you are altogether to my taste, and that my wife could not have an
acquaintance who would be more agreeable to me.”
“You hear, charming lady; now I am your husband’s friend too; and I like
to believe that you have kept a little place warm for me in your heart.
_Tarteiff!_”
“Certainly, Monsieur de--I cannot possibly remember your name.”
“Schtapelmerg--descended, I venture to say, from one of the most
venerable families of Bavaria.”
“Yes, yes! I know it. But, my dear baron, allow me to tell you that you
are really rather careless in the matter of dress! I know that a man
pays little attention to such details when travelling; but upon my word,
if I didn’t know you as I do, seeing you appear in this garb I should
never have detected in you the true aristocrat.”
“I deserve the rebuke. Yes, I deserve it. I am dressed like a
ragamuffin, that is true! You see, in the train, while I was dozing, a
fellow traveller took my hat, which was quite new, and left me with this
one. I didn’t notice it till I left the train.”
“There’s some very clever stealing done on railway trains,” said
Chamoureau; “I myself, one day--that is to say, one evening--or rather
it was just between daylight and dark; but there was a man----”
“I believe that we will postpone your story, monsieur,” said Thélénie,
interrupting her husband. “But how about the things I gave you to
do--have you attended to them?”
“Not yet, my sweet love; I was going out for that purpose, when I met
the dear baron in the avenue of lindens. At that moment I was thinking
of something very important--how old those magnificent trees probably
are.”
“It seems to me, monsieur, that you will do better to think of my
commissions--while I talk with this old friend, who has many things to
tell me, no doubt.”
“Oh! yes, _belle dame_; I have to tell you about a lot of people, whom I
met on my travels.”
“In that case, dear love, I will leave you to talk with the baron, to
whom I will not say adieu, for I am sure that he will do us the honor to
dine with us, and even to pass a few days with us.”
“I ask nothing better, ten thousand cabbages! I will stay as long as you
choose; this must be a good place to loaf!”
Thélénie flashed an angry glance at her brother; the words _loaf_ and
_ten thousand cabbages_ seemed sadly out of place in the mouth of a
Bavarian baron.
But, at a gesture from her, Chamoureau made haste to leave the room,
after pressing Herr Schtapelmerg’s hand once more.
“Faith, my dear girl,” said Croque, when his brother-in-law had
disappeared, “there’s nobody like you for picking up men of this bake!
if you had ‘em made expressly, they wouldn’t be any better! And rich,
very rich, with it all--so I understand. My compliments, madame; a most
excellent marriage!”
“There is no doubt that my dear husband must be a great simpleton to
believe the fable you told him. You must have plenty of cheek to present
yourself as a baron, dressed as you are!”
“I never lack cheek, you know!”
“How did you learn that I was here?”
“We idlers always know everything that’s going on. I am sufficiently
interested in you not to lose sight of you. I was told that you had made
a rich marriage, and I soon learned that you called yourself Madame de
Belleville! Very pretty! very coquettish! It was not hard to find out
the rest!”
“What is your object in coming here?”
“In the first place to inquire for your health and congratulate you on
your marriage; secondly----”
“To ask me for more money?”
“What the devil do you expect? Living’s so dear!”
“Have you spent already the thousand francs I gave you some time ago?”
“Oh! they’re a long way off. In the first place, I paid debts, settled
with tradesmen; that ruined me. I can’t bear to have debts! In that
respect I carry delicacy to the point of absurdity, perhaps. However, a
man can’t make himself over, so I never borrow; especially as no one
would lend me.”
Having satisfied herself that they were quite alone, Thélénie went back
to Croque, who had thrown himself into an easy-chair and stretched
himself out as if he proposed to go to sleep.
“Listen, Croque,” she said; “I am willing to give you money again,--to
come to your assistance, but you must do something for me.”
“Whatever you choose, I will do! I am at your service, and you know my
talents.”
“There are two women whom I hate and detest; one of them is my rival,
the other has insulted me; and they live together.”
“Very good. Where do they live?”
“Here, in this very village; they occupy a small house--quite isolated;
I will show it to you.”
“You let me know what you want, and things will move; express train, no
stops!”
“Oh! we must act prudently; I don’t know yet what I shall do; the main
point now is for you to establish yourself in this place.”
“Am I not all right here in your house?”
“No; you may come here, but it will be better for our plans that you
should have lodgings elsewhere. First of all, to act up to the character
you have assumed, you must begin by dressing differently. I receive a
great many people here, and everybody isn’t as stupid----”
“As your husband?”
