A RENDEZVOUS
A tolerably large party of idlers congregated around the large chest on
which was seated, as on a throne, the domino of whom we have spoken,
listened eagerly to the strange versions which were buzzed about of the
mysterious lives of the Prince and Princess de Hansfeld.
Fortunately for the inquisitive these tales were not yet at their
conclusion.
"I must remark," said M. de Fierval, "that Madame de Lormoy, the only
lady who visits Madame de Hansfeld on very intimate terms, speaks
extremely well of her."
"For reasons plain enough," said M. de Brévannes; "the smallest bit of
rock is always an America for the modern Columbuses. Madame de Lormoy
_has found_ her way into the Hôtel Lambert, and is, therefore, in duty
bound to recite marvels of the princess. But _à propos_ of Madame de
Lormoy, what has become of her nephew, _le beau des beaux_, Leon de
Morville? What happy woman now adores his archangelic face, since he has
been obliged to break off with Lady Melford?"
"He remains faithful to the remembrance of his lovely _islander_,"
replied M. de Fierval.
"To the great displeasure of many ladies of fashion," added the domino;
"amongst others of the little Marquise de Luceval, who affects
originality, as if she were not sufficiently pretty to be natural. Being
unable to carry, off Leon de Morville from his lady-love, whilst this
affair was in existence, she now lives in hopes of the reversion."
"An attachment of five years is very rare."
"It is still more rare to find any one faithful to a recollection, I
really cannot understand it," said M. de Brévannes.
"Especially when the constant swain is as much sought after as Morville
is."
"As for me, I never could bear M. de Morville," said M. de Brévannes;
"I have always endeavoured to avoid him."
"I assure you, my dear sir," said M. de Fierval, "that he is one of the
best fellows in the world."
"That may be, but he seems so conceited of his pretty face."
"Fortunately this Adonis is as stupid as he is handsome!" said the
domino.
"Charming mask, beware!" said a new comer who had made his way to the
first rank of the auditors; "when you speak thus of Leon de Morville,
one might be induced to believe that your seductions have failed to
shake his fidelity to Lady Melford. You speak too maliciously of him not
to have wished him--too well."
"Really, Gercourt," answered the domino, gaily, "you seem to me
monstrously good-natured to-day. Are they going to perform your comedy
to-morrow?"
"What, charming mask, do you believe that I have an interest in this
matter?"
"Unquestionably. A man of the world like you, of fashion like you, of
wit like you, who is bold enough to have more wit than his neighbours--a
man of wit, you know, is condemned to all sorts of unpleasant
manœuvres--yet if your comedy fails, you must not accuse your friends
of its failure."
"Delightful mask, I should not be so unjust. If my comedy fail, I shall
accuse no one but myself. When we have friends like Leon de Morville, of
whom you speak such flattering unkindnesses, one may believe that there
is yet such a thing as friendship."
"What, do you wish to recommence our quarrel?"
"Unquestionably."
"To assert that Leon de Morville has wit?"
"Unluckily for himself he is remarkably handsome, and so the envious
like to have it supposed that he is very silly. If he squinted,
stuttered, or was humpbacked, _peste_! people would not think for a
moment of disputing his wit. It is incredible the advantages which
ugliness possesses in our days."
"Do you mean this as a defence of the majority of statesmen of the
present day?" retorted the domino. "The fact is we may now say, _ugly as
a minister!_"
"Moreover, in this _serious_ age, there is nothing more serious than
ugliness."
"Without taking into consideration," said the domino, "that a hideous
visage is always a sort of introduction and preparation for a future
villainy, and in this sense it is very useful for certain statesmen to
be ugly."
"To return to M. de Morville, I never heard of his wit," said M. de
Brévannes, sarcastically.
"So much the better for him," replied M. de Gercourt; "I mistrust people
whose _bon-mots_ are cited, I should even doubt M. de Talleyrand's
reputation if I had not heard him talk. Confess, however, my dear
Brévannes, that Morville has not an enemy, in spite of the envy which
his success must excite."
