; you will come out all right. But you must follow
+my directions carefully; you must keep a bandage on your breast all the
+time, wet with a liquid I will give you."
+
+"You don't need to feel it any more, monsieur?"
+
+"No, mademoiselle."
+
+"When must I come again?"
+
+Balloquet reflected a moment, and said:
+
+"Don't come here again; I am going to move, and I don't know yet where
+I shall go; but leave me your address; I will call to see you."
+
+"Oh! you are very kind, monsieur; but--when a doctor puts himself out to
+call, it costs more than when one goes to see him."
+
+"Never fear; it won't cost you any more, for it won't cost anything."
+
+"Oh! you are very good! And you won't forget to come?"
+
+"If your bruise was a mere trifle, I might forget you; but it's serious
+enough to prevent my neglecting it. I will come to see you."
+
+"This is my address, monsieur: Annette--Rue Rochechouart, corner of Rue
+Bellefond."
+
+"Just Annette?"
+
+"That's all, monsieur; when a girl has been foolish, she ought not to
+bear her parents' name."
+
+"Here, my child, here are your prescriptions. Be careful to follow my
+directions. Don't tire yourself, and be good. It's a bore, I know, but
+it is necessary for your safety. I will see you in a few days."
+
+The girl had rebuttoned her dress and was about to leave the room.
+
+"Have you seen Monsieur Bouqueton since?" I asked.
+
+"Oh, no, monsieur! the monster! If I should see him, I believe I should
+faint with fright."
+
+"But what about your young lover? Didn't he promise to avenge you, when
+he found out what had happened?"
+
+"Oh, yes! he is going to square accounts with him, if he ever meets him.
+But he's a thoughtless fellow, my lover is! He says that one day, but
+forgets all about it the next."
+
+"Well, mademoiselle, I promise you that you shall be avenged; I promise
+you that Monsieur--Bouqueton shall receive sooner or later the
+punishment that his treatment of you deserves. If your lover doesn't
+administer it, I myself will undertake to do it."
+
+"You, monsieur? Why, do you know Monsieur Bouqueton?"
+
+"I never saw the man, but I know who he is. I tell you again--you shall
+be avenged."
+
+"Oh! mon Dieu! monsieur, I am not very vindictive; just let me get well,
+and I won't think any more about that old villain.--I have the honor to
+salute you, monsieur le medecin!"
+
+"I expected that you were to witness an amusing consultation," said
+Balloquet, after Annette had gone; "for these girls come to see us so
+often for mere trifles. But, unluckily, I was mistaken. That poor
+creature made my heart ache, her injury is so serious; I anticipate the
+worst--terrible suffering, and death."
+
+"Poor girl! What a punishment for her sins! What a ghastly result of
+idleness, of indolence! I will not say, of coquetry, for there was
+nothing in her dress to indicate that she has ever been kept."
+
+"Is it true that you know this infamous blackguard who kicked her in the
+breast?"
+
+"Yes; his name is not Bouqueton; that is a name he assumes to cover up
+his escapades."
+
+"Look you, my dear fellow, if ever you need my help in thrashing that
+scoundrel, you will afford me a very great pleasure, and I beg you not
+to forget me. I am a good-for-naught, I admit; I love all the women
+whose physique makes them worth the trouble of loving; I deceive them
+without scruple, because they pay me back in my own coin. In that
+respect, I fancy you are not unlike me. But to strike a woman, to
+inflict bodily suffering on a weak creature to whom we have owed the
+most delicious of joys!--oh! that is infamous, execrable! No infidelity
+can excuse such barbarous conduct!"
+
+"You are quite right, Balloquet. Remember the two lines that have never
+grown old, despite their antiquity:
+
+    "'Let shallow fops cry out, and fools lament;
+      The honest man, deceived, departs and says no word.'
+
+Au revoir, Balloquet! you will let me know about the poor girl, won't
+you?"
+
+"To be sure! I will call on you and give you my address, when I have
+one."
+
+
+
+
+XXVIII
+
+A WORD OF ADVICE.--AN ASSIGNATION
+
+
+It was cold, but the weather was superb. On leaving Balloquet, the whim
+seized me to take a turn about the garden of the Tuileries. I found many
+people in the garden. Fashionably attired ladies, well supplied with
+furs and warm cloaks, were seated along the main avenue, near the
+Terrasse des Feuillants. I glanced at them without stopping, but with
+the pleasure that one has in looking at flowers when one walks through a
+flower garden.
+
+Suddenly I felt an involuntary thrill; I had recognized Madame
+Sordeville, but not until I was almost face to face with her. I was
+about to look the other way, when I saw another familiar face beside
+Armantine's: Madame Dauberny was sitting with her friend. They had seen
+me, and both had their eyes fixed on me. To pretend not to see them was
+impossible, and I raised my hat.
+
+Frederique barely moved her head, still looking at me, but maintaining
+the grave and almost frigid expression which she had adopted with me. It
+was not so with Madame Sordeville; she smiled upon me most affably, and
+said in her sweetest voice, as she pointed to a vacant chair by her
+side:
+
+"Ah! is it you, Monsieur Rochebrune? I supposed that you had gone
+abroad, it is so long since we saw you. Pray sit down a moment with us.
+As we must depend upon chance for meeting you, you will surely give us a
+few moments."
+
+"If monsieur is in a hurry, why do you insist upon detaining him?" said
+Frederique, sharply. "For my part, I have never understood how anyone
+could compel a person to break an appointment wholly as a matter of
+courtesy."
+
+But I had already seated myself beside Madame Sordeville, for I could
+not resist the charm of her smile. All my resolutions vanished before
+that smile, and I replied:
+
+"I have time to stop; and even if I had any business on hand, I should
+be too happy to postpone it for such a pleasure."
+
+Frederique said nothing; she sat erect in her chair, with her head
+thrown back a little, so that I could not see her face; but, as a
+compensation, I was able to look at Armantine to my heart's content, for
+she turned to me and said, with the same charmingly amiable expression:
+
+"Why have you abandoned us so entirely, monsieur? Our house must have
+offered you very little attraction. Indeed, I can easily believe that
+our small parties are not very amusing; and yet, I had imagined that you
+would enjoy yourself there. I was very foolish, was I not?"
+
+"No, madame; you were quite right. But urgent business----"
+
+"Oh! don't talk like that, monsieur; you know perfectly well that we
+don't believe anything of the sort. You have found more entertainment
+with others, and you have been very sensible to give them the
+preference."
+
+"You know that that is not true, madame."
+
+"Know it, monsieur? How do you expect me to know anything, except that
+you suddenly ceased to come to us? It seems to me that I could not very
+well ask you the reason. I was talking with Frederique about you a
+moment ago."
+
+"What! you thought of me, madame?"
+
+"Yes," murmured Frederique, swaying back and forth on her chair;
+"Armantine was saying that you sang ballads beautifully."
+
+Madame Sordeville nudged her friend; I believe, indeed, that she
+pinched her. As for myself, being not at all wounded by that malicious
+remark, I hastened to reply:
+
+"If I had any pretension to be considered a singer, madame, what you
+have just said might mortify me; but as it has never occurred to me to
+hold myself out as anything of the sort, I will be the first to laugh
+with you over my performance at Madame Sordeville's."
+
+"Mon Dieu! Monsieur Rochebrune, I have no idea why Frederique said that;
+I don't think that she did it to laugh at you, for, after all, it may
+happen to anyone not to be in condition for singing--to have trouble
+with his throat;--and he may sing perfectly well another time."
+
+"He takes his revenge," said Frederique, in an undertone. "'This play is
+by a clever man who will take his revenge sooner or later.'--That's the
+consecrated phrase of newspaper critics after a play has failed."
+
+"You seem to be very ill-disposed toward me, madame," I said, trying to
+catch a glimpse of Madame Dauberny's face; but I could not succeed.
+
+"I, monsieur? Not in the least; I am joking, that's all. I am not one of
+those people whose feelings are changed by a false note."
+
+Armantine seemed ill at ease, and hastened to change the subject. We
+talked about indifferent matters, but our eyes were not indifferent.
+Madame Dauberny did not utter a word. Was she angry with me? did she
+still bear me a grudge? Surely it was a long while for a kiss to rankle!
+I was almost grieved by Frederique's treatment of me, but Armantine made
+me forget it by the amiable way in which she talked with me. I had never
+seen her show so much pleasure in being with me. However, I realized
+that I must not wear my welcome out, so I took leave of them.
+
+"Shall I still have to depend on chance meetings for a glimpse of you?"
+asked Madame Sordeville, as she answered my salutation.
+
+"No, madame; I shall not again wait for chance to serve me, as it might
+not always be so favorable."
+
+Frederique nodded slightly in acknowledgment of my bow, but not a word,
+not a smile.
+
+"Upon my word," thought I, "she's very sensitive for a _gaillarde_!"
+
+Armantine, I had been told, was a flirt; and, indeed, I had been several
+times in a position to judge that it was not safe to rely on the hopes
+she aroused. But, without flattering myself that I could cure her of
+that failing, it was possible that she might love me. After all, I had
+never yet met a perfect woman; in truth, I had never sought one. In
+short, that lady had turned my head again by her glances and her smiles,
+and I had already forgotten the way she treated me at her two
+receptions; the resolution I had formed not to expose myself again to
+the risk of being made the plaything of a coquette did not hold out
+against the allurements she had practised on me. Mon Dieu! why should we
+keep our resolutions in love, when we have no resolution at all in
+respect to the most serious matters?
+
+On the day following this meeting, I could contain myself no longer, and
+I made a careful toilet with the purpose of calling on Madame
+Sordeville; for I had noticed that she attached some importance to the
+costumes of her guests. That was another pardonable foible in a woman
+who thought constantly of dress, and who believed, in all probability,
+that everybody agreed with her as to the momentous nature of the
+subject.
+
+I was preparing to go out, when Pomponne brought me a letter which had
+just been handed to the concierge with the request that it be delivered
+to me at once.
+
+I did not know the writing; in such cases, the first thing one does
+after breaking the seal is to look at the signature. I saw at the foot
+of the page: _Frederique_.
+
+What! Madame Dauberny writing to me! I lost no further time in reading
+the letter.
+
+     "You are probably intending to go to Madame Sordeville's. Do not go
+     there, do not go to that house again; this is the best advice I can
+     give you. If you are really desirous to see Armantine, if your love
+     for her has revived, thanks to the coquetries she lavished upon you
+     yesterday, see her elsewhere than at her own house. I write you
+     these lines because I remember our pleasant intimacy, which was of
+     short duration, but which has left in my heart marks of its
+     passage. So, trust me and take my advice. I should consider that I
+     insulted you if I should ask you not to mention this warning.
+
+     "FREDERIQUE."
+
+The contents of that letter seemed to me most extraordinary. I read it
+over several times, but could not understand it. Frederique urged me not
+to go to Madame Sordeville's, but she gave me no reason, no hint, as to
+the purpose of that warning. It could be nothing more than a freak, the
+result of momentary ill humor with her friend. I was much perplexed by
+the letter, but I had no idea of following the advice contained therein.
+Indeed, for some time past, Madame Dauberny had treated me so strangely,
+she had been so cold to me, that I found it hard to believe in that
+recrudescence of friendship of which she spoke in her letter. If she
+meant the warning seriously, why did she not come and speak to me
+herself? She had told me several times that she had no more hesitation
+in calling on a young man than on a friend of her own sex.
+
+And so, without giving another thought to Frederique's advice, I went at
+once to Madame Sordeville's.
+
+I found Armantine in her dainty boudoir, surrounded by flowers and
+embroidery.
+
+I do not know whether she expected me, but it seemed to me that her
+dress and her coiffure were even more coquettish than usual. Probably I
+was mistaken, and it was because I was not accustomed to gaze upon her
+charms that they produced that effect on me.
+
+I was welcomed with extreme cordiality. Armantine had her merry,
+sarcastic, and melancholy moods. On the day in question, she seemed
+almost sentimental; she laughed less frequently than usual, but I
+considered her the more fascinating so.
+
+She gave me her hand and bade me sit beside her, saying:
+
+"This is delightful! It hasn't taken you long to keep your promise this
+time."
+
+"It is my greatest happiness to be with you, madame; and my reason for
+depriving myself of that happiness so long is that----"
+
+"Well, monsieur? it is that----?"
+
+"That---- Look you, madame, I propose to be quite frank; have I your
+permission?"