“Exactly. Here are five hundred francs to replenish your wardrobe.
Return to Paris and get yourself suitable clothes.”
“Never fear; I shall be superb!”
“And when you speak, don’t drop into slang, as you did just now.”
“There are some people in the best society who talk slang--as a joke.
It’s admissible.”
“Don’t swear by ten thousand cabbages! that’s horribly vulgar!”
“I should say that it was extremely German.”
“And then, don’t be forever playing the windmill with your cane; you
look like a merry-andrew.”
“Enough, beautiful princess; I will be perfumed, curled and corseted; in
fact, I will be very _comme il faut_ in my dress as in my speech.”
“Very good; go back to Paris and come here to-morrow with a proper
wardrobe.”
“I will be very _chic_. So I don’t dine here to-day?”
“No; you will need time to make your purchases, and you must come back
to-morrow.”
“But what about that dear De Belleville, who counts on finding me here?”
“Oh! don’t let that disturb you; I will tell him that you absolutely
insisted on going to Paris to change your clothes.”
“’Tis well; I go then, and I return to-morrow.”
“Yes; and I will set about finding you a little place near by.”
“Au revoir then. To-morrow the Baron von Schtapelmerg will do credit to
Madame de Belleville.”
Croque took leave of Thélénie, went away by the avenue of lindens, and,
overjoyed to have five hundred francs in his pocket, could not resist
the temptation to play the windmill with his cane.
XIII
THE WARNING
Edmond had been in Paris several days, because he had been led to hope
that he would be appointed to a place to which a handsome salary was
attached; he had gone through all the manoeuvring that is indispensable
when one is seeking employment. And then the place had finally been
given to another, who had taken very little pains to obtain it, but who
had the patronage of a petticoat.
Edmond returned to Chelles, to Agathe, who saw by the expression of his
eyes that he had been disappointed.
“You have failed to obtain the place that you expected, haven’t you,
Monsieur Edmond? Well, you must not be cast down on that account; we can
afford to wait, it seems to me. I am so happy, now that my dear good
friend has said that I shall be your wife, that I feel as if I could not
be any happier.”
Edmond did not feel the same way, and he could not restrain a sigh; but
he kissed Agathe’s hand and promised to be patient.
The girl lost no time in telling her friend what there was new at
Chelles since he went away.
“You must know, Monsieur Edmond, that a fine estate on the other side of
the town, known as Goldfish Villa, has recently been sold. The people
who have bought it are very rich, so they say; they have carriages and
saddle horses. They have already given a great dinner, to which all the
principal land owners of the neighborhood were invited; so that nobody
speaks of them now without a reverence.”
“I presume they called on you to invite you?”
“No indeed!” cried Honorine; “we have only a tiny house! We are not
worthy to be admitted to such dazzling heights!”
“What you tell me gives me a very low opinion of these people to begin
with. Are they young?”
“Yes!--that is to say, we have seen only the wife; but it seems that the
husband is young too. As for the lady, she is very good-looking, a
brunette with black eyes and an elegant figure; and she rides superbly.”
“She rides, you say?”
“She does nothing else, and she passes our house every day.”
“Yes, and one day when I was at the window of the little summer-house at
the end of the garden, she stared at me so persistently! Oh! I am quite
sure that she will know me again.”
“Probably she didn’t expect to find such a sweet face in this part of
the country.”
“I don’t know what she expected, but her manner of staring at me was not
at all agreeable.”
“And I,” added Honorine with a laugh, “nearly had a duel with her.”
“A duel! this is worse and worse! How came you to quarrel with this
woman?”
“I was out on the road and I heard shrieks; it was that little boy we
have told you about--the lost child, as he is called by the
peasants--whom the beautiful amazon was thrashing with her hunting crop
because he didn’t get out of her way quickly enough. Naturally I took
the child’s part, which made the lady very angry with me. I must confess
that the boy put himself in the wrong by throwing a lump of earth which
struck the horse in the head; he reared, and his rider was furious. I
don’t know what she would not have done to little Emile if a defender
had not arrived in the person of Ami, Monsieur Paul’s dog, who bravely
championed the cause of the weaker, and forced the amazon to beat a
retreat. Since that day Ami comes very often to see us; he has no
difficulty in making us hear, for he scratches, or rather knocks, at the
small garden gate, until it is opened; he passes a quarter of an hour
with us, then goes back to the little gate and gives us to understand
that he wants it opened; he looks at us both, sitting down in front of
us, and offering us his paw like an old friend. That is by way of
bidding us adieu, and then he trots off without further delay.”
“And his master?”