"Because he is a goose!" said the mask, doggedly; "persons who have
really superior minds always have enemies."
"It seems to me, then, charming mask," retorted M. de Gercourt, "that
your ferocious hostility proves Leon de Morville's superiority."
"Bah! bah!" replied the domino, without noticing this rejoinder; "the
proof that M. de Morville is a poor creature is, that he always
endeavours to produce an effect and make himself noticed; whether
ridiculous or not, he does not care for the means by which he attains
his desire."
"What do you mean?" inquired M. de Gercourt.
"We were just now alluding to the general admiration which the Princess
de Hansfeld inspires," said the domino; "well, M. de Morville affects to
do the reverse of all the world. He may be indifferent to Madame de
Hansfeld's beauty;--granted. But it is a long way from indifference to
aversion."
"Aversion! what do you mean?" asked M. de Brévannes.
"This is a fresh crime of which poor Morville is innocent, I will answer
for it," said M. de Gercourt.
"Every body knows that he pretends a most decided aversion for Madame de
Hansfeld," replied the domino.
"Morville?"
"Certainly. Although he goes very little into society, yet he now
affects to fly from the places where he might be likely to meet the
princess. To such a pitch does he carry this, that he is now but very
rarely seen at his aunt's, Madame de Lormoy's, no doubt from a dread of
meeting Madame de Hansfeld there. Now say, Fierval, you who know Madame
de Lormoy, if this be not true?"
"Why, to say the truth, I very seldom meet Morville now at his aunt's."
"Do you hear that?" said the domino, triumphantly, addressing M. de
Gercourt; "Morville's antipathy for the princess is remarked
upon--people gossip and chatter, and thus the end of this brainless
Apollo is attained."
"That is impossible," said M. de Gercourt; "for no one is freer from
affectation than Morville, who is one of the most amiable men--the most
naturally amiable man that I know; and I will say, that I fully believe,
that in his life he never hated, feigned, or lied; indeed, he carries
his respect for pledged faith to the utmost extent, even to
exaggeration."
"I am decidedly of Gercourt's opinion," said M. de Fierval; "but the
fact is, that De Morville, who has been for a long time wretchedly out
of spirits, goes very little into society."
"That is easily explained," said one of the auditors of this
conversation; "Lady Melford has left these eighteen months, and he has
unceasingly regretted her."
"And then," added another, "M. de Morville's mother is in a very
alarming state, and every body knows how fond he is of her."
"His love for his mother has nothing to do with what we are talking of,"
said the domino; "as to his fidelity to his _souvenir_ of Lady Melford,
he has changed from ridicule and exaggeration; that is generous of him,
inasmuch as it varies our amusement: he has seen the folly of that
exaggeration."
"What do you mean?"
"I am not the dupe of his affectation to avoid Madame de Hansfeld. I
will bet a wager that he is enamoured of her, and desires to attract her
attention by his calculating originality."
"That is impossible," said Fierval.
"It is too vulgar a mode," added Gercourt.
"The very reason that M. de Morville has recourse to it; he is too dull
to invent any other."
"What!--would he have awaited the arrival of Madame de Hansfeld in order
to be unfaithful, when, for nearly two years, he had nothing to do but
to take his choice of the loveliest comforters?"
"Nothing more simple," said the domino. "The difficulty has tempted him;
no one has succeeded with Madame de Hansfeld, and he would he jealous of
this success; because De Morville is a fool, it does not follow that he
is not a coxcomb."
"And because you have wit, charming mask," said M. de Brévannes, "it
does not follow that you should be just."
A domino took M. de Gercourt by the arm, and put an end to this
discussion about M. de Morville, who thus lost his stanchest defender.
"And how long has this enchanting princess been in Paris?" inquired M.
de Brévannes.
"About three or four months," replied M. de Fierval.
"And who introduced her into society?"
"The wife of the Saxon Minister; the prince is a Saxon himself."