+
+"Why, of course."
+
+"I propose to tell you of all the torments I have suffered. In the first
+place, I love you--but you are well aware of that; I have told you so
+before."
+
+"Yes, you have told me so; but that is no reason why it should be true.
+All men say as much to a woman who is at all attractive, and of whom
+they flatter themselves that they can make the conquest."
+
+"But, in that case, madame, what must a man do to prove that he really
+loves?"
+
+"In the first place, it seems to me that he should not let centuries
+pass without calling; you must agree, monsieur, that that is a curious
+way of proving one's love."
+
+"But, madame, when he is received coldly, when the person in question
+does not deign to address a word to him, after having given him some
+reason to hope; and when she laughs and talks incessantly with other men
+before his eyes, without any pity for the anguish he suffers----"
+
+Armantine laughed aloud, disconcerting me so that I dared not go on.
+
+"Ah!" she cried, when her paroxysm of merriment had subsided; "that is
+to say, monsieur, that if a woman was weak enough to listen to you and
+believe you, she must never listen to any other man's gallant speeches?
+When a gentleman accosted her, she should run away at once, lest he be
+tempted to offer her his homage? Perhaps, too, she ought to make wry
+faces, squint when anyone looks at her, for fear she might be thought
+pretty?"
+
+"Oh! madame!"
+
+"If that's your way of thinking, monsieur, I must warn you that you
+would very often have occasion to lose your temper with me. I like to
+have men pay court to me; I like to have them think me pretty--yes, and
+tell me so. I don't know whether that is coquetry, but, in my opinion,
+there is no greater pleasure for a woman."
+
+"No greater pleasure? Not even love? Not even to be loved sincerely?"
+
+"One does not prevent the other."
+
+"Well! tell me that you love me; let me prove to you that I adore you,
+and I promise not to be jealous of all the men I see fluttering about
+you. When a man has the certainty of being preferred to all others, then
+suspicion is an insult. But is he not justified in trembling, when he
+has received no favor?"
+
+Armantine did not reply, but she was deeply moved. I tried to take
+advantage of her agitation to embrace her; but she pushed me away and
+eluded me, saying:
+
+"What are you doing? Someone may come at any minute. I cannot deny
+myself to callers; the servants know that you are here."
+
+"Very well! meet me somewhere. Do you not go out whenever you choose?"
+
+"Yes, but---- One thing I will not do, and that is, go to your rooms.
+Someone might see me go in, and I should be ruined! I am not a
+_gaillarde_, like Frederique, you know."
+
+"Let us meet somewhere."
+
+"I should never dare to go alone to any out-of-the-way place."
+
+"You can take a cab."
+
+"I should be afraid, all alone, in a cab. No, monsieur, I am no
+dare-devil; I am very cowardly."
+
+"Say rather, madame, that you do not choose to grant me an assignation."
+
+"Ah! monsieur is losing his temper already. Well, let me see; to-morrow
+I am to go to the Champs-Elysees with Madame Gerbancourt and her
+sister--two _petites-maitresses_ whom you must have seen here. They are
+not beautiful, but they are always beautifully dressed. Madame
+Gerbancourt has rather a good figure; her sister is too thin."
+
+"I haven't the faintest recollection of the ladies."
+
+"No matter! You will find us sitting opposite the Cirque."
+
+"Very good!"
+
+"It will be about two o'clock. You may come and speak to me. They live
+near by, on Rue de Ponthieu. When they start to go home, I will say that
+I am waiting for Frederique. They will leave me, I will stay with you,
+and then----"
+
+"Oh! you are adorable! I swear to love you all my life!"
+
+"Really? I thought that you were in love with Madame Dauberny too?"
+
+"With your friend? No, indeed; I have never dreamed of such a thing! I
+would have been glad to obtain her friendship; her original character
+pleased me mightily; but I have failed to do it. You must have noticed
+how coldly she treated me yesterday."
+
+"Yes, I did. But I don't know what has been the matter with her lately;
+she is so capricious; I see much less of her than I used."
+
+The doorbell rang, announcing visitors. I took leave of Madame
+Sordeville at once, fearing that something might happen to make her
+change her mind; for she was very capricious, too, and it was not safe
+to give her time to retract.
+
+"Until to-morrow!" I said, very tenderly, as I left the room.
+
+I was so happy, that I trod on air. I was sure of my triumph now. When a
+woman gives us an assignation, is it not equivalent to a surrender? And,
+under such circumstances, the man who does not grasp the opportunity is
+an idiot--or something worse!
+
+
+
+
+XXIX
+
+AN ENCOUNTER ON THE CHAMPS-ELYSEES
+
+
+The day of my assignation was magnificently clear. I gave thanks to the
+weather; for if it had been stormy, she would not have been likely to
+walk on the Champs-Elysees; and the day before, in my delight, I had not
+thought of that. But everything seemed propitious, and I fairly swam in
+bliss. Pomponne curled his lip slightly, as he looked at me with an
+idiotic expression; the fellow evidently considered himself very
+penetrating. I thought of nothing but Armantine; I was really in love
+with her, and it seemed to me that I had never loved other women so
+dearly.
+
+While dressing, I found Madame Dauberny's note in my pocket. I was
+overjoyed that I had not heeded her advice; but still I reread the note
+once more. I determined that, when I met the writer, she would have to
+explain what she meant by that warning.--"Our brief intimacy," she
+wrote, "has left in my heart marks of its passage."--Really, I should
+not have suspected it, in view of her present treatment of me.
+
+I was on the Champs-Elysees a little before two. It was cold; but the
+sun was so bright that there were many people driving and walking. The
+Champs-Elysees is the general rendezvous of the world of fashion.
+Magnificent equipages passed back and forth, or vanished in the
+direction of the Bois de Boulogne, escorted by innumerable equestrians,
+who always glanced inside the carriages as they passed; and when they
+saw a young and beautiful woman, they instantly assumed a more dashing
+air, and made their steeds prance and curvet, so that horse and rider
+might be admired at the same time.
+
+The pedestrians, too, were very numerous; for winter costumes have a
+charm of their own, and the cloaks and furs in which a pretty woman
+wraps herself sometimes form an admirable foil for delicate features or
+dainty graces: the flowers we find under the snow seem fairer than
+others. You need not cry out--there are flowers under the snow.
+
+My own attire was irreproachable, and I flattered myself that it was in
+excellent taste. I strolled along, beaming with anticipation, toward the
+appointed place. There were many people seated, but I soon spied her I
+sought. Armantine was there, with two ladies whom I recognized as having
+seen among her guests. The three vied with one another in elegance. I
+approached them and bowed, as if the meeting were accidental.
+
+Madame Sordeville welcomed me with the sweetest glance, pointing to a
+chair by her side. We exchanged the customary greetings, and I seated
+myself beside Armantine.
+
+"So you are not afraid of the cold?" she said laughingly.
+
+"When ladies defy it, what would you think of me if I were afraid of
+it?"
+
+"And then," said one of her companions, "if we had to pass the whole
+winter indoors, for fear of the cold, I fancy we should not be very
+fresh in the spring."
+
+The ladies criticised the costumes and equipages of those who passed,
+and I put in a word or two now and then. But I was rather distraught,
+for I was dreaming of the happiness which I hoped for and expected, and
+I was counting the minutes. My plan was already formed. There are some
+excellent restaurants on the Champs-Elysees, with charming private rooms
+into which one can slip without being seen. If she refused to go to a
+restaurant, there were plenty of cabs; I had only to hire one with
+blinds and tell the driver to take us outside the walls.
+
+I glanced at Armantine from time to time and motioned toward her two
+companions, murmuring under my breath words which she understood; for
+she whispered:
+
+"Be patient a while."
+
+At last, about three o'clock, Madame Gerbancourt said to her sister:
+
+"We must be thinking about going home, for we are to have company
+to-day, you know.--Are you going soon, my dear?"
+
+This question was addressed to Armantine, who replied:
+
+"Madame Dauberny promised to join me here, and I shall wait for her. If
+Monsieur Rochebrune will honor me with his company till she comes, it
+will be very kind of him. It is putting his good nature to a severe
+test, but we have only one cavalier, and I must make the most of him."
+
+I hastened to reply that I was entirely at her service; my heart beat
+fast with joy, for I thought that the two sisters were going away at
+last. But the younger said, as she drew her cloak about her:
+
+"Oh! we have time enough; it isn't three o'clock. Your people won't come
+so early; we don't dine at three!"
+
+"But they are provincials, my dear, and they think it's more polite to
+come and bore us two hours ahead of time."
+
+"So much the worse for them! I am going to stay here until my watch says
+three o'clock."
+
+"Obstinate!--You see, monsieur, she is younger than I am, and I always
+have to give way to her."
+
+I was strongly tempted to reply that she did very wrong to give way. But
+I contented myself with tearing savagely at whatever I found in my
+pocket. There are times when one vents one's spleen on whatever happens
+to be at hand.
+
+Suddenly we heard sounds of a dispute; the sounds drew nearer and came
+to a standstill about ten yards behind us, and a man's voice, which,
+although a little hoarse, rang out like a clarinet, cried:
+
+"I tell you, you shan't go off like that! I've been looking for you long
+enough. It ain't an easy job to run you to earth; but I've got you now,
+and I'll hang on to you!"
+
+"Come, come, no nonsense, Pere Piaulard!" replied another voice; "you
+shouldn't insult a friend. I'm a friend, and you're a friend; you're an
+old friend, an old fellow I respect. Don't shake me like that! _Cre
+coquin!_ I don't like to be shook!"
+
+The tones of this second voice struck me as familiar; I could not say at
+once of whom they reminded me, yet I was conscious of a vague feeling of
+alarm, of apprehension; I listened anxiously for what was to come.
+
+The clarinet-like voice continued, more forcibly than before:
+
+"Friends has nothing to do with it! Customers is all I know. You owe me
+money, and you've got to pay me; the last time you came to my place to
+drink with your girl, you didn't so much as ask my leave not to pay, but
+skulked off with your good-for-nothing slut through the back door, while
+the waiter was busy somewheres else."
+
+"As I hadn't any money, what would have been the sense of my asking
+leave not to pay? Would that have put any _stuff_ in my pockets?"
+
+"When you haven't got anything to pay with, you shouldn't go and drink
+at a place where you owe twenty-two francs already."
+
+"Well, that's a good one! I owe you money, and you want me to take away
+my custom, eh? Why, your wits are wool gathering just now, old
+Piaulard."
+
+"A fine thing your custom is! Monsieur Ballangier's custom! My word!
+You're the kind of customer that ruins a place!"
+
+I could doubt no longer: the name of Ballangier rang in my ears; indeed,
+I had already recognized the man; my face was flushed with shame, and my
+heart stood still. I dared not stir, or turn my head. I longed to be a
+hundred miles away. If I could have made my escape unseen by that man, I
+would have fled without a word. But he would probably see me. What was I
+to do? How could I hide from him?
+
+All these thoughts passed through my mind at the same instant. The
+ladies spoke to me, but I did not reply; I had no idea what I was
+saying. Doubtless my perturbation was reflected on my face, for
+Armantine cried:
+
+"What on earth is the matter with you, Monsieur Rochebrune? You seem to
+be in pain; aren't you well?"
+
+I stammered something, but I was listening--listening intently. It
+seemed to me that the voices came still nearer.
+
+"Come now, Pere Piaulard, let alone of my coat! it's old, and you'll
+tear it."
+
+"I won't let you go. Pay me what you owe me; with the old account, it's
+twenty-nine francs. I need the money; pay me, or come before the
+magistrate; he'll have you arrested as a good-for-nothing, a tramp, a
+vagabond, as you are--and something worse, perhaps."
+
+"I say! no rough words, or I'll lose my temper, too!"
+
+"Mon Dieu!" said Madame Gerbancourt; "are those horrid men coming any
+nearer?"
+
+"One of them is very drunk!" said Armantine. "How disgusting! Why, the
+men ought to be arrested! If we hadn't Monsieur Rochebrune with us, I
+should have run away long ago."
+
+"Oh! mon Dieu! I believe they're going to fight; and they're coming this
+way!"
+
+"Oh! look, monsieur!"
+
+I did not turn my head; I pretended not to hear, pulled my hat over my
+eyes, and sat perfectly still.
+
+Suddenly all three of the ladies jumped to their feet with a cry of
+alarm. Armantine seized my arm, so that I was compelled to rise.
