"Because you are not my mistress yet? That is true; but you will be
before long; it amounts to the same thing."
"No, monsieur, I shall not be your mistress. I tell you again not to
talk to me in that way; if you do, I shall go away and not come again."
"Come, come, be calm, Mademoiselle Georgette! you shall be treated
respectfully. Tell me, darling, you will take me for your lover, won't
you?"
"No, monsieur."
"What! Am I so very disagreeable to you?"
"Oh, no! it isn't that."
"Oho! as long as it isn't that, then you will listen to me."
"No, I will not listen to you; because I know that you are too fickle,
that you never keep a mistress more than a month at the longest; and I
don't choose to be cast aside like that."
"Somebody has been telling you fairy tales. I won't say that I love
forever. Pardieu! my fair, if we did not leave them, they would leave
us. Someone must begin, and I prefer that I should be the one."
"You have a way of settling matters which doesn't cause me to change my
opinion about you. You are too much run after, too popular in good
society, to attach yourself to a grisette!"
"There's some truth in what you say! You argue well, my charming friend;
but allow me to tell you that I've had my fill and more of great ladies,
and that I am absolutely indifferent to what people may say and think of
me."
"I don't believe you.--Adieu, monsieur! I must go home."
"Oh! I don't let you go until I have an answer from you."
"Later--we will see."
"Then you will come again to see me? By the way, I must have two more
cigar cases; I want them to give to my friends. Meanwhile, let me pay
you for this one."
And the young man took a purse full of gold from his pocket and tossed
it into Georgette's lap. She looked at it for a moment, then weighed it
in her hand, and said:
"What is this?"
"It's what I owe you."
The pretty creature opened the purse and amused herself by counting its
contents.
"Almost five hundred francs! Really, that's a high price for a cigar
case!"
"But you are going to make me two more; that will pay for them all."
"Oh! no, monsieur; I can't accept so much; I will take what is due me,
but no more."
As she spoke, Georgette took fifteen francs in gold from the purse,
which she proceeded to place on the table. Then she ran from the room,
crying:
"Adieu, monsieur le vicomte! I will come again when your cigar cases are
done."
Edward was so surprised by the girl's abrupt departure, that he did not
even think of detaining her.
XXII
TERTIA SOLVET
As may be imagined, Georgette's refusal to accept the purse of gold had
not diminished in the least degree the rich young man's caprice for the
maiden; on the contrary, it was certain to intensify it, as she who had
adopted that course of action well knew. The desires that are quickly
satisfied last but a short time; our passions do not increase in force
and deprive us of repose altogether, unless they encounter obstacles in
their path. Good fortune that comes of itself--bah! no one cares for
that! It is an unseasoned dish.
But, thanks to this new fancy, which rapidly became tyrannical in its
demands, the viscount ceased to be bored, and smoked a few less
cigarettes; which proves that love is always of some benefit. His
friends noticed the change.
"My dear fellow, you have some new passion on the brain," said
Florville; "I would stake my head on it!"
"Oh! that is visible to the naked eye," added Dumarsey. "We have a new
intrigue on hand, which is waxing warm."
"Faith! messieurs, you have guessed right!" replied Edward. "Yes, I have
a very violent fancy. Deuce take me! I believe I am really in love!"
"Really! Is she so very pretty?"
"She's better than pretty; she is piquant--enchanting!"
"Did you see her at the Bouffes?" inquired the simpering Lamberlong.
"At the Bouffes? Oh! she never goes there, I can promise you that!"
The red-haired worthy made a wry face.
"A woman who never goes to the Bouffes!" he murmured; "mon Dieu! what
sort of a creature can she be?"
"I say, Edward, what style of woman is your new passion?"
"What style? Oh! the most modest that you can imagine; but I adapt
Boileau's verse to women:
"'Tous les genres sont bons, hors le genre ennuyeux.'"[I]
"When will you show us your charmer?"
"Oh! messieurs, I'll show her to you when I am her fortunate
vanquisher."
"Then it isn't a finished affair?"
"No; and I shall be careful not to let you see her now; for I know
you--you would try to steal her from me."
"To be sure; that is done among friends."
"Do you expect to sigh for long?" asked the tall Florville; "you, my
dear viscount, who ordinarily put a love affair through at railroad
speed?"
"Ah! this time I have to do with a little minx who is not so easily
brought to terms."