“His master doesn’t come himself, but he allows his dog to come; that is
a good deal for him.”
“I should be very glad to see that man; what you have told me about him
has aroused my curiosity.”
“We very rarely meet him; but it is probable that you will soon see
Madame de Belleville.”
“Madame de Belleville, did you say?”
“Yes, that’s the name of the newcomers who have made so much stir. Do
you know them?”
Freluchon had once told Edmond that Chamoureau called himself Monsieur
de Belleville; but Thélénie’s former lover had paid no attention. And
yet the name sounded familiar to him; he tried to recall where and when
he had heard it.
“Well,” continued Agathe, “you don’t answer me. I asked you if you knew
Monsieur and Madame de Belleville?”
“I am trying to think, mademoiselle; the name is not unfamiliar to me.”
“Try hard; something tells me that you do know that lady.”
“What can make you think that, dear Agathe?” asked Honorine.
“The extraordinary way in which she stared at me.”
“Really?--Then I hope to see her soon, in order to be able to tell you
that you are mistaken.”
“Tutu--turlututu.”
“Ah! here’s Père Ledrux,” said Honorine. “Well! did you carry off the
black hen?”
“Yes, madame; and not a minute too soon! She was making the others as
bad as herself. We shall have to watch now and see if the rooster
hasn’t taken a spite against another one. Because, you see, when the
rooster is down on a hen, he thrashes her till she dies--and that makes
the others feel bad.”
“Really, Père Ledrux, I wouldn’t have believed that there were so many
crimes committed in a hencoop.”
“Oh, yes! and everywhere else. Animals, you see, they ain’t any better
or worse than us humans; they hate each other and they fight!”
Agathe had become pensive; Edmond meanwhile was wondering if Madame de
Belleville could possibly be Thélénie.
The gardener, who loved to gossip, continued:
“This little place of ours is getting well filled up; and more swells,
too--a baron! nothing less.”
“What do you say, Père Ledrux? there’s a baron in the village?”
“Just that--a real baron, who’s hired a little belvedere within a couple
of days; it’s about the size of a dovecote, but Monsieur Remplumé calls
it a belvedere. It’s right at one end of his land, and he’s let it to
this German baron, who’s an intimate friend, so they say, of the owners
of the confectioner’s place, or Goldfish Villa; he’s dined there twice
already.”
“Why, you know everything, Père Ledrux.”
“I tell you! I’ve seen the baron walking arm-in-arm with Monsieur de
Belleville. So then I says to myself: ‘It seems that they know each
other and are good friends.’”
“What sort of looking man is this German?”
“Well! he’s neither young nor old; he ain’t much to look at; in fact,
he’s terrible homely; but he’s got rings on his fingers, gold fal-lals
on his watch chain, and a fine cane with a gold head too. Oh! he looks
as if he was well fixed. Monsieur Remplumé says he’s a nobleman from the
Bavarian country.”
“And his name?”
“Wait a minute; it’s a hard name to pronounce; Baron _j’tape_--and then
a _merg_! I could never get the name right. But look, I see him now on
the road--yes, here comes this newly-arrived baron, walking with Madame
de Belleville. If you want to get a look at them, all you’ve got to do
is to go up to your little summer-house.”
“Really, it’s too good an opportunity to lose. Come, Monsieur Edmond,”
said Honorine; “you shall see Madame de Belleville and this newcomer
who, we are told, is a German baron.”
The party entered the little summer-house and went to the window.
Thélénie, who was on foot this time, was walking very slowly, talking
with her brother, but she had not taken his arm.
Croque was dressed in a brand-new black _redingote_ and trousers; his
boots were polished, his hat, although cocked over his ear, was new and
glossy; he wore kid gloves, on which he kept his eyes fixed, and
well-starched shirt-cuffs, which he made haste to pull down when they
disappeared under his sleeves.
They were walking quite slowly and Thélénie seemed to be speaking with
much earnestness. Croque, as he listened to her, strutted proudly along
in his new clothes, and twirled his cane.
Although they were still at some distance from the window at which he
was standing, Edmond instantly recognized Thélénie. Noticing his
momentary embarrassment, Agathe said to him:
“I guessed right, did I not? You know that lady?”
“Yes, I think that I have met her and her husband; I knew her husband
the better of the two.”
“Ah! her husband. Well, why do you leave the window? are you afraid to
have her see you with us?”
“Oh! mademoiselle, everywhere, before the whole world, I should be proud
and happy to be seen with you.”
“Very well! then stay at the window. She is coming near now; we shall
see whether she will stare at you as she stared at me.”