+Ballangier, trying to escape from his persecutor, had almost fallen over
+our chairs, to one of which he clung to keep from falling. The wretch
+was drunk, but not enough so to prevent his recognizing familiar faces;
+and the fatality which had brought him to that exact spot decreed that
+he should be at my side when I rose to follow the ladies.
+
+The miserable sot uttered a cry of joy on recognizing me, and, seizing
+my overcoat with both hands just as his creditor descended upon him, he
+cried:
+
+"Stop, Piaulard! you may go to the devil now! Here's a friend who'll
+answer for me--pay for me if necessary. Ah! he has the _stuff_, he has;
+and I forbid you to call me a thief before him; if you do, I'll have a
+crack at you in my turn--ugly mug!"
+
+I stood as if petrified. I had not the strength to move a muscle. The
+great colossus, who was on the point of striking Ballangier, paused in
+amazement, and stared at me with the expression of one who cannot
+believe his ears. As for the ladies, they continued to pull me by the
+arm.
+
+"For heaven's sake, push that man away!"
+
+"Do come, Monsieur Rochebrune!"
+
+"That drunkard takes you for a friend of his; drive him away, do! Come!
+let's not stay here. Oh! it's horrible to come in contact with such
+people!"
+
+But I was incapable alike of speech and action. Moreover, Ballangier did
+not relax his grasp on my coat.
+
+"Drive me away!" he cried; "me--his friend--the most intimate friend
+he's got in the world! I think I see him driving me away, good old
+Charles! Charlot--Rochebrune, if you like that better. Ah! you think I'm
+mistaken, do you? you think I don't know him? Just ask him if he don't
+know me; ask him, and see what he says. Piaulard, you're an old ass! I'm
+not a vagabond and a tramp, for I've got friends to answer for
+me.--You'll answer for me, won't you, Charles? you won't let this old
+rascal arrest me?"
+
+Since Ballangier had mentioned my name, and I, by my silence, had
+admitted that he was not lying when he said that he knew me, Madame
+Gerbancourt, her sister, and even Armantine herself, had dropped my arm;
+and, as a crowd soon collected about us, the first two speedily
+disappeared, and were lost in the multitude. Armantine also walked away,
+but I could see that she was still listening.
+
+"If it's true that monsieur knows you, and if he chooses to pay your
+bill," said tall Piaulard, walking toward me, "that makes a difference,
+and things can be settled without a row."
+
+I realized at that moment all the falseness and absurdity of my
+position; I realized also how foolish it is to be afraid of prejudice
+and the opinion of gossips. Passing abruptly from shame to anger, I
+extricated myself roughly from Ballangier's grasp, and, seizing him by
+the collar, shook him violently.
+
+"Yes, I am unfortunate enough to know you!" I cried; "twenty times I
+have helped you, rescued you from want; but that gives you no right to
+make demands on me in a public place, when you are drunk. I will do
+nothing more for you, you wretch! And I forbid you ever to speak to me
+again!"
+
+Excited by anger and disgust, I pushed Ballangier so violently that he
+fell with a crash among the chairs, at some distance. The crowd, always
+easily swayed in favor of the man who makes the most noise, began to
+laugh when the drunken man fell. I heard Monsieur Piaulard's voice
+threatening his debtor anew, but I was no longer disturbed by that; I
+had recovered my courage. I pushed my way through the crowd and looked
+about for Armantine; but the first person I saw was Madame Dauberny,
+standing in a group of people a few steps away. She seemed to be
+inquiring what had happened. I paid no attention to Frederique; it was
+Madame Sordeville whom I was looking for. I walked on, and ere long I
+was at a distance from the crowd and from the spot where that sickening
+scene had taken place. I spied a woman, alone, and walking very fast. It
+was Armantine. I ran after her, overtook her, and detained her.
+
+"Ah! I have found you out at last!" I cried.
+
+She turned and looked at me. Her expression was cold, and her manner
+almost impertinent; she stared at me a moment as if she did not know me,
+but concluded at last to answer:
+
+"Ah! is it you, monsieur? How is it that you didn't stay with
+your--intimate friend?"
+
+"Oh! I trust, madame, that you do not suppose that I associate with that
+wretch! There are some things, circumstances, which appear very odd,
+very strange at first sight, but which can easily be explained!"
+
+"But I beg you to believe, monsieur, that I do not desire any
+explanation; you are entirely at liberty to select your friends in
+whatever social rank you choose."
+
+"How strangely you speak to me, madame! What a manner! What icy
+coldness! What a change in your demeanor!"
+
+"Oh! you are mistaken, monsieur; I assure you that my manners are the
+same as always. To be sure, they may, perhaps, differ a little from
+those of the people you associate with. But, excuse me, monsieur, I
+cannot stand here any longer, and I am not going in the same direction
+that you are."
+
+"What! you are going to leave me!"
+
+"Adieu, monsieur!--By the way, I must tell you that I do not receive any
+more. We have ceased to have our evenings at home."
+
+She gave me a disdainful nod, and, without listening to my efforts to
+detain her, walked away so rapidly that I soon lost sight of her.
+
+I was stupefied; that woman's conduct seemed to me so outrageous, so
+insulting, that it was some time before I could believe in its reality.
+It seemed to me that I must have been dreaming. For a moment, I was
+tempted to run after her; but I had enough control over myself to
+understand that it would be weak and cowardly to make any further
+attempt to speak to a woman who had treated me with such contempt. And I
+had believed that she loved me! Ah! how I had fooled myself! Because a
+drunken man in cap and blouse had called me his friend, because I had
+admitted that I knew him, I became a compromising personage, and she
+could no longer afford to see me or speak to me! she had even given me
+to understand that she did not propose to receive me at her own house!
+and all that, without listening to what I might have to say, without
+finding out whether I could or could not explain that unpleasant
+adventure. Ah, madame! I thought that you had a heart; I found that I
+was mistaken, that you had a mind only; and that is a very barren mind
+in which no trace of sentiment can ever be detected.
+
+I stood a long while on the same spot, absorbed in my thoughts. But the
+throng had largely disappeared, and the Champs-Elysees was becoming
+deserted; snowflakes falling on my face explained the sudden change. The
+weather was no longer the same; the radiant sun was obscured by clouds,
+which, with the snow, gave a totally different aspect to the scene.
+
+"Well!" I said to myself, as I walked slowly away, "nothing is constant,
+in the heavens or on earth! We must submit to the storms of the heart,
+as to those of nature."
+
+As I retraced my steps toward the scene of that unfortunate meeting, I
+remembered the paroxysm of anger to which I had given way; and now that
+I was once more able to reflect, I was stirred by a feeling of regret
+and pity when I thought how violently I had thrown to the ground the
+poor wretch who sought my assistance. I knew that his conduct was most
+reprehensible, that he had abused my kindness a hundred times; but to
+spurn him, to throw him into the dust! Was it possible that I had really
+treated him so? That woman's presence, my anger, my humiliated
+self-esteem, had led my reason astray. What could have become of the
+poor fellow? He had fallen at my feet without attempting to defend
+himself, without a complaint; and it seemed to me that I had read only
+surprise and grief in his eyes, instead of anger. If that other man had
+had him arrested!--and that seemed to be his intention, for I had not
+thought of giving him what Ballangier owed him, and that was the first
+thing that I should have done. How could I find out how the episode had
+ended?
+
+I looked about; I recognized the place where I was sitting with the
+three ladies, but there was no one there. The snow had put all the
+idlers to flight. The people who passed walked rapidly, with their heads
+down; there were no hucksters, no itinerant singers, nobody to whom I
+could apply for information. I walked on, but had not taken thirty steps
+when I saw a man leaning against a large tree, apparently unconscious of
+the snow that covered his cap and blouse. He stood quite still, but his
+eyes were turned in my direction. I walked toward him: it was
+Ballangier.
+
+He looked at me with a shamefaced, timid expression; when he saw me
+walking sadly toward him, I fancied that tears glistened in the eyes
+which no longer dared to meet mine; and when I stood beside him, and was
+on the point of apologizing for pushing him away so roughly, he fell at
+my feet, on the snow, and humbly begged my pardon for speaking to me
+when I was with friends.
+
+Ah! I was no longer angry with him; I made haste to raise him, and shook
+him by the hand. I believe that my eyes too were moist.
+
+"You forgive me, then?" murmured Ballangier. "I was drunk, you see; I
+had been drinking; if it hadn't been for that, I wouldn't have spoken to
+you. I should have remembered that one time a scene almost like this
+broke off a marriage you had in view.--But you punished me, and you did
+right; I deserved it. Still, you know, I am little used to such lessons
+from you. _Dame!_ when you threw me down, that sobered me off in an
+instant. You were in such a rage with me--and you've always been so
+good-natured before. But you did well; yes, you did well to treat me
+like that, for it shook me all up. I realized that I was a great scamp,
+a miserable wretch; that I was always on hand to do you a bad turn, to
+put you to shame; although I didn't say--no, it don't make any
+difference how drunk I may be, I'll never say that thing. But I promise
+you that this will be the last. You'll never have any reason to complain
+of me again."
+
+"I believe you, Ballangier, I believe you! But your conduct is no excuse
+for mine. I ought not to have treated you harshly, as I did just now.
+You were drunk, and I should have taken pity on your condition. When I
+think that I pushed you so roughly that you fell, I am terribly angry
+with myself. Come, give me your hand again, and forgive me for throwing
+you down."
+
+Ballangier took my hands and effusively pressed them in his, while great
+tears fell from his eyes and he muttered:
+
+"He asks me to forgive him, after all the mean tricks I've played on
+him! Oh! you're too good to me, Charles; you ought to beat me--yes, beat
+me like an old carpet; for I cheated you also about going to Besancon.
+It is true that I had had a letter from Morillot--you saw the letter,
+you know; but when you gave me four hundred francs for the journey, I
+didn't go as I had promised you! I allowed myself to be led away by some
+of those villainous loafers whom we are foolish enough to call
+_friends_, when we ought rather to call them _enemies_. What sort of
+friends are they who can do nothing but drink and carouse and raise the
+devil in wine shops, who pass their lives in idleness and make sport of
+steady, hard-working mechanics, and who never cease trying to make us do
+all sorts of foolish things, so that we may end by being as worthless as
+they are? With friends like that, a man ought to smash their ribs the
+first time they give him bad advice; I'm sure that would lessen the
+number of vagrants that are taken to the Prefecture every week. But
+that's all over; I'll take my oath, Charles, by all that's holy, that
+it's all over this time! You won't be obliged again to--push me, as you
+did just now."
+
+"I believe you, Ballangier; let us forget all that. But tell me--how did
+you succeed in getting rid of your creditor?"
+
+"Piaulard? Oh, yes! now you remind me of it, it is strange; for I didn't
+pay him. Well, after you threw me on the ground, where I lay for some
+time, all dazed like--not that I was hurt at all, but I was dazed by the
+effect I felt inside of me; I can't describe it--at last I got up, and
+found everybody had gone, Piaulard with the rest, for I didn't see him
+again. It's a strange thing, sure enough. I stayed a long while right in
+the same place, like a dazed man; I don't know what I was thinking
+about--that is to say, I was looking for you; I was determined to see
+you and ask your pardon.--Ah! now I remember--a lady came and spoke to
+me."
+
+"A lady?"
+
+"Yes, yes! Why, I forgot all about her!"
+
+"What was her appearance? Try to remember; draw her portrait for me."
+
+"She was dressed in style, and I think she was rather tall; as for her
+face, I didn't pay any attention to it. I was still looking for you; I
+was like a madman; I didn't know what I was doing, but I was calling
+your name, and I think I was weeping too."
+
+"But what did this lady say? what did she want of you?"
+
+"Wait a minute; I don't just remember what she said. She tried to
+comfort me, and then--yes, I think she offered me money."
+
+"Money?"
+
+"Yes. I don't know what for, but she said: 'Take this;' and then, faith!
+I don't know what else she said. All I know is that I told her to let me
+alone; she interfered with my looking for you. When she saw that I
+wouldn't answer her, she left me."
+
+"And you didn't take her money?"
+
+"Oh, no! indeed I didn't!"
+
+"That was right, Ballangier; you did right to refuse. Didn't she say
+anything else to you?"
+
+"Mon Dieu! I didn't listen to her at all. I was looking all the time to
+see if I could see you pass, and I just said to her: 'Oh! let me look
+for Charles; you prevent my finding him!'--And she went off."