"The prince!" continued M. de Brévannes; "is it really possible that
nothing more than you say is known of this mysterious stranger?"
"I can tell you," answered M. de Fierval, "that as inquisitive as the
rest of the world to penetrate the smallest corner of this mystery, I
have inquired of the minister of Saxony."
"Well?"
"He gave me an evasive reply. The prince, whose health was extremely
delicate, lived in perfect retirement; he was obliged to submit to very
strict regimen; his journey had fatigued him greatly; in fact, I saw
that my questions decidedly embarrassed the minister, so I ended the
conversation, and have since abstained from again mentioning M. de
Hansfeld's name in his presence."
"It is really remarkably odd," said M. de Brévannes; "and no one
amongst the foreigners here knows anything of the prince?"
"All I have been able to learn is, that he was married in Italy, and
that, after a journey to England, he came and established himself here."
"As far as one may hazard an opinion on so obscure a matter," said
another, "I should decidedly say that the prince was weak in his
intellect, or something very like it."
"In fact," observed the domino, "the care that is taken to conceal him
from all eyes----"
"The embarrassment of the Saxon minister, in replying to you," said M.
de Brévannes to M. de Fierval; "the sombre and melancholy air of the
princess.--But then, why does this melancholy beauty go into the world?"
"Do you wish to keep her constantly immured with her idiot--if idiot he
be?"
"But she always has the melancholy and sombre appearance you speak of,
what pleasure can she find in the world?"
"_Ma foi_, I really cannot tell," said M. de Fierval; "it is just this
very mystery, which joined to Madame de Hansfeld's beauty, makes her so
much the rage."
"Has she no intimate friend who could disclose something about her?"
inquired M. de Brévannes.
"I heard Madame de Lormoy say, that, on going one morning to see Madame
de Hansfeld, at the Hôtel Lambert, she suddenly heard, near the
apartment in which she was, some notes of delicious harmony, played on a
finger-organ with exquisite skill. The princess could not repress a
movement of impatience; she made a sign to her companion with the dark
countenance, who went out instantly, and a few moments afterwards _the
sounds ceased!_"
"And did not Madame de Lormoy inquire whence those notes of the organ
came?"
"She did."
"And what was the princess's reply?"
"That she knew nothing about them--that no doubt it was somewhere in the
neighbourhood, that they were playing on this instrument, the sound of
which quite unhinged her nerves. Madame de Lormoy remarked, that the
Hôtel Lambert was perfectly isolated, and therefore the organ must be
played upon in the house, and then Madame de Hansfeld talked of
something else."
"Whence we may conclude," replied the domino, "that no one will unriddle
this enigma. Ah, if I were a man, I would find it all out by to-morrow!"
The conversation was interrupted by these words of M. de Fierval, which
attracted universal attention,--
"Who is that tall domino, evidently masculine in its gender, which is on
the look-out for adventure? That knot of yellow and blue ribands on his
head is no doubt a signal of rallying and recognition."
"Oh," said the domino, quitting the chest on which she had been sitting,
"it is some serious _rendezvous_--I will prevent the meeting by
following the steps of this mysterious personage."
Unfortunately for this malicious design, a crowd carried away with it
the domino which wore the knot of yellow and blue ribands, and which
rapidly disappeared.
Some moments afterwards, the same masculine domino who had just escaped
the curious pursuit of the domino of the chest ascended the staircase
which led to the second tier of boxes, and walked up and down the
corridor for several minutes.
He was soon rejoined by a female domino who also wore a knot of yellow
and blue ribands.
After a moment's examination and hesitation, the female approached, and
said in a low voice,--
"_Childe Harold._"
"_Faust_," replied the male domino. These words exchanged, the lady took
the arm of the gentleman, who led her into the anteroom of one of the
stage-boxes.
[Illustration 01: "These words exchanged, the lady took
the arm of the gentleman, who led her into
the anteroom of one of the stage-boxes."]