“Bless my soul!” cried Honorine; “I don’t know whether that man is a
great German nobleman, but he certainly is very ugly! and he cuts a most
curious figure!”
Thélénie, although she pretended not to look in the direction of the
summer-house, saw that there were people at the window; she touched
Croque’s arm and whispered:
“Look carefully; there are those women.”
“I see; but there’s a young man with them.”
“A young man!”
Thélénie looked up and saw Edmond. Her face became ghastly pale. But,
making a mighty effort to conceal her emotion, she stopped in front of
the summer-house, bowed to the young man and said with a gracious smile:
“Why! it’s Monsieur Edmond Didier! I am delighted to meet you here. I
hope that we shall have the pleasure of seeing you occasionally. We have
bought a place here and mean to stay all summer.”
Edmond bowed very coldly, but made no reply.
Thereupon the beautiful brunette nodded her head to him very familiarly,
and, as if she had not noticed the two ladies who were present, turned
to Croque and said:
“Come, my dear baron, we must walk faster; my husband will not know what
has become of us; he must be worried.--Au revoir, Monsieur Edmond!”
The pretended baron raised his hat and bowed very respectfully as he
passed the window, muttering:
“_Bigre_! a pretty morsel, that young blonde! I wouldn’t object at all
to that game!”
“Very well! take her, I give her to you,” said Thélénie, contracting her
heavy eyebrows.
“You give her to me? that’s all right, so far as it goes. But
unfortunately she isn’t at your disposal.”
“Can it be that Croque has lost all his imagination, ingenuity,
audacity? Make a conquest of that girl, I tell you, and on the day that
you furnish me with proof that you have succeeded,--that she has
yielded,--I’ll give you three thousand francs!”
“Three thousand francs and such a sweet little phiz to win! I’ll do it
or forfeit my name; not Schtapelmerg, but my real name.”
“What a brazen air that woman has!” said Agathe, when the brother and
sister had disappeared. “She spoke to you just as if you were alone; she
didn’t condescend even to bow to us. Shall you go to her house?”
“Oh no! no, indeed! I assure you that I haven’t the slightest intention
of doing so.”
“Why, you are unreasonable, Agathe,” said Honorine; “if Monsieur Edmond
is intimate with this lady’s husband, why do you wish him not to go to
their house?”
“I knew Chamoureau before he married that woman, madame; now----”
“Chamoureau? why, that is the name of the real estate agent to whom we
went to buy this house, and who would never have done anything about it,
I fancy, but for you.”
“Just so, madame; he is the very man, who, after inheriting twenty
thousand francs a year, married Madame Sainte-Suzanne.”
“What! he is the husband of that magnificent amazon? But in that case
her name is Madame Chamoureau.”
“To be sure.”
“And why does she call herself De Belleville?”
“Because the name of Chamoureau did not seem to her sufficiently
distinguished.”
“Ha! ha! ha! this is delicious! What a discovery! Just let her stare at
me so obstinately again, and I’ll say: ‘Has Madame Chamoureau anything
to say to me?’”
“That would be the best way to put her to flight, I assure you! But you
must excuse her; she is bewildered by the position she occupies; and the
high and mighty airs she assumes prove how unused she is to her
newly-acquired wealth.”
Night had come, and Edmond remained at Madame Dalmont’s to dinner. In
the bottom of his heart he was displeased to find Thélénie in the same
place with the girl he loved; something whispered to him that his love
for Agathe was one of the motives which had brought his former mistress
to Chelles. He was conscious of a vague uneasiness; for that woman had
sworn to be revenged upon him, and he knew that she was capable of
defying heaven and earth to keep her oath.
However, Edmond did his utmost to conceal his pre-occupation, but it is
difficult to dissemble successfully before the eyes of those who love
us. Agathe’s eyes often rested on the young man, and she sighed as she
said to herself:
“How that woman smiled at him! how she looked at him!”
Suddenly Honorine’s attention was attracted by a scratching as of claws,
and blows on the small garden gate.
“I will wager that Ami has come to see us!” she cried.
“He doesn’t usually come in the evening,” said Agathe.
“No matter; it is he, I am sure.”
And the young woman hastened to the gate which opened into the fields.
It was in fact Ami who had knocked; he rushed into the garden, then ran
back to Honorine and gambolled about her. She put her hand on the dog’s
head, saying:
“What, Ami! is it you? so late? How does it happen that you come to
Chelles in the evening? Is your master in the neighborhood?”
Ami listened attentively, then ran into the living-room on the ground
floor, where Agathe and Edmond were.