+
+"Poor fellow! Here, take this; pay your creditor--you owe him
+twenty-nine francs, I believe--that is, if someone hasn't already taken
+it upon herself to pay him, as I am inclined to think."
+
+"Someone? Nonsense! who could it be?"
+
+"A person whom you don't know, but I do. However, you must look up this
+Piaulard, and find out about it. Then go to work, straighten yourself
+out, make yourself a good workman, and come to see me if you need my
+help."
+
+"Ah! Charles, I don't deserve to have you make any more sacrifices for
+me; I am forever annoying and distressing you! Keep the money; I must
+learn to earn my living at last."
+
+"You will succeed, as soon as you have sincerely made up your mind to do
+it, I don't doubt. But, meanwhile, I want you to pay your debts and not
+be left without anything. So, take this; I insist upon it! If by means
+of your work you should become rich, and I should need to be helped, I
+would accept without blushing what you offered me."
+
+"What you say puts some heart and courage into me," cried Ballangier,
+grasping my hand as he spoke. "Help you some day! _Cre coquin!_ I should
+be a proud and happy man then!"
+
+Luckily, my purse was well filled, for I had come out with anticipations
+of an intrigue. I put eighty francs in Ballangier's hand. The money had
+been intended for another purpose; but I began to think that it was
+better employed so.
+
+I said adieu to Ballangier, who reiterated his oath to turn over a new
+leaf, and I went home.
+
+I had an idea that it was Madame Dauberny who had paid Piaulard and
+offered money to Ballangier. Why did she do it? A strange woman that,
+whom I would have liked right well to understand.
+
+
+
+
+XXX
+
+CONFIDENCE IS OF SLOW GROWTH
+
+
+Madame Sordeville's behavior after my encounter with Ballangier left me
+in a morose and melancholy humor, which I was unable to overcome for
+several days. I would have been glad to see Madame Dauberny, to divert
+my thoughts. If, while losing my hold upon a pretty woman, I had found a
+sincere friend, I certainly should not have lost by the exchange. But
+how was I to see Frederique? Where could I meet her? Surely I could not
+go to her house! Strangely enough, I had succeeded in closing the doors
+of both those ladies; and what had I done to bring about that result?
+After all, I had no proof that it was Frederique who had paid Monsieur
+Piaulard. To write to her on that subject would be a great blunder, even
+if I were not mistaken; so I concluded to wait until chance should bring
+us together.
+
+One morning Pomponne appeared, with the mysterious air which he deemed
+it fitting to assume, even when he brought me my coat. He leaned over me
+and said in a low tone:
+
+"Monsieur, that woman who came here some time ago, with something in her
+apron that I couldn't see--she is outside; she wants to know if she can
+speak to monsieur."
+
+"What woman? I don't know what you're talking about."
+
+"She said: 'Ask your master if he will see Madame Potrelle.'"
+
+"Madame Potrelle! Idiot! why didn't you tell me her name at once?
+Certainly I will see her; show her in."
+
+Pomponne seemed sorely perplexed; but he went to the door and said:
+
+"You may come in, Madame Potrelle!"
+
+The concierge from Rue Menilmontant made her appearance, courtesying
+profusely. She had her apron rolled up against her breast as before;
+which fact led me to think that she had again taken the opportunity to
+give one of her cats a little outing.
+
+I motioned to Monsieur Pomponne to withdraw; which he did regretfully,
+after a piercing glance at the concierge's apron.
+
+"Excuse me for disturbing you, monsieur," said Madame Potrelle,
+unrolling her apron, in which, instead of a cat, I discovered several
+waistcoats and remnants of material. "I've brought back the work you
+gave my young tenant; it's been done more'n three weeks now; and, you
+see, when I found you didn't come again---- Do you know it's more'n two
+months since you sent Madame Landernoy this work?"
+
+"What? is it really so long as that, Madame Potrelle? I am too negligent
+altogether. But I have had many things on my mind since, and I may as
+well admit frankly that I had forgotten my waistcoats."
+
+"Oh! you needn't make any apologies for that, monsieur. _Pardi!_ a young
+man in society must enjoy himself; that's easy to understand. And then,
+you know, as a usual thing, the seamstresses carry the work back to
+their customers--the customers don't go after it. That's why I says to
+our young mother this morning----"
+
+"First of all, how is she? how is the child coming on?"
+
+"Very well, monsieur; little Marie's rather delicate; she's slight, like
+her mother; but she's growing like a little mushroom. As for Madame
+Landernoy--you know, you saw her before the baby was born; well, you
+wouldn't know her to-day. Her cheeks and lips are red again, and her
+figure's slender and her eyes clear. Oh! she's mighty pretty now, I tell
+you!"
+
+"So much the better, I am sure!"
+
+"Well, no, monsieur; it ain't so much the better! in fact, she don't
+like to have people call her pretty."
+
+"Why so, Madame Potrelle? I shall never believe that a woman is sorry to
+be attractive."
+
+"Well, that's the way it is with her, monsieur; because, since she's got
+to be so fresh and pretty, it's begun all over again."
+
+"What has begun again?"
+
+"Oh! mon Dieu! the young popinjays running after her."
+
+"When a woman doesn't answer the men who follow her, they soon leave her
+in peace."
+
+"Sometimes, monsieur, sometimes. But some of 'em stick like leeches.
+Still, as you say, she don't answer 'em, and when they come and apply to
+me, as a middle-aged man did not long ago--you ought to see how I stand
+'em off! He offered me ten francs, the blackguard, to let him go
+upstairs and say two words to Madame Landernoy; he was sure she wouldn't
+be sorry to have him come; he had a pretty proposal to make to her.
+'Monsieur,' says I, standing on my footwarmer to make myself more
+imposing, 'you take that young woman for what she ain't; and if you
+don't clear out this minute, I'll throw two cats at your head.' He saw
+that I had Bribri in one hand and his brother in the other, and he
+didn't ask for his change. He ran, and I guess he's running still."
+
+"Very well done, Madame Potrelle! I see that your cats may serve a
+useful purpose on occasion."
+
+"My cats! Why, monsieur, there's Mahon, the oldest one--he's every bit
+as good as a Newfoundland."
+
+"Did the man you speak of come again?"
+
+"Never. As you said, you can sweep out such fellows as that very quick.
+But about a week ago, the poor woman came into the house in a terrible
+fright, trembling all over. She rushed into my place, and said: 'Protect
+me! don't let him come in here, or I am lost!"
+
+"Mon Dieu! whom had she seen? Her seducer, probably; that wretch who
+treated her so horribly!"
+
+"I don't think it was him; for his name's Ernest, and that wasn't the
+name she said. 'He dares to pursue me again, the monster!'--Anyway, she
+had a terrible scare, for she hasn't dared to put her foot outdoors
+since that day."
+
+"And she said nothing else?"
+
+"No, monsieur; when I tried to ask her what had scared her so, she said:
+'Oh! don't say anything more about it, Madame Potrelle; he's a villain
+who did me a great injury; but you mustn't let anybody come up to my
+room, and I shan't go out again for some time.'--Now, monsieur, I'm
+coming back to your waistcoats. As I have a shrewd knack of guessing
+when the waters are low--that is to say, when money is scarce, without
+being told, I says this morning to our young mother, while she was
+dandling the little girl on her lap: 'But,' I says,'you have some work
+here that you finished long ago: Monsieur Rochebrune's waistcoats.'--I
+took the liberty of mentioning your name, monsieur, because I know it
+from you giving me your address; and you didn't say anything about
+keeping it secret."
+
+"No, Madame Potrelle; I told you that I had no reason for concealing my
+name, for I have no evil designs. Go on."
+
+"'The waistcoats are done, that's true,' says Madame Landernoy, 'but I
+don't know if the gentleman will be satisfied. I did my very best; but
+as he don't come to get them----' 'Well,' I says, 'as he don't come to
+get them, why shouldn't we take 'em to him? It seems to me, that would
+be more polite, for he's rather a dandy, and he wouldn't want to carry a
+bundle.'--'Perhaps you're right,'she says, thoughtful like; 'but one
+thing's certain; I won't go to that gentleman's house.'--Do you see?
+she's still afraid--yes, she's still afraid of you! In spite of all I
+could say about you, she couldn't believe you would take an interest in
+her without some motive. You mustn't be angry, monsieur, for, as the
+proverb says: 'A burnt child dreads the fire.'"
+
+"It doesn't anger me at all, Madame Potrelle; the better one knows the
+world, the more fully one realizes how hard it is to inspire confidence.
+That is sad, like almost all truths."
+
+"So, then, monsieur, I offered to bring you the waistcoats; she was more
+than willing, and here I am. If monsieur wants to examine the
+work--here's the pattern."
+
+I looked at what the woman had brought me, and was perfectly amazed at
+the exquisite quality of the work. I had intended the waistcoats for my
+servant; but they were as fine as if they had come from one of our most
+famous tailors.
+
+"The buttonholes are pretty well made, seems to me," said the concierge;
+"but perhaps monsieur don't agree with me?"
+
+"Indeed I do, Madame Potrelle; and I can't understand how that young
+woman can have succeeded so well with work that she isn't accustomed
+to."
+
+"Oh! _dame!_ it's because she was bound to satisfy monsieur. Now, you
+must see if they fit you all right."
+
+I tried on the waistcoats; we were compelled to admit that there was a
+defect in the way they were cut; they gaped apart at the top. The poor
+concierge walked round and round me, crying:
+
+"I'm sure it's a small matter, just a little bit to be taken in
+somewhere; but we must find out where. If our young woman could see 'em
+on you, I'll bet she'd know in a minute what needs to be done."
+
+"I should be very glad to go to her room and try them on; but she's so
+afraid of me! No matter! I'll keep them as they are."
+
+"No, monsieur, no; I don't propose to have her send you work that ain't
+done right; you pay too well."
+
+"By the way, how much do I owe for these?"
+
+"I don't know, monsieur. Madame Landernoy's never made any before; so
+she says: 'Let the gentleman pay what he thinks they're worth, and I'll
+be satisfied.'"
+
+"Four waistcoats, at twelve francs each, makes forty-eight francs."
+
+"Oh! monsieur is joking! Twelve francs for making a waistcoat! You can't
+mean that, monsieur! At that rate, all women would be waistcoat makers;
+they can't get any such pay as that."
+
+"You weary me with your scruples, Madame Potrelle; my tailor charges me
+eighteen or twenty francs, sometimes more, for a waistcoat. With what I
+paid for the material, these won't cost any more than that, and I
+certainly don't propose to get them any cheaper."
+
+"Sapristi! monsieur, tailors must do mighty well, then! All right, you
+can pay that price, since that suits you; but, I tell you, I won't take
+the money till they fit."
+
+Thereupon the concierge walked toward the door.
+
+"Where are you going, Madame Potrelle?"
+
+"I'm going to tell our young woman she must fix over your waistcoats,
+monsieur; that they're a gold mine, but that she's got to take 'em in a
+little. In a word, I'm going to bring Madame Landernoy back with me.
+What the devil! with me here, she won't be afraid of you eating her, I
+fancy! To be on your guard is all right; but there's no need of making a
+fool of yourself! I'll be back, monsieur."
+
+"But your door, Madame Potrelle?"
+
+"My cats are there--and my little niece."
+
+The good woman went away, refusing to listen to my remonstrances. Would
+she bring Mignonne back with her? I most sincerely hoped that the young
+woman would not be annoyed thereat. My desire to know her better was due
+solely to my wish to be of use to her. I was not in love with her.
+Indeed, since Madame Sordeville had treated me so shamefully, I did not
+propose to love any woman. That was my intention, at least.
+
+Madame Potrelle had been gone nearly two hours, and I was preparing to
+go out, thinking that she would not return, when there came a gentle
+ring at my door, and Pomponne soon appeared, still with his air of
+mystery and walking on tiptoe, and said:
+
+"Monsieur, it's the old woman who was here just now; she hasn't got
+anything in her apron this time, but she's brought with her a young
+woman--or demoiselle--who is very good-looking."
+
+I could not help laughing at Monsieur Pomponne's reflections; but I
+remembered Mignonne's extreme suspicion. It was essential that I should
+assume a serious bearing, to banish from her mind any thought of
+seduction. So that my expression was almost stern when I ordered
+Pomponne to admit my visitors.
