One morning, about a month after his visit to Versailles, Eusebe,
with an enormous bouquet in his hand, entered the boudoir of
Adéonne.
“Why do you bring these flowers?” inquired the comédienne. “This is
not my birthday, if I remember rightly.”
“No,” responded the young man: “it is only the birthday of the
bouquet.”
“It is one of those days on which both flowers and compliments are
of bad augury. I will wager that these camellias conceal some bad
news.”
“That is true.”
“The nature of it?”
“I hardly know how to inform you.”
“You are about to be married: is it not so?”
“Yes. Who could have told you?”
“I have known it for more than two weeks. I found a letter from
your father in the pocket of your coat. You need not attempt to
excuse yourself. I know all you could say.”
“I shall not attempt to justify myself,” replied Eusebe, affecting
a tranquillity of mind which he was far from possessing. “I take a
wife because a man must discharge the duties he owes to society.”
“You see, my dear Eusebe,” continued the actress, “we are thought
to be hardened, to have no heart,--we women of the theatre. Nothing
could be further from the truth. I loved you because I thought you
a man of sense and of courage. How grossly I was deceived! You are
a fool and a coward!”
“Adéonne!”
“Do not become excited: you see that I am perfectly calm. I repeat
that you are both a fool and a coward. The first duty of a man
is to live for the woman whom he loves and who loves him. The
characteristic of a man of intelligence is to prefer that happiness
he knows to that which is untried. Of what importance is it to me
that you are going to be married, since you love me no longer? I
should only ask time to avenge myself, if I did not love you still.
It is a great misfortune for me; for my love will kill me, if I
cannot succeed in crushing it, which would be little better than
death itself.”
“Do you desire me to break off this marriage?” demanded Eusebe.
“There is yet time.”
“No, Eusebe. If you were to revoke your promise, I could not recall
my illusions.”