“Honorine was right,” said the girl, as she went to pat Ami, “it is
Monsieur Paul’s dog--the owner of the Tower. Make his acquaintance, my
dear; he is very fond of me, and I am sure that he will love you
too.--Come, Ami, look at Monsieur Edmond. Do you see, I put my hand in
his, to show you that you must love him as you do me. Come, give me your
paw; that’s right; and let monsieur shake hands with you.”
Ami looked earnestly at Edmond, but his eyes were full of kindliness,
and he did exactly what Agathe told him.
“Now I am happy,” she cried; “for you may be sure, Monsieur Edmond, that
you have now a new friend, who will be perfectly well able to defend
you, if he should see that you were in danger.”
“It is very strange, however, that the dog should come so late to call
upon us,” said Honorine; “it makes me feel uncomfortable. Do you suppose
that his master is sick--that he has come to ask for help?”
“Oh! my dear, you are very foolish to be alarmed; just see how lively
and contented Ami is! If he were the bearer of bad news, he wouldn’t
play about us like this.”
“I agree with mademoiselle,” said Edmond. A moment later, he added:
“It’s a very dismal thing to call one’s fiancée ‘mademoiselle.’ Don’t
you think so, madame?”
Honorine smiled, while Agathe hastily rejoined:
“And I think it’s horrible to say ‘monsieur’!--It’s so ceremonious,
monsieur!”
“Well! what prevents you from calling each other Agathe and Edmond
simply?”
“Oh! madame! have we your permission?”
“I see no harm in it, when you are engaged.”
“Oh! what joy, my dear good friend! How sweet it will be, Edmond!--Do
you hear, Monsieur Edmond?”
“No more ‘monsieur,’ dear Agathe!”
“True; but one dares not begin all at once. Never mind; I shall soon get
used to calling you Edmond--just Edmond.”
“And I--Agathe, my beloved Agathe!”
“Oh! monsieur, my dear friend didn’t sanction the ‘beloved’!”
“But she didn’t forbid it, mademoiselle!”
“Well, well! now he’s calling me ‘mademoiselle’ again!”
“You called me ‘monsieur.’”
“Hush, child!” cried Honorine; “someone knocked at the garden gate.”
“I didn’t hear anything,” said Agathe.
“I am certain that there’s someone there; and see, Ami is running in
that direction, and he doesn’t make mistakes.”
“Who can come so late?”
“Late! why, it isn’t nine o’clock.”
“That is late for the country; we will go with you and see who it is.
Poucette is singing upstairs and did not hear.”
“Stay here; I’m not afraid; besides, Ami is with me.”
Honorine soon reached the end of the little garden. The dog was jumping
against the gate, wagging his tail and uttering short, joyous little
yelps. There was no possibility of mistake as to the person who was
outside, and Honorine soon found herself face to face with the owner of
the Tower.
“Excuse me, madame,” said Paul, as he raised his hat to the young woman.
“It is rather late for me to call upon you; but I have been to see
Guillot’s family and the good people kept me longer than I thought; time
passes so quickly with those who are glad to see one! When I left them I
discovered that Monsieur Ami had deserted me. I thought that there was
no other house but yours in this part of the country, to which he could
have come, and I see that I was not mistaken.--Really, madame, I am
afraid that the dog is a nuisance to you; his visits are becoming too
frequent; you must send him away when he is unwelcome.”
“No, monsieur, we shall not send him away, because we are fond of him
and his visits give us pleasure.--But will not you, monsieur, pass
through this gate? shall we never have a visit from anybody but your
dog?”
Ami’s master replied by entering the garden, and Honorine was conscious
of a feeling of gratification which she did not try to conceal.
She escorted her guest to the living-room, where Agathe and Edmond had
remained. The former sprang to her feet when she saw Paul, exclaiming:
“Oh! this is a pleasant surprise, monsieur!”
“You must not thank monsieur too much,” said Honorine; “if Ami had not
come to see us, I fancy that monsieur would never have honored us with a
visit.”
“Madame----”
“But it is wrong of me to say that.--You do not like society, and you
lay aside your habits to-day, in our favor; we should be very grateful
to you for it.”
Paul had remained in the doorway, looking at Edmond, whom he had not
previously met.
“Allow me,” said Honorine, “to present Monsieur Edmond Didier; he is the
only person who comes now and then to enliven our solitude; but he is
entitled to do so, for he loves Agathe, and I have promised to let them
marry when they are a little more sensible.”
Paul’s brow seemed to brighten; he bowed to Edmond and took the seat
that Honorine offered him.