+
+Madame Potrelle entered first. Mignonne came behind her, with a timid,
+embarrassed air, in which one could read a serious and studied reserve.
+The concierge had not exaggerated when she said that her tenant had
+become a lovely woman. It was a long time since I had seen Mignonne, and
+I am not sure that I should have recognized her. She was remarkable for
+the refinement of her features, for the beauty of her coloring, which
+was not red, but a delicate pink, perfectly in harmony with her white
+skin; for her fair hair, which was neither colorless nor of too
+pronounced a tone; and, lastly, for the genuine _blueness_ of her
+eyes--a thing that is seldom seen, for most eyes that are called blue
+are of any color you please except that.
+
+And then, there was in Mignonne's whole aspect a touch of melancholy
+that made her doubly interesting, because it was in no wise affected; it
+seemed to me that everyone must, at sight of her, have a feeling of
+sympathy for her. Perhaps it was because I was acquainted with her
+misfortunes that I thought so. This much is certain: that, as I looked
+upon her, I was touched, deeply moved, and that in my feelings there was
+nothing resembling love, or the desires to which the sight of a pretty
+girl often gives birth. There was a large element of respect in the
+interest that she aroused in me.
+
+"Excuse me, monsieur," said Madame Potrelle, pushing Mignonne in front
+of her. "Here's Madame Landernoy; I told her there was something to be
+done to your waistcoats, with which you are well satisfied, all the
+same."
+
+"I regret the trouble you have taken, madame. However, it affords me the
+opportunity of congratulating you on the perfection of your work. I was
+fortunate in having you consent to work for me."
+
+I said this in a very cold tone and without fixing my eyes on Mignonne,
+who seemed to grow a little bolder and replied:
+
+"But your waistcoats don't fit, monsieur----"
+
+"Oh! I think that it's a very small matter; you are not a tailor, and,
+of course, you could not succeed in doing everything just right at the
+first trial; but if you will allow me to try on one of them in your
+presence----"
+
+"_Pardi!_ of course you must try 'em on," cried the concierge; "there's
+no other way to see what's wrong! and, after all, a waistcoat's
+different from a pair of breeches!"
+
+Mignonne lowered her eyes at Madame Potrelle's remark. I removed my coat
+and put on one of the waistcoats. Mignonne had no choice but to come to
+me and touch my chest and back, like a tailor taking my measure. But
+while she was making her examination, I was careful not to look at her
+once; so that she was somewhat reassured.
+
+"I see what needs to be done, monsieur: the collar is too low; it's not
+much to do, and then I think they'll fit very well. I will take them
+away with me, and to-morrow----"
+
+She hesitated, and I made haste to say:
+
+"I shall not be here to-morrow, but that makes no difference; if you
+bring the waistcoats back, be good enough to leave them with the
+concierge; you need not take the trouble to come up."
+
+"Yes, monsieur," she murmured, almost smiling, for she was beginning to
+feel altogether at her ease. Madame Potrelle looked at her with a
+triumphant expression.
+
+I offered Mignonne the money that I owed her. She looked at it and said:
+
+"What, monsieur, as much as that--for so little work? It's too much,
+monsieur!"
+
+"Madame," I said, rather sharply, "I have told Madame Potrelle what I
+have to pay my tailor for a waistcoat. I do not intend to make you a
+present; but, on the other hand, I don't propose to have anyone think
+that I am trying to defraud a poor seamstress."
+
+"Don't you go to work and make monsieur angry!" cried the concierge. "As
+he's in the habit of paying that price, what's the use of vexing him and
+putting him in a bad humor? you mustn't go against people's grain like
+that!"
+
+Mignonne said nothing; but she took the money I offered, and made a very
+modest courtesy. For the first time she looked at me without a
+suspicious expression in her eyes.
+
+"Now," I said, "will you allow me to make you a proposition, madame? You
+may accept it or not, as you think best. But, first of all, pray be
+seated for a moment; and you too, Madame Potrelle."
+
+The concierge did not wait to be urged. The younger woman made more ado
+about it; her suspicions were reawakened. She waited to hear what I had
+to say.
+
+"I am a bachelor; I have none of the kind-hearted female relations, no
+aunts or cousins, who condescend sometimes to cast an eye over a young
+man's linen closet, where there is always something that needs mending.
+Our clothes especially are sadly neglected; indeed, no care at all is
+taken of them. The result is that we spend much more money than we need
+to spend, which would not happen if some trustworthy person, some
+skilful seamstress, like yourself, madame, would take charge of affairs.
+This, then, is my proposition: that you should come once a week--with
+Madame Potrelle--and inspect this chest of drawers in which my linen is
+kept; carry away what may need to be mended, and bring it back when it
+is done; in short, madame, that you should keep this part of my
+establishment in order. If you are afraid of disturbing me, or of
+finding company here, come about five o'clock in the afternoon, for I am
+never at home at that time; the keys are always in these drawers, and my
+servant will have orders to allow you to do as you please. That is what
+I propose, madame. As for your compensation for the work, I fancy that
+we shall have no difficulty on that subject."
+
+Mignonne listened to me with close attention. Madame Potrelle was in
+ecstasies; she could hardly keep her seat, and did nothing but cross and
+uncross her legs. At last, after reflection, the young woman replied:
+
+"Really, monsieur, I do not know how I have earned the confidence with
+which you honor me. What you propose is a new proof of your kindness,
+and----"
+
+"No, no, madame; pray consider that, by undertaking this work, you will
+do me a real service; you will bring order, and consequently economy,
+into my housekeeping. So you see that I shall be your debtor. Well! do
+you accept?"
+
+"Does she accept!" cried Madame Potrelle, springing up as if she were
+going to dance. "Why, who ever heard of refusing such an offer as that?
+a thing that makes her sure of regular work; especially when she sees
+that it's for a gentleman who--for someone who hasn't any desire
+to--why, it's as plain as can be!"
+
+"Yes, monsieur, I accept, and with gratitude," said Mignonne; "for I
+have a child, and by giving the mother assurance of a living you benefit
+the child no less."
+
+I would have liked to shake hands with her; but I restrained myself, and
+replied, with the same indifferent air:
+
+"In that case, madame, it is all settled, and it rests with you to say
+when you will enter upon your duties. You will have work enough, I
+promise you, for it's a long time since my belongings have been put in
+order."
+
+"Then, monsieur, as I have nothing to do just now, I'll carry a bundle
+of linen home with me, by your leave. I'll look it over at home, for I
+have left my daughter with a neighbor, and I don't like to abuse her
+good nature."
+
+"That's so," said the concierge; "and I ain't very easy in my mind about
+the actions of my twins and their sister."
+
+"Do as you please, madame. Just open those drawers; you will find the
+bed and table linen in this closet."
+
+Mignonne opened one of the drawers in the commode, and hastily made up a
+bundle, which she wrapped carefully in a handkerchief. She was still
+engaged in that occupation, when I heard my doorbell, and a moment later
+a familiar voice in the reception room.
+
+"There's no need of announcing me, my boy; I'll go right in without
+ceremony. A doctor may always go in."
+
+At the same instant, the bedroom door opened and Balloquet appeared.
+
+"Bonjour, my dear fellow!" he said; "I beg your pardon; I interrupt you,
+perhaps. But if I intrude, tell me so, and I'll go away."
+
+I had just taken Balloquet's hand, and told him to remain, when
+Mignonne, who had made haste to tie up her bundle, and was about to
+leave the room with Madame Potrelle, glanced at the new-comer and
+suddenly changed color; then, trembling with agitation, she threw her
+bundle on the floor, seized the old woman's arm, and cried:
+
+"Come, come, madame! Let us go at once; I can't stay here another
+minute! Oh! it's shameful! It was a trap!"
+
+"Well, well! what makes you throw all that linen on the floor? Why don't
+you carry it away?" murmured the old woman, aghast at Mignonne's action.
+
+"I won't take the work. I refuse it! I'll never come here again, never!
+never! Come, madame! let us go at once!"
+
+As she spoke, the young woman ran to the door and went out, refusing to
+listen to what her companion said; and she, utterly unable to understand
+what she saw, decided to follow her, crying:
+
+"What on earth's the matter with her? What's got into her? Refuse work,
+when she needs it! Refuse the offers of an honorable man, who wishes her
+nothing but good! Faith! it's sickening! Much good it does to take an
+interest in folks! Excuse me, monsieur, I must follow her; but she's got
+to explain all this. Excuse her, monsieur; it's some crazy idea she's
+got in her head. Mon Dieu! mon Dieu! to refuse a gentleman like
+monsieur--there's no sense in it!"
+
+The concierge left the room at last. As for myself, I was so
+thunderstruck by Mignonne's conduct that it had not occurred to me to
+ask her for an explanation.
+
+Balloquet, meanwhile, had remained standing in the middle of the room,
+looking from one to another, unable to understand what was taking place.
+
+"Well! what in the deuce is going on here, my dear fellow?" said the
+young doctor, when Madame Potrelle had disappeared. "Can it be that my
+arrival caused all this hurly-burly and put that young woman to flight?
+She seemed to be a very attractive person--not the one who went out
+last, but the other. I didn't have time for a good look at her, but she
+struck me as rather _chicolo_."
+
+"You didn't recognize her, then, Balloquet?"
+
+"Recognize her? Why, do I know her? I have no remembrance of ever seeing
+her."
+
+"Ah! I see, I see; I understand it all now."
+
+"You are very lucky, for I don't understand a word of it."
+
+I remembered that Balloquet had been Fouvenard's friend, and it was
+probable that Mignonne had met him when she was with her seducer; and
+so, when she saw a man come into my room whom she had seen with him who
+had deceived her so shamefully, she concluded, doubtless, that I too was
+a friend of Fouvenard. That being so, was it surprising that her
+suspicions and her terror should have returned, and that she should have
+refused to work for me? Poor girl! I had succeeded in winning her
+confidence, and this accident had destroyed all that I had had so much
+difficulty in obtaining. It seemed that, with the best intentions, I was
+fated always to remain an object of terror to her.
+
+I kept my reflections to myself; I deemed it unnecessary to tell
+Balloquet that the young woman he had found in my room was she whose
+shame Monsieur Fouvenard had not hesitated to proclaim. My visitor was
+still standing in the middle of the room, and he cried at last,
+irritated by my silence:
+
+"Evidently I came at an inopportune moment. Excuse me. I'll come again."
+
+But I detained him and made him sit down.
+
+"No; you could never guess---- But let us say no more about this
+incident.--You seem in better spirits, my dear Balloquet?"
+
+"Oh! my feathers are coming out again; not enough to pay you, but that
+may come in time."
+
+"For heaven's sake, don't talk about that!"
+
+"I have seen Satine, my sweetheart, again. She has gone into another
+invention now--still in the glove line, however. She cleanses gloves;
+she has invented, or someone has given her, a secret for cleansing them;
+and as gloves get soiled very quickly and are rather expensive, there's
+a lot of money to be made in cleansing."
+
+"True; but I thought the process was already known."
+
+"Yes, it is possible to have gloves cleansed; that's so; but when they
+had been through the process they smelt of the cleansing
+liquid--turpentine, or something else. You went into a salon and
+swaggered about, playing the dandy, and people said as soon as you came
+near: 'Ah! here's a man whose gloves have been cleansed!'--That was
+annoying, you must admit. It took fifty per cent off your costume. Some
+people concluded at once that your coat had been turned and your
+trousers dyed, that your waistcoat was second-hand, etcetera, etcetera.
+Conjectures went a long way, sometimes."
+
+"And your charmer has found a way of avoiding that?"
+
+"Yes--that is to say, not altogether; gloves cleansed by her process
+have an extremely pleasant odor; they smell of rose; oh! you can smell
+them a mile away; it's amazing! You go into a salon, and people think
+that the Grand Turk and his whole harem have arrived; they can't smell
+anything but you."
+
+"But that may have the same drawbacks as the other process, my dear
+fellow. People will wonder why you smell so strongly of rose."
+
+"Yes; but when I arrive, I shall begin by saying: 'I adore the odor of
+rose! I have lately bought some essence of rose, so strong that all my
+clothes are perfumed with it'--In that way, I avert suspicion from my
+gloves. However, it seems that the new process is a success. My
+sentimental Satine is in funds; the odor of rose is popular. For my
+part, I have had a few patients--among others, a rich old gentleman with
+whom I am very well satisfied; he has had an inflammation of the lungs
+for six weeks, and it doesn't seem inclined to subside. I keep it up by
+means of fumigations. I have paid three creditors already with that
+inflammation. To-day, as I happened to be in your neighborhood, I said
+to myself: 'I may as well call on Rochebrune and give him my address;'
+for I have an address for the moment. Cite Vinde, No. 4, _ter_ or _bis_.