"Well! Edward, tell us when you will show her to us, as a proof that you
have triumphed? I'll give you three days; is that enough?"
"Hum! I am not sure."
"Come, messieurs, let's do the square thing; we'll give him a week; and
if, within a week, he doesn't invite us to dinner with his new conquest,
why, we will assign him a place among the gulls.--Is it a bargain,
Edward?"
"Yes, messieurs, within a week. I accept that proposition."
"If you bring your lady, we are to pay for the dinner; if you don't, you
are to treat us."
"Agreed--within a week!--Oh! I hope to be on firm ground before that."
This agreement was made two days after the conversation which had
resulted in Georgette's refusal of the purse containing five hundred
francs.
When his friends had gone, the viscount said to himself:
"Now I must act. The little one refused gold--but gold doesn't take the
eye like fine clothes. She had a magnificent outburst of pride. But this
time I'll send her some things that she won't be able to resist."
The young man ordered his carriage and drove to the most fashionable
shops. He bought a handsome shawl, silks and velvets for dresses, and
even a pretty little bonnet which he considered well adapted to the face
he desired to seduce. He returned home with his purchases, and said to
Lépinette:
"Take all this to the girl upstairs, Mademoiselle Georgette. Give her my
compliments, and tell her I would like to have the cigar cases I ordered
from her; that I shall expect her to-morrow, during the morning, even
if she has only one finished."
Lépinette took the handsome gifts in his arms with great care, and went
to do his master's errand, while the latter sallied forth again to go to
the races.
On returning home at night, the viscount's first thought was to ask his
servant how his presents had been received. Lépinette replied, assuming
a serious expression:
"Monsieur, I saw something to-day that I never saw before!"
"What did you see? You remind me of a sibyl."
"Well, monsieur, I saw a young girl, a mere working girl, who lives in
an attic, refuse a cashmere shawl, velvets, silks--in a word, a
magnificent outfit!"
"What! you saw that? Do you mean to say that Georgette----"
"Yes, monsieur; Mademoiselle Georgette refused your presents."
"Impossible!"
"It is true, monsieur."
"Then you must have gone about it awkwardly."
"No; monsieur is well aware that I am accustomed to such commissions. I
spread the things out--the shawl on a table before that amazing
creature's eyes; she let me go on at first, and watched me without
saying a word; but finally she exclaimed: 'What am I to do with all
this, monsieur?'--'Whatever you please, mademoiselle,' I replied; 'my
master begs you to accept it all, and he presents his compliments and
requests you to bring him the cigar cases to-morrow, even if they are
not done!'"
"That's very clever of you! Go on."
"Then Mademoiselle Georgette walked to where I had put the presents, and
said: 'All these things are very pretty, very elegant, but I don't want
them. You may thank monsieur le vicomte for me, take all these beautiful
things back to him, and tell him that I will bring what he ordered
to-morrow.'--'But I can't take them back, mademoiselle,' I said; 'my
master told me to leave them with you.'--'Because your master thought it
would make me very happy to receive such beautiful things; but, as he
has made a mistake, you must take them back.'--'Mademoiselle,' I added,
with a supplicating expression, 'you may do whatever you choose with
these garments and materials; but for heaven's sake keep them, or my
master will scold me.'--'I am very sorry, but I will not keep
them.'--And with that, the young woman, who struck me as being
exceedingly obstinate, piled them all on my arms: the shawl, the
fabrics, and the bonnet box, and pushed me gently toward the door, which
she closed behind me. That is just what happened."
"So that you brought back my presents?"
"I had to do it, monsieur."
"No, you weren't obliged to; you're a fool! You ought to have thrown
them all on the floor and run away."
"I am sure that she'd have thrown them out on the landing."
"Well, suppose she had? we should have seen whether she would or not.
However, she said that she would come to-morrow?"
"Yes, monsieur."
"Very good!"
Edward was surprised beyond words by the girl's behavior. He paced the
floor of his apartment in great agitation. At times he was tempted to go
up to Georgette's room himself; but she might refuse to admit him, and
he did not choose to make an exhibition of himself before the other
tenants; so he went to bed at last, saying to himself:
"She will come to-morrow; I shall see her and find out why she refused
my presents; for I had not as yet asked her for anything in exchange. To
be sure, the request may be foreseen. Ah! Mademoiselle Georgette, you
will not resist me forever! I believe that I am really in love with her!