+But I'm very sorry that I put that young woman to flight. Have I such a
+very terrifying aspect? I haven't any moustache."
+
+"I repeat, Balloquet, don't think any more of that incident. You could
+not have foreseen what happened.--But tell me about that girl who came
+to consult you while I was in your room; you remember, don't you? the
+girl who had been so maltreated by a miserable blackguard!"
+
+Balloquet passed his hand across his brow and his face became almost
+serious--a rare occurrence.
+
+"Yes, I remember; you mean Annette?"
+
+"Annette--that was the name. You went to see her, didn't you?"
+
+"Yes, I visited her nearly two months."
+
+"And then?"
+
+"And then happened what I had anticipated from the very first: she
+died."
+
+"Died! Great God! you could not save her?"
+
+"It was impossible. All that I could do was to relieve her suffering as
+much as possible. Poor girl! she suffered too much, even then. A cancer
+developed, you understand, at that place. I say again, I deadened the
+pain as much as I could, but it was impossible to save her."
+
+"It is perfectly ghastly. So the unfortunate child was tortured--yes,
+murdered by that---- Oh! the infernal scoundrel! the monster!"
+
+"Yes, it was that Bouqueton who caused the poor girl's death; I am ready
+to testify to it, if necessary. But you told me, I believe, that you
+know the villain?"
+
+"I don't know him, but I know who he is."
+
+"Well, is there no way of avenging the poor creature, of punishing her
+assassin?--for the man is an assassin, and a hundred times more criminal
+than those who ply their trade openly on the highroad. If we prosecuted
+him before the courts, we should have no chance of proving his crime, I
+fancy. The victim is dead, and there is no evidence. I asked her several
+times if she had not some letter, or something that came from that
+Bouqueton; it would have been invaluable. But all that she had was a
+paltry ring, of no value, not even gold, which he gave her one day as
+being very valuable."
+
+"Have you seen the ring?"
+
+"Yes; I asked Annette for it several days before she died. The poor
+child, who had divined her doom, although I did my best to conceal it
+from her, gave me the bauble, and said with angelic gentleness: 'You may
+intend to search for the man who injured me so, and punish him; but it
+isn't worth while, monsieur; after all, I have only received the reward
+of my misconduct. If I hadn't left my parents to lead a disorderly life,
+this thing wouldn't have happened to me. I see that I've got to die, but
+I forgive the man who caused my death."
+
+"Poor Annette!"
+
+"I concealed my intentions from her, but I took the ring. It's all right
+for the victim to forgive--but our duty is to punish. This is the ring,
+Rochebrune."
+
+Balloquet took from his pocket a little gold-plated ring, with several
+colored stones of no value set in the form of a star; its only merit was
+that it was easily identified by its oddity and its ugliness. I took
+possession of it eagerly, crying:
+
+"Leave it with me, my friend; let me keep it, I beg you; it will help me
+some day to avenge poor Annette."
+
+"With all my heart. But I say again, try to let me have a share in the
+vengeance; don't forget me when the time comes. I saw the victim die,
+and I should enjoy seeing the murderer punished."
+
+"I promise to let you know at once, when the time comes; and if I need
+you to help me----"
+
+"Sapristi! I will be on hand then, even if I am pursued by creditors!
+But my affairs will be settled in due time. Au revoir, my dear fellow!
+The next time I come to see you, I'll wear a pair of my essence of rose
+gloves, so that you can tell your friends and acquaintances about them."
+
+Balloquet shook hands with me and took his leave; and I carefully put
+poor Annette's ring away in my desk.
+
+
+
+
+XXXI
+
+DISAPPOINTED HOPES
+
+
+Annette's death and Mignonne's unjust suspicions of me left me in a
+melancholy mood; and when, as sometimes happened, Madame Sordeville's
+conduct came to my mind, it did not tend to restore my self-contentment.
+I was not precisely unhappy, but I was disgusted to think that I had so
+misplaced my affections; and, more than all, I craved other affection.
+Can a man live without love, at thirty years? Indeed, I believe, with
+Voltaire, that love is necessary at every age, and that it is love that
+sustains us.
+
+I was in this frame of mind when Madame Potrelle appeared. The good
+woman began with her usual profusion of reverences, and with an
+abundance of apologies for the abrupt manner of her departure on the
+occasion of her last visit; but she hoped that I bore her no ill will
+therefor.
+
+I reassured her, and asked if she was sent by Madame Landernoy.
+
+"Oh, no, monsieur! she didn't send me--that is to say, not exactly; but
+she knows I've come. I'll bet she's waiting impatiently for my return;
+and yet, worse luck! she won't listen to a word about you; she won't
+work for you; she wouldn't put her foot inside your door for--I don't
+know what! She's wrong; I'm perfectly sure she's doing wrong, and that
+she's mistaken in what she thinks about you. So I came to tell you what
+it was that frightened her, what turned her head."
+
+"I suspect what it was, Madame Potrelle. But, no matter, tell me what
+you know."
+
+"In the first place, monsieur, as I told you, when she came back from
+buying provisions a week or two ago, my young tenant rushed into my
+place, frightened to death, and singing out: 'Protect me! don't let him
+come in!'"
+
+"Yes; and afterward a middle-aged man offered you ten francs to let him
+go up to Madame Landernoy's room."
+
+"Yes, monsieur; but that last one was just one of the men who are always
+following women. But, for all that, it seems he was in earnest, and he
+watched her a long while after, poor child. When men are--on my word,
+they're worse'n tomcats. Excuse the comparison, monsieur; I don't mean
+that for you."
+
+"Let us come to what you had to tell me, Madame Potrelle."
+
+"You see, a woman ends by getting confused with all these blackguards.
+_Dame!_ she's got to be so pretty again! I didn't lie to you about that,
+did I, monsieur?"
+
+"Your tenant is very good-looking. Above all, she has an interesting,
+respectable look, which ought to protect her from the schemes of seekers
+after adventures."
+
+"Oh, no! not at all, monsieur; just the opposite! Libertines run after
+virtuous women most of all. They want 'em! they must have 'em! 'Ah!'
+they'll say; 'there's one that's never gone wrong; I'll just push her
+down into perdition.'--Excuse me; I'll come back to the point. The other
+day, when Madame Landernoy went out of here like a rocket, I ran after
+her, and, _dame!_ as I didn't think she'd done right, I asked her to
+explain herself; and this is what she said, word for word: 'I was right
+in not having confidence in Monsieur Rochebrune; I recognized that young
+man who just came in as a friend of my seducer, of the man who wasn't
+content with deserting me, but tried to cover me with shame. Now,
+nothing will take away my idea that Monsieur Rochebrune is one of
+Ernest's friends, too. How do I know that they are not planning some
+trap that they mean to lead me into? When I came home in such a fright
+two or three days ago, it was because I'd met that horrible
+Rambertin--the man who conceived and carried out the most outrageous
+treachery! And that man ran after me and dared to talk to me again about
+his passion! No, Madame Potrelle, I won't go to Monsieur Rochebrune's
+again, and I won't work for him; for all that he's doing for me isn't
+natural. Besides, I am sure now that he has seen Ernest, and that's
+enough to make me feel something worse than fear of him.'--Those are
+Madame Landernoy's very words, monsieur. I stood up for you; I told her
+that it wasn't possible that you had any hand in wicked schemes against
+her; and that I'd put my hand in the fire to prove it--and so I would!"
+
+"I thank you for your good opinion of me, Madame Potrelle, and I assure
+you that I deserve it in this matter."
+
+"Oh! I don't doubt it, monsieur. But the young woman's got that idea in
+her brain, and there's no way to get it out. But something came into my
+head, and I told her of it. 'You think,' I says, 'that Monsieur
+Rochebrune's a friend of your seducer, and you think it's strange he
+should take so much interest in you and pay you more for your work than
+it's worth. But how do you know Monsieur Ernest hasn't repented of the
+way he's treated you? After all, he's the father of your little girl;
+how do you know but what he's thinking about her, and wants her to have
+everything she needs?'--That seemed to strike her; she thought a long
+while, and then she says: 'Oh, no! no! when a man has tried to cover an
+unhappy mother with shame, he don't repent! his heart is closed to every
+honest feeling, and he never remembers that he has a child. And yet, if
+by any chance--if you have guessed right---- But, no, I can't believe
+it, it isn't possible!'--At that, monsieur, I saw that in the bottom of
+her heart she thought I had guessed right; so I says to her: 'Well! I'll
+just go to Monsieur Rochebrune, and ask him flat-footed how it is, and
+I'm sure he'll answer me honest.'--So I started off, monsieur, and here
+I am."
+
+"You did well, madame, to believe that I would answer you frankly. You
+may repeat what I am going to tell you to Mignonne--that is her
+Christian name, and she will understand now how I know it.--I do know
+Monsieur Ernest Fouvenard; he has never been a friend of mine; and if he
+had been, his treatment of your tenant, of which he dared to boast in my
+presence, would have been enough to put an end to our friendship. In
+fact, that is just what has happened between him and the young man whom
+you saw here. He was intimate with Monsieur Ernest; he broke with him
+entirely as soon as he learned of this outrageous performance of his. I
+was profoundly interested by Mignonne's misfortunes; and that interest
+was absolutely pure, as I did not then know her. I understand why she
+looked upon me at first with suspicion; when one has been so shamefully
+betrayed, it is natural to suspect evil designs in the most innocent
+actions. I saw your young tenant, and I did not fall in love with
+her--not even after she recovered her beauty. But she aroused the
+liveliest interest in me, and it would have been a very pleasant task to
+me to make her lot easier. That is the whole truth; I hope that Mignonne
+will deign to believe it. As a general rule, men are evil-minded; but
+there are still some who do good solely for the pleasure of doing it;
+the exception proves the rule."
+
+"I believe you, monsieur; oh, yes! I believe you," said the concierge,
+sadly; "but I am sorry that I didn't guess right. I wish that miserable
+Monsieur Ernest had thought of his child. Whatever she may say, I am
+sure the poor mother would have been pleased in the bottom of her
+heart."
+
+"I am not enough of a hero, Madame Potrelle, to give credit to another
+for the little good I am able to do; besides, when that other is a
+miserable wretch, a dastard, who prides himself on his infamous conduct,
+it seems to me that it would be nothing less than downright fraud to
+give him credit for acts which would imply that his heart was not devoid
+of every worthy feeling. Mignonne was right in thinking that the man who
+would have covered an unhappy mother with opprobrium is not capable of
+repentance. Your supposition was born of a kind heart; but Monsieur
+Ernest has one that is rotten to the core, and with such hearts there is
+no resource. Now, I have told you the whole truth; Mignonne will believe
+me or not; I cannot help myself. But if she does change her opinion with
+regard to me, tell her that I bear no malice, and that the work I
+offered her will still be at her disposal."
+
+I dismissed the concierge. Let Mignonne think and do what she chose, I
+had done all that I could to help her. I neither could nor ought to go
+any further.
+
+The spring had returned, and one fine day I had left home thinking of
+Madame Dauberny, whom I would have given all the world to meet, when I
+felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned, and recognized my former
+acquaintance, Baron von Brunzbrack.
+
+"How in der teufel are you?" said the baron, taking my hand.
+
+"Ah! is it you, Monsieur de Brunzbrack? I am delighted to meet you. Do
+you know that it is more than six months since we met?"
+
+"Ja, I know id veil; but I could not meed you no more, pecause--you know
+pecause vhy?"
+
+"What do I know? Assume that I do not know--I shall be much obliged."
+
+"Pecause I no longer go to Monsir Sordeville."
+
+"Ah! you no longer go there? Faith! I had no means of knowing that, for
+the very simple reason that I myself have not put my foot inside that
+door since--yes, since the night we played baccarat together, against
+Madame Dauberny."
+
+"Ten you pe like me. Te loafely voman, she vill haf varned us poth."
+
+"Warned---- Who, pray?"
+
+"Te loafely Frederique."
+
+"Ah! so Madame Dauberny suggested to you too not to go to Madame
+Sordeville's, did she?"
+
+"Ja! I haf one day received from her ein leedle note, vich I haf alvays
+keep, pecause I vas much bleezed to receive tat note vich she haf write
+herself. You shall see; I haf id alvays on my heart, in my cigar case."
+
+And the baron, taking a dainty cigar case from his pocket, produced a
+small folded paper that smelt horribly of tobacco; luckily, the tobacco
+was of the best quality.
+
+He opened the letter and handed it to me, but did not let it leave his
+own hands. I recognized Frederique's hand, and I read:
+
+     "MY DEAR BARON:
+
+     "Do you care for my advice? Do not go to Monsieur Sordeville's any
+     more. I say this in your own interest. Later, perhaps, I shall be
+     able to explain my reasons. /* "Yours devotedly,
+
+     "FREDERIQUE DAUBERNY."
+
+I could not restrain a sort of shudder as I read the last name, and
+reflected that such a woman as Frederique was that man's wife. Suppose
+that she knew what he was doing! But, no; she would do something
+imprudent; it was better that she should not know that story until
+Annette was avenged.
+
+The baron carefully replaced the letter in his cigar case, and restored
+the latter to his pocket, saying:
+
+"Vhen I haf tat note received, I vas mad mit choy. I pelieved tat te
+Frederique, she vas chealous of some voman who vent to Monsir
+Sordeville, berhaps of Montame Sordeville herself. Ha! ha! ha!"
+
+"Did you follow the advice she gave you?"
+
+"Ach! _pigre!_ I vould haf no more gone to Sordeville's for ein embire!
+But I haf called often to see Montame Dauberny; I haf hard luck; she pe
+nefer in! I haf not pin aple to meed her. And you, mein gut frent?"
+
+"I received the same advice from Madame Dauberny."
+
+"And you opeyed, like me?"
+
+"Not instantly; I went once more to see Madame Sordeville, but in the
+afternoon."
+
+"Ach! gut! gut!"
+
+"Indeed, I expected to see her often; but an unforeseen event changed
+all my plans. I have not been there since, and I shall never go again."
+
+"Ach! gut! gut! Is id also to do Montame Dauberny's vish?"
+
+"Not at all; it is for another reason, which I cannot tell you."
+
+"Gut! gut! I no untershtand. You must not--you must not shtill pe in
+loafe mit te peautiful Frederique?"
+
+"Mon Dieu! no, my dear baron! When could I have fallen in love with her,
+pray? I never see her; I never meet her."
+
+"Gif me your hand, mein frent."
+
+"And yet, I confess that I have the greatest desire to see her and speak
+with her."
+
+"Ach, ja! I untershtand; and so haf I; to ask her vhy she haf forbid us
+to go to te Sordevilles."
+
+"I should not be sorry to know that. But I want to talk to her about
+something which interests me more."
+
+The baron drew back with a frown, and muttered:
+
+"You haf a teclaration to make to her--in secret--mit mystery!"
+
+"Sapristi! you are infernally tenacious in your ideas, baron. Once more,
+there is no question of a declaration! Why on earth have you taken it
+into your head that I am likely to fall in love with Madame Dauberny?
+Would it please you very much if I should?"
+
+"Ach! no! no! Gif me your hand, mein frent; I haf pin wrong. I am one
+pig fool!"
+
+The baron was still holding my hand, when a caleche stopped beside us
+and a voice said:
+
+"Would you like to take a short drive with me, messieurs?"
+
+We looked up and recognized Madame Dauberny, alone in an open caleche.
+Herr von Brunzbrack turned crimson with pleasure; for my part, I was
+well pleased to have met Frederique at last.
+
+"Faith! madame," said I, "the baron and I were just talking of you."
+
+"Ja, loafely lady; ve haf pin talking of you."
+
+"I suspected as much; that is why I stopped. Well, messieurs, wouldn't
+you rather talk with me than confine yourselves to talking about me?"
+
+Our only reply was to enter the carriage without more ado. I seated
+myself opposite Frederique, the baron by her side, and we drove away.
+
+
+
+
+XXXII
+
+A REVELATION
+
+
+Unless by keeping my eyes constantly lowered, I could not avoid looking
+often at Frederique; and as I had no reason to lower my eyes, and,
+moreover, as I had always taken pleasure in looking at her, I was able
+at that moment to enjoy that pleasure to the full.
+
+Madame Dauberny was always dressed in good taste; that morning she wore
+a gray silk gown, cut very high, which was wonderfully becoming to her.
+But, after all, is it not rather the wearer who embellishes the gown?
+For example: I had often noticed that Frederique's waists fitted her to
+perfection, and I had rarely noticed that fact in other women. Was it
+not because Frederique had a beautiful figure?
+
+I was overjoyed to see that Madame Dauberny's face no longer wore that
+cold, stern expression which she had formerly adopted with me. Her face
+was entirely different; I could not say what it expressed, because,
+although she looked at me often, she never fixed her eyes on mine; but
+they shone with a brilliancy I had never before seen in them; they were
+at once softer and merrier than of old; they no longer had, for the
+moment at least, that ironical or severe expression to which I had once
+become accustomed.
+
+The baron, who seemed enchanted at first to be at Frederique's side,
+soon began, I think, to be sorry that he was not where I was. He
+constantly leaned forward, trying to see Frederique's face; but she wore
+a broad-brimmed gray felt hat, and when the baron leaned forward to
+speak to her she always turned her head, apparently in a spirit of
+mischief, so that he could not have the pleasure of looking at her.
+
+"I am very glad to have met you, messieurs," said Frederique; "in the
+first place, because it gives me the greatest pleasure to see
+you--both."
+
+That _both_ she said in a curious tone, and accompanied it with a glance
+in my direction. I had sufficient conceit to believe, after all, that
+she still preferred my company to the baron's.
+
+"In the second place, messieurs, I owe you an explanation for the
+letters I wrote you on the subject of Monsieur Sordeville; for I
+referred to him solely, and not to his wife, when I urged you to break
+off your relations with that household. Monsieur Rochebrune paid little
+heed to my advice.--I do not blame you, monsieur; besides, Armantine is
+my friend, and, as I have told you before, I have no desire to injure
+her in your esteem. If her husband is a scoundrel, I believe you to be
+just enough not to include his wife in the contempt which that man must
+inspire."
+
+"Go on, madame; what is his business?"
+
+"Haf he made ein pankrupt?"
+
+"Oh! if it were no worse than that! But, in the first place, Monsieur
+Sordeville was neither banker, nor merchant, nor solicitor; he was
+nothing, and pretended to be everything. That strange state of affairs
+aroused my curiosity more than once, especially as he gave parties,
+lived handsomely, made a good deal of show, and yet he was not known to
+have any fortune, and Armantine's dowry was very, very small. There is
+one point upon which I have always liked to be well posted, and that is,
+the means of existence of the people with whom I associate. Indeed, how
+much confidence can one have in those who spend a great deal and earn
+nothing?
+
+"I had several times been tempted to say a word of warning to Armantine
+on that subject; but she did not trouble herself in the least about her
+husband's business, and had unbounded faith in what he told her. She led
+such a life as she liked; for her husband left her entirely at liberty
+to do just what she chose, and seemed happy to be the husband of a
+charming woman, only because she attracted numerous guests to his house.
+You will agree that it would have been horrible to disturb Armantine's
+peace of mind by giving her a hint of my suspicions; she would have
+spurned them with horror. Poor woman! More than once, I said to myself
+that I was a fool, that my ideas were an insult to Monsieur Sordeville;
+and not until I had learned of several facts that confirmed my
+suspicions, did I feel absolutely certain of the truth."
+
+"Not yet do I know vat is te trut," muttered the baron, craning his neck
+in an attempt to see his neighbor's lovely eyes.
+
+"Ah! Monsieur de Brunzbrack, there are some things that are so hard, so
+painful, to say! Listen: about a year ago, a young man attached to the
+Dutch legation was suddenly dismissed, without the slightest explanation
+of his disgrace. He had been an habitue of Monsieur Sordeville's salon
+for two months. A clerk in the War Department lost his place--no reason
+assigned. But he, too, had attended Monsieur Sordeville's receptions.
+And you yourself, baron--did not your ambassador thank you and request
+you never to set foot in his offices again?"
+
+"Ja! Te ambassador, he haf say to me: 'You talk too much! You haf
+divulzhe te secrets of te cabinet.'--I haf not untershtand, but id vas
+all one to me; I haf not care for my blace."
+
+"How is it with you, Monsieur Rochebrune? do you begin to understand?"
+
+"In truth, madame, I fear that I do; but I dare not say as yet."
+
+"Well, monsieur, the young attache of the Dutch legation had been lured
+on by Monsieur Sordeville to talk foolishly about certain plans of his
+government.--You did the same, baron, unwittingly perhaps; that man was
+so clever at making people talk about what he wanted to find out! As for
+the young clerk, he had tattled about certain peculiarities of his
+superiors, and Monsieur Sordeville took care that they were informed. In
+a word, Monsieur Sordeville was connected with the secret police. That
+is what I dared not believe at first, what I was determined to have the
+proof of, if it were true. I never hesitate when the honor of a friend,
+the safety and the future of people I love, are at stake. I had once
+rendered a slight service to a person who is employed in the police
+bureau to-day, but in a position which he can afford to avow; that
+person had begged me to give him an opportunity to show his gratitude,
+and I said to him: 'The opportunity has come; find out for me what
+Monsieur Sordeville's position is.' I speedily received a reply
+containing these words only: 'Connected with the secret police.'"
+
+"_Sapremann!_" cried the baron; "I am sorry tat I haf talk mit him! Vat!
+tat so bolite monsir--he vas ein shpy! Ach! I am shtubefied!"
+
+I shared the baron's stupefaction; Frederique's revelation appalled me;
+and yet, I knew that in society the most disgusting vices lie hidden
+beneath the most brilliant exteriors.
+
+"And--his wife," I said at last; "does she know now what her husband
+does?"
+
+"She knows all, and I was spared the melancholy duty of telling her.
+There were some scandalous scenes at Monsieur Sordeville's not long ago.
+It seems that a certain man--one of the victims of that wretch's
+denunciations--had succeeded, by unwearying perseverance, in learning
+the source of the report that ruined him. He also learned the truth with
+respect to Monsieur Sordeville. Then what did he do? Accompanied by
+several friends, to whom he had told the facts, he went to the house on
+a certain evening at home--for they continued to receive,
+notwithstanding what was told you to the contrary."
+
+This was said to me, and proved that Frederique knew all.
+
+"He went to Monsieur Sordeville's," she continued, "and there, in the
+middle of the salon, before all the guests, he called him a spy and
+struck him! Imagine the uproar, the amazement, the confusion, of all
+those people, who were thoroughly ashamed to be there; for Monsieur
+Sordeville turned pale, and did not say a word or return the blow. Poor
+Armantine fainted, and they carried her to her room. Thereupon the
+guests all took their hats and fled, assuring the master of the house
+that they didn't believe a word of what had been said, but fully
+determined never to go there again. On the next day, Armantine took
+refuge with me. I dictated the following plainly worded letter, which
+she sent to her husband:
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+"'You have deceived me shamefully, monsieur. I leave you, and I lay
+aside your name. You will never hear of me again, and I trust that I may
+never hear of you.'
+
+"That is what Armantine wrote to him. You must agree, Rochebrune, that
+we are not very fortunate in our husbands, either of us!"
+
+Poor Frederique! She did not know how truly she spoke.
+
+"Now, messieurs, it's all over. The Sordeville family has ceased to
+exist. Nobody knows what has become of the man, and nobody cares very
+much. Probably he is still carrying on his profession, on his own
+account. As to Armantine, luckily she has about eighteen hundred francs
+a year which her husband cannot touch. She will live on that, in the
+retreat she has chosen; she will cut less of a figure and not change her
+gown so often; but perhaps she will be happier."
+
+As she said that, Frederique fixed her eyes on me for a moment, then
+continued:
+
+"I hope, messieurs, that you will forgive me now for advising you both
+to stay away from Monsieur Sordeville's?"
+
+"That is to say, madame, that we owe you our warmest thanks."
+
+"Ach! ja! and I haf te note in your hand; id is alvays here--on my
+heart."
+
+"You do me too much honor, baron," said Madame Dauberny, with a smile;
+"and I am quite sure that everybody doesn't do as you have done."