At all events, my honor is involved in the affair now. I must not be the
one to pay for that dinner with my friends."
All night the viscount was haunted by the image of the girl who had
refused his splendid gifts. He rose early, attempted to smoke, and threw
away several cigarettes as soon as he lighted them. The things he had
sent to Georgette, he ordered taken into the small salon; and as he
gazed at the rich fabrics spread out on a couch, he said to himself:
"Perhaps she doesn't like these colors! But the shawl is lovely! No,
that cannot be her reason. Can it be that she really means to remain
virtuous? But there was that dream of hers, in which she imagined that
she was very rich. The little minx has something in her head, and she
will have to tell me what it is."
At last, about noon, Mademoiselle Georgette arrived. Lépinette ushered
her at once into the small salon, where the viscount was impatiently
awaiting her. She bowed to him, with a charming smile; while he, on the
contrary, pretended to be sulky. He pointed to a chair, saying:
"Be seated, mademoiselle."
"Your cigar cases are finished, monsieur; here they are."
"Very well! but I am not thinking about them."
"Your servant told me that you wanted them."
"My servant is an ass!--However, you are well aware that the cigar cases
are only a pretext for seeing you. What is the use of beating about the
bush, when one can speak frankly?"
"Why, no, monsieur, I didn't know----"
Edward pointed to the objects spread out on the couch, and asked
abruptly:
"Why did you refuse those?"
"Why did you send them to me?" she rejoined, in the same tone.
The young man did not know what reply to make; he began to laugh, and
finally exclaimed:
"Gad! one can never get the last word with you! Come, charming girl, let
us play with our cards exposed--what do you say?"
"I don't know how to play cards."
"Oh! you know perfectly well what I mean by that. However, I will
explain my meaning literally. I adore you."
"So you told me before."
"In love, one may be allowed to repeat one's self; indeed, that is one
of its great charms. I was saying, then, that I adore you."
"And I say that I don't believe you."
"I will compel you to believe me. You don't expect to pass your whole
youth without knowing what love is, do you?"
"I can't say, monsieur; but I have always heard that it isn't safe to
swear to anything."
"Now you're talking reasonably. Very well! let me be the fortunate
mortal to make love known to you. I am in a position to make you happy,
to make your lot an enviable one."
"A man always says that to the poor girl he is trying to seduce--but
afterward----"
"I always keep my promises. In the first place, I will give you a pretty
apartment, which I will furnish with taste. You shall have handsome
clothes and jewels. I will take you to the play and to drive; you shall
have a carriage at your disposal. I will pay all your tradesmen's bills,
and in addition you shall have a thousand francs a month to spend.--Tell
me, isn't that attractive?"
"Yes, indeed, most attractive! But how long will it last?"
"So long as you love me."
"You mean, so long as _you_ love _me_; and you gentlemen who are able to
gratify all your whims--your love affairs never last long."
"I have but one whim henceforth, and that is to please you. Well,
Georgette, you have heard what I have to offer; you consent to make me
happy, do you not?"
And the viscount tried to seize the girl's hand; but she hastily pulled
it away.
"No, monsieur, no!" she replied.
"What! you refuse my offers?"
"I refuse them."
"In heaven's name, have you some ground for hating me? Do you detest
me?"
"Not at all, I assure you!"
"Then it must be that what I offer doesn't satisfy you, eh? Well! tell
me what you want--what you desire. In short, explain yourself, I entreat
you!"
Georgette was silent for a moment, then said in a low tone:
"If I should tell you what I want, you would think me very ridiculous, I
am sure."
"Oh! no, no! tell me; women are entitled to have caprices without
number."
"Oh! this is no caprice; it is simply forethought for the
future.--Monsieur le vicomte, how much do you think it would cost to
bring up a little girl, from the cradle till she was about sixteen years
old--that is to say, to make a woman of her?"
The young man stared blankly at her, as he replied:
"What in the devil does that question mean? what connection has it with
my offers?"
"Much, I assure you. At all events, be good enough to answer; what is
the probable cost of a girl's education, and her support--everything?"
"As if I knew! As if I ever paid any attention to such things!"
"No, I suppose you never have paid any attention to them; but, no
matter! make a guess at it."
"Well! about three or four thousand francs, I suppose."
"No, monsieur, you're a long way off. I reckon that it would cost fully
twenty thousand francs."