+
+I would have been glad to be rid of the baron, for I had many questions
+to ask Frederique. I do not know whether she divined my thought, but she
+ordered her coachman to drive back to Paris.
+
+"I will not abuse your good nature any longer, messieurs," she said. "I
+carried you both away rather unceremoniously; and perhaps somebody is
+impatiently awaiting you."
+
+"No; I am not avaited at all," said the baron; "I am te master of my
+time."
+
+"Where were you going, baron?" Frederique asked, as if she had not heard
+what he said.
+
+"Montame--I vas going--I know not--I vas going novere."
+
+"But as I am going somewhere, I will set you down at your hotel, then I
+will take Monsieur Rochebrune home."
+
+I was well pleased that she proposed to set down the baron first. To no
+purpose did he say again and again that no one was expecting him, that
+he was not sure that he wanted to go home; Madame Dauberny replied
+simply:
+
+"I am very sorry; but I can't drive you about all day."
+
+Before long, she ordered the coachman to stop; the carriage door was
+opened and she offered the baron her hand, saying:
+
+"Adieu! until I have the pleasure of seeing you again."
+
+Herr von Brunzbrack decided at last, although with great reluctance, to
+alight; but when he was on the ground, he looked at me and beckoned:
+
+"Vell! vhy haf not you come, too?"
+
+"Because Monsieur Rochebrune is going in another direction, and I am
+going to drive him part of the way."
+
+As she spoke, Frederique motioned to the coachman to drive on, paying no
+heed to the baron, who declared that he wanted to stay with me. The poor
+Prussian stood on the same spot, and glared at me in a far from friendly
+fashion.
+
+"I am not sorry to be rid of the baron," said Frederique, "for I want to
+talk with you; if you are really in no hurry, suppose we take a turn in
+the Bois?"
+
+"That will give me great pleasure, madame, for I too long to talk with
+you."
+
+"Take us to the Bois de Boulogne, _cocher_.--Ah! if the poor baron knew
+this, he would be frantic!"
+
+"Yes, for he's terribly jealous; he sees a rival in every man who has
+the privilege of knowing you."
+
+"The man believes that everybody's in love with me! he is too stupid!
+But let us say no more of the baron and his love, which disturbs me very
+little. Let us come to what interests you. You want to know, of course,
+what has become of Armantine? Before a stranger, I would not betray her
+incognito; but to you, it seems to me that I may safely tell where she
+is, so that you can go there and condole with her. Armantine is living
+at Passy, on the Grande Rue, near the forest; she has taken the name of
+Madame Montfort. That is what I had to tell you."
+
+"Is that all, madame?"
+
+"Why, I should suppose that it was a great deal to you, to know what has
+become of the lady of your thoughts."
+
+"Frederique, are you willing that we should be friends again?"
+
+As I spoke, I held out my hand. She turned her head away, and for some
+seconds seemed to hesitate; then she gave me her hand, and replied in a
+voice that was not quite steady:
+
+"Well, yes, I am willing; sincere friends; all except the _tutoiement_;
+for I realize that that is impossible; anyone who heard us would form
+wrong conclusions."
+
+"Very good. But no more mystery between us; absolute and mutual
+confidence. If you knew how deeply I have regretted having angered you!
+You were so severe with me! You spoke to me so frigidly, and sometimes
+with a touch of irony even."
+
+"Let's forget all that. I am a little whimsical! But it's all over now.
+We are reconciled. As for--as for what made me angry, I am sure that you
+won't be guilty of the same offence again. You were a little bewildered
+that night--otherwise, it never would have occurred to you to kiss me."
+
+I was at a loss what to reply; for there are offences for which it is a
+blunder to apologize. But Frederique gave me no time, for she continued:
+
+"Once more, let's say no more about it! The poet is right when he sings:
+
+    "'The past is but a dream!'
+
+From this day forth, we are and will remain good friends. You will tell
+me all your secrets, make me the confidante of all your love affairs.
+How entertaining it will be to know everything!"
+
+"And you, Frederique, will you tell me all your thoughts, all the
+feelings that agitate your heart?"
+
+"To be sure! But you will receive few confidences from me, for I have no
+intrigues now. I don't propose to form any more liaisons of that sort.
+In short, I am done with loving; I am happy as I am. I have resolved
+never to listen to any man again."
+
+"At your age! Nonsense! That resolution won't last long."
+
+"Very well; if I change--why, I'll let you know. But let us come to you,
+the man of the thousand and one passions! You ought to tell the story of
+them, as a supplement to the _Thousand and One Nights_."
+
+"That may have been true once; but I've been getting rusty of late. It
+isn't virtue, I suppose; but I fancy that I am becoming hard to please."
+
+"You will undoubtedly hasten to console Armantine, who may, perhaps,
+regret her former position in society, but surely doesn't regret her
+husband!"
+
+"I, go to see Madame--Madame Montfort! Oh, no! no, indeed! Do you
+imagine that I still love her?"
+
+"Of course! Weren't you mad over her?"
+
+"Love is a form of madness that can be cured, and I am surprised that
+you think it possible for me to love that woman still--after the scene
+that you witnessed on the Champs-Elysees."
+
+"What do you say? What scene?"
+
+"Oh! my dear friend, let us not begin already to go back on the promise
+we made only a moment ago! You were on the Champs-Elysees, were you not,
+when an intoxicated man claimed acquaintance with me?"
+
+"Yes; that is, I arrived just at the end. Armantine was running away; I
+saw that."
+
+"It was you who paid the man who threatened to have the unfortunate
+fellow I had thrown down arrested."
+
+Frederique said nothing; she dared not deny it.
+
+"How much did you give the man?"
+
+"Twenty-nine francs, I believe."
+
+"Here is the money, my dear friend; accept at the same time my thanks
+for your kind impulse, which did not occur to me, because I thought of
+nothing but that woman who was running away from me. Furthermore, I know
+that you also offered money to that poor devil, whom I left there."
+
+"That is true; but he refused it."
+
+"I know that too. Ah! Frederique, _you_ are kind-hearted; you have a
+generous heart, superior to the prejudices of society. You would not
+have run away from me, then closed your door to me, simply because a man
+in cap and blouse had called me his friend!"
+
+Frederique turned her face away, but her voice trembled as she replied:
+
+"No, of course not! But you must forgive such foibles--the result of a
+false way of looking at things."
+
+"Forgive jeers, sarcasm, insults, neglect, if you please; I can
+understand that; but contempt! never! Love must necessarily be destroyed
+where contempt shows its head."
+
+"But suppose that she has repented of her treatment of you?"
+
+"True; she may have done so, since she has learned that her husband is a
+spy!"
+
+"Rochebrune! that was a very spiteful remark of yours!"
+
+"I am entitled to say what I think of that lady."
+
+"You are very angry with her, which proves that you still love her."
+
+"When you mention her to me, I remember how she treated me; but for
+that, I should not think of her at all. In short, I no longer love her."
+
+"You say that because she isn't here. But if you should find yourself
+looking into her lovely eyes----"
+
+"I should remember the way they looked at me at our last interview on
+the Champs-Elysees; and I assure you that those eyes would no longer
+endanger my repose."
+
+"Really? do you no longer love Armantine?"
+
+Frederique turned toward me as she asked the question, and I had never
+seen such an expression of satisfaction and pleasure in her eyes.
+
+"If I still loved her, why should I conceal it from you? You know, we
+are to tell each other everything now."
+
+"True; for we are friends now. We won't lose our tempers with each other
+any more, will we?"
+
+"I wasn't the one who lost my temper."
+
+"You will come to see me, I hope?"
+
+"You will allow me to?"
+
+"Of course, as the past is only a dream. And I will come to your
+rooms--as a friend. I am a man, you know. I don't see why I should not
+come to see you--unless, of course, it would displease you?"
+
+"Never!"
+
+"In any event, when you have company, or when you expect some fair one,
+you can tell me so, and I will leave you at liberty. It's agreed, isn't
+it? I shall not come to see you on any other condition."
+
+"It's agreed."
+
+I took Frederique's hand again and pressed it warmly, nor did she think
+of withdrawing it. At that moment, we passed a riding party. The young
+dandies of whom it was composed glanced into our carriage as they
+passed. Frederique suddenly turned pale. I looked up, and recognized one
+of the cavaliers as Monsieur Saint-Bergame. At the same moment I heard
+his voice, and distinguished this sentence, the last words coming very
+indistinctly as he receded:
+
+"Ah! so it's that fellow now! Each in his turn!"
+
+Madame Dauberny withdrew her hand from mine, her features contracted,
+her brow grew dark; but she said nothing. I too was silent; for, not
+knowing whether she had heard what Saint-Bergame said, I was careful not
+to tell her. But I had a feeling of embarrassment and of wrath, which
+banished all the pleasurable sensations of a moment before.
+
+We drove a considerable distance without speaking; and when she turned
+so that I could see her face, which she had kept averted for a long
+while, I detected tears in her eyes.
+
+I quickly grasped her hand again, saying:
+
+"What is the matter?"
+
+Thereupon she at once resumed her usual manner, as if she were ashamed
+that I had observed her emotion, and answered, with a smile:
+
+"Nothing, nothing at all! Mon Dieu! my friend, can one always tell what
+the matter is? It all depends on one's frame of mind. We are sometimes
+deeply moved by a remark that isn't worth the labor of listening
+to.--Take us home, _cocher_.--I can properly say _home_, for, thank
+heaven! I am alone, and mistress of the house for the present."
+
+"Your husband is----?"
+
+"He is not in Paris; he has gone on a little trip, according to the word
+he sent to me; and you can imagine that I did not detain him. It is true
+that Monsieur Dauberny doesn't interfere with me in any way, that he
+doesn't prevent me from doing whatever I please; but, for all that, I
+feel happier when I know that he isn't under the same roof. Oh! if only
+he could travel forever!"
+
+I was certain that the man had fled after the ill-fated Annette's death;
+perhaps he was afraid that she would make damaging disclosures before
+she died. I was persuaded that fear alone had driven him from Paris, and
+that he proposed to wait until that affair was forgotten before he
+returned.
+
+"How long has your husband been absent?" I asked Frederique.
+
+"About three weeks."
+
+"When is he coming back?"
+
+"I have no idea; you may be sure that I didn't ask him. But, my friend,
+you seem to take a great deal of interest in my husband's movements: can
+it be that his absence distresses you?"
+
+I tried to smile, as I answered:
+
+"Oh! not in the least, I beg you to believe. I asked you the question--I
+don't quite know why."
+
+Frederique looked earnestly at me and squeezed my hand hard, murmuring:
+
+"So it is true that even sincere friends can't tell each other
+everything."
+
+The caleche stopped on the boulevard, and I left Madame Dauberny.
+
+"We shall meet again soon," I said.
+
+       *       *       *       *       *
+
+
+FOOTNOTES:
+
+[A] That is, a leader in revelry or merrymaking.
+
+[B]
+
+    When you're asked to take a walk,
+    Look well to the weather, Lisa!
+    If it blows, say that you're ill,
+    Or else he'll make the most of it,
+    To work his wicked will on you.
+    Nay, I joke not, on my soul!
+    On windy days, I've oft been caught!
+    My love, for us poor, helpless girls,
+    There's naught so trait'rous as the wind.
+
+
+[C]
+
+    And then, what can a poor girl do?
+    She dons her good clothes, when 'tis fair:
+    The wind springs up, she's in a mess,
+    She cannot hold her hat in place
+    And skirts and flounces all at once;
+    Her eyes are quickly filled with dust,
+    When in her face the sly wind blows;
+    But 'tis more trait'rous far, my love,
+    When she sees not the wind's approach.
+
+
+[D]
+
+    If the rain is most unpleasant,
+    And wets our poor skirts thro' and thro',
+    The wind's as wanton as the deuce!
+    He draws in outline all our figure.
+    'Tis just as if we wore tight breeches;
+    A man at such times is less careful,
+    For it makes him sentimental!
+    And, my love, it's not our face
+    He looks at while the wind is blowing.
+
+
+[E] I, who once had the glory of singing for Mademoiselle Iris, propose,
+with your leave, to tell you the story of the young shepherd Paris, etc.
+
+[F] _Tutoyer_; that is, to use the more familiar form of address, to
+"thee and thou" one; which, the reader will please understand,
+Frederique proceeds to do, and Rochebrune also, with some slips.
+
+
+
+
+
+
+End of Project Gutenberg's Frederique; vol. 1, by Charles Paul de Kock
+
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