"Twenty thousand francs! Nonsense! that isn't possible! Twenty thousand
francs for a child?"
"Yes, monsieur, when that child is a daughter; when one wishes to give
her a good education, and to cultivate her talents until she is a woman
grown. Really, monsieur, I should have said that you were more generous!
Forty thousand francs a year is too little for your pleasures, and you
think that twenty thousand is too much for bringing up and educating a
woman, and assuring her of a bare existence! Ah! that's just like you
men!"
"No, no, you are right: twenty thousand francs is none too much. But,
for God's sake, let us drop this subject and return to you--to you, who
will not always be so cruel to me, I trust. What do you want? you
haven't told me yet."
"Well, monsieur le vicomte, if I should yield to your solicitations, as
I might have a little girl, I want the means of bringing her up, of
giving her an education; and as I have no faith in a seducer's promises,
I want it--before I give myself to him.--Do you understand me now?"
The viscount was speechless with surprise; he frowned, moved his chair
away from Georgette's, and muttered at last:
"Hum! all this means that you want twenty thousand francs before you
surrender?"
"Yes, monsieur, that's it exactly."
"That's a little expensive, mademoiselle."
"It's not I who am expensive, monsieur," retorted the girl, with a
glance of disdain, almost of contempt; "it's the little girl--the
child."
"The little girl! the little girl! but you haven't one yet! Wait at
least until you have it, before you make such a demand!"
"No, no! for it would be too late then, and I should be very sure of
being refused."
"Do you think so?"
"I don't think so; I am certain of it."
As she spoke, Georgette fixed her eyes on the young man's face with such
a meaning expression that he could not support it but lowered his eyes
and faltered:
"In truth--it is possible."
After a brief pause, Georgette rose, saying:
"Adieu, monsieur!"
"What! are you going, mademoiselle?"
"To be sure; I believe that we have nothing more to say to each other."
"I beg your pardon, but we have; only, your _ultimatum_ requires
reflection. Will you allow me to consider it a little?"
"Oh! as much as you please! You have compelled me to put my thoughts
into words. It is a foolish idea; let us think no more about it."
"Why so? Unless you said it as a joke."
"No, I spoke most seriously; but I am fully persuaded that you will not
make a sacrifice for me--of which I am not worthy."
"But I don't say that. Only, one hasn't such a large sum always at his
disposal."
"There is no hurry, monsieur; we shall see each other again. Excuse me;
I cannot stay any longer, I have work to do. Au revoir, monsieur le
vicomte!"
Georgette eluded the grasp of the young man, who tried to detain her,
and who exclaimed when she had gone:
"I suspected as much; she's a sly little fox, as cunning as a demon! As
bright as she is mischievous! But, twenty thousand francs--all at one
stroke! No, no! I won't make such a fool of myself for a grisette; that
would be too absurd! With her talk about a little girl, she reminded me
of that poor Suzanne, who had one, I believe. But what the devil am I
mooning about? I'll go to the club and forget it all!"
The viscount went to his club, then to a friend's house, where there was
sure to be high play. He tried to divert his thoughts, took a hand at
baccarat, lost ten thousand francs at the outset, then wound up by
winning three thousand.
"I might have lost twenty thousand," he said to himself, as he left the
game, "and I should have had to pay it within twenty-four hours. Oh! I
can obtain the money easily enough--it isn't that; I have only to sell a
few railroad shares. But, no, no! it would be too asinine! I am sure
that I should be sorry afterward!"
Two days passed, during which the viscount did his utmost to avoid
thinking about Georgette; but on the third day, being still haunted by
her image, he rose early, saying to himself:
"Pardieu! I am a great fool to torment myself like this, when it rests
entirely with me to obtain the pleasure I crave! After all, what do a
few banknotes more or less amount to? I'll save money in some other
direction. I may as well go to my broker and settle the matter. Besides,
I am to dine with those fellows the day after to-morrow; it shall not be
said that I had to pay for the dinner."
Edward called at his broker's and procured the sum that he needed by
selling certain securities. He returned home, placed the twenty thousand
francs in a dainty pocketbook, and, having ordered Lépinette to burden
himself anew with all the things that he had previously sent to
Georgette, said to him:
"Go up to that young lady's room; give her first this pocketbook, then
all this finery, and ask her when I shall see her. Go; I propose to
watch you from the hall; so no stupid blunders this time!"
The valet went up the two flights of stairs, and the viscount
impatiently awaited his return. Lépinette's face was fairly radiant when
he appeared.
"Well?" said Edward.
"The young woman opened the pocketbook. I was not inquisitive enough to
look at what she was counting, but I think it was banknotes."
"Idiot! What next?"
"She seemed delighted, and she said to me, with a most amiable
expression: 'Please inform your master that if he can come up to-night,
between eleven o'clock and twelve, it will give me great pleasure. I
wish to thank him in person.'"
"Bravo! at last! _tandem! denique tandem felix!_ Ah! I knew that I
should attain my ends! And those fellows won't have the laugh on me!"
The young man was insanely hilarious. He instantly demanded cigarettes,
which he had neglected utterly since he had had something to occupy his
mind; then he went out to try to kill time.
He returned to his apartment at eleven o'clock, but had the patience to
wait until midnight, so that he might not meet anyone in the hall. Then
he took a candle, and ran quickly up the two flights. He had learned
from Lépinette which was Georgette's door: it was the last on the right;
there was no possibility of a mistake. The viscount soon found the door,
and saw that the key was in the lock.
"She thinks of everything!" he said to himself; "there is no need of
knocking, and I don't have to wait on the landing; it's well done of
her."
He softly opened the door and entered the room, where it was absolutely
dark.
"So she has gone to bed already!" thought the viscount, walking toward
the bed, which was at the back of the room. He put forward his light: no
one; the bed was empty and had not been slept in. Utterly at sea, the
young man looked in all directions; at last, he discovered on a table
near the fireplace all the dry goods he had sent to Georgette a second
time; nothing was missing, not even the bonnet; but the little white
petticoat was laid on a piece of material, and on the petticoat was a
letter addressed to Monsieur le Vicomte Edward de Sommerston.
Our lover seized the letter and hurriedly ran his eye over it.
"MONSIEUR LE VICOMTE:
"I have gone away; do not look for me. I carry with me your
pocketbook and its contents; I need only that, so I leave you all
the rest. I leave you, in addition, my little white petticoat,
which seemed to please you immensely; but some day I shall ask you
to return it to me; for I expect to see you again, in order to
explain my conduct; then, perhaps, you will consider that it was
perfectly natural, rather than blamable."
The viscount stood for some time, lost in amazement, gazing alternately
at the letter and the petticoat; but suddenly he burst into a laugh,
saying to himself:
"Gad! she's a most amusing little hussy! And it has been a racy
adventure. I will regale my friends with it when I give them that
dinner, the day after to-morrow."
XXIII
THE GENTLEMEN WITH THE THREE PETTICOATS
Toward the close of the month of September following, one fine day,
about two o'clock in the afternoon, a gentleman was walking back and
forth along the path in front of the monkey house at the Jardin des
Plantes.
This gentleman was no other than our old acquaintance Monsieur Dupont,
of whom we lost sight some time ago. We left him in the private
dining-room, where he had dined with Georgette, who quitted him abruptly
because he thought that he could easily triumph over a girl who had
consented to dine with him alone at a restaurant; so that his _bonne
fortune_ was limited to the possession of a little striped petticoat
which had been left in his hands.
Dupont had returned to his wife at Brives-la-Gaillarde. He had carried
the little petticoat with him, but had been careful not to show it to
his wife, who might have thought it strange that her husband should
bring nothing back from Paris save a second-hand petticoat. However,
Dupont had been much less inclined to sleep since his return; that was
something in favor of the capital. From time to time, when he was alone,
he took the grisette's little petticoat from its hiding place and gazed
fondly at it, sighing as he remembered her who had worn it and to whom
it was so becoming. On those days, Dupont was even less sleepy than
usual, and his wife would say to him:
"My dear, it was an excellent idea for you to pass a few weeks in Paris;
you came back much more wide awake; it did you good."
Finally, about the middle of September, Dupont received a letter thus
conceived:
"If you desire to see Mademoiselle Georgette again, whose
acquaintance you made during your stay in Paris last spring,
monsieur, be good enough to be at the Jardin des Plantes, on the
path facing the monkey house, about two o'clock in the afternoon of
the 25th of this month; she will join you there. You will confer a
great favor by bringing with you the little striped petticoat that
Mademoiselle Georgette left in your hands."
Dupont quivered with joy when he read this letter: