fortune to be the man of business of these ladies, and you forget the
commissions with which they entrust you. Upon my word, you are
unpardonable."
"It isn't forgetfulness, Monsieur Edmond; it's that other matter--you
know, on Rue de Ponthieu--that is forever in my head."
"Hush! it is inexcusable. If I had it in my power to render these ladies
the slightest service, I should esteem myself too fortunate."
"Really, you are very kind, monsieur," said Honorine, "but you will be
of great service to us if you remind your friend that he ought to
conclude this affair."
"Not only will I remind him of it, madame, but I undertake not to lose
sight of him until he has taken all the necessary steps to conclude
it.--You desire to purchase a house in the country, madame?"
"Yes, monsieur, and the price is satisfactory to me."
"The owner's name is Courtivaux?"
"Yes, monsieur."
"And this Courtivaux lives in Paris, does he, Chamoureau?"
"To be sure; on Rue Jacob, Faubourg Saint-Germain."
"Very good. We will take my cab and go at once to see this gentleman;
from there we will go to the notary to fix a time for passing the
papers; and from there to tell madame what day is appointed."
Agathe clapped her hands and cried:
"Ah! that is good! it will soon be done then! Ah! monsieur, how----"
The girl had the word charming on the tip of her tongue, but she checked
herself, realizing that it would hardly be proper to use that expression
to a person whom she did not know. She lowered her eyes and glanced at
her friend, who hastened to say:
"We are very grateful, monsieur, for the interest which you are good
enough to take in our affairs, especially as you do not know us."
"Mon Dieu! madame, my interest is quite natural; as soon as one has the
pleasure of seeing you, one feels eager--one desires--to be of some
service to you."
Edmond also realized that he was getting confused, and that the eyes of
young Agathe, which were then fixed upon him, disturbed him to such an
extent as to take away his usual self-confidence. To conceal his
embarrassment, he turned to Chamoureau.
"Come, my dear fellow, didn't you hear what I promised these ladies? Let
us be off at once! We shall find my cab at the door and we will drive
straight to the vendor's house."
"What! do you really mean to go to Monsieur Courtivaux's with me?"
"I have told these ladies that I would not leave you until we have
completed their transaction, or at least appointed a time with the
notary for having the documents settled."
"But I thought that you had an appointment this morning. Just now you
were in great haste to leave me in order to go to the Bois de Boulogne."
"If you have other engagements, monsieur," said Honorine to Edmond, "we
should be very sorry to have you neglect them on our account."
"No, madame, no, I assure you that I have no other important engagement
for to-day. I was going to drive in the Bois; but one always has time
for that."
"Oh, yes!" cried Agathe; "besides, I think it will be fine all day."
And the girl smiled at Edmond, to thank him for persisting in his plan
of accompanying the agent.
"But the person who is waiting for you," muttered Chamoureau, as he
looked for his hat. "You told me that----"
"It's of no consequence. It's a friend of mine, an idler like myself,
and it makes no difference to him whether he goes to the Bois to-day or
to-morrow.--Come, are you ready? How slow you are in finding your hat!"
"You don't give me time to breathe. I can't go to see Monsieur
Courtivaux in a skull-cap."
At last, thanks to Edmond, Chamoureau was ready to start. They all left
the office together. The young man would have been glad to offer his
hand to Agathe to escort her downstairs; but she was as light and active
as a doe, and was at the bottom long before the others.
Edmond had come in a _milord_, which was waiting for him at the door; he
bade Chamoureau step in, saying:
"Do you know the address of these ladies?"
"Yes, certainly; I must know it."
But Agathe, fearing that their agent might have forgotten their address
as well, hastened to say to Edmond:
"Madame Dalmont, Rue des Martyrs, 40."
"Very good, mademoiselle. I shall not forget, you may be sure. Mesdames,
you shall have news of your business before night."
"We do not know how to thank you, monsieur."
"I am too happy to be able to serve you. Driver, Rue Jacob, Faubourg
Saint-Germain!"
"I say! what about Mademoiselle Amélia, whom you promised to take to
drive this morning?" said Chamoureau as they rolled along.
"What do I care for Amélia? Do you suppose that I am going to put myself
out for a paltry flower-maker, when I have an opportunity to be of
service to such charming women! for they are charming, those two! Tell
me, Chamoureau, how long have they been clients of yours? They can't be
mother and daughter! Are they sisters, I wonder? Yes, in all
probability. And yet they don't at all resemble each other! One of them
is married; what does her husband do? do you know him too?"
"Sapristi! Monsieur Edmond, you bewilder me with your questions! I don't
know which one to answer.--I have known these ladies a very short time.
They came to my office--ah! I remember only too well it was the day
after Mi-Carême! I had just come home in my Spanish costume, thanks to
that scamp of a Freluchon. For you know that my brand-new black coat and
trousers are at his rooms! and heaven knows whether he will ever come
back; once at Havre, he's quite capable of starting for America. If he
should do that I'd have his door opened by the police."
"What in the devil are you talking about?--I didn't ask you about your
clothes; I asked you who those two pretty women are that I saw at your
office just now? The younger one, especially. She must be unmarried;
I'll wager that she's hardly sixteen. What a fascinating face! What a
sweet expression in her eyes! There is modesty, playfulness, kindliness
in her expression. I have never met such a charming young woman! What is
her name? The elder lady's name is Dalmont, I know; but the young lady?
tell me--you must know her name."
"Her name is Thélénie de Sainte-Suzanne; you know it well enough, having
been so intimate with her; having had that felicity!"
"Come, come, Chamoureau, pay a little more attention to what I say. I am
not talking about Thélénie; she has nothing in common with the girl I
met just now at your office, thank God!"
"Madame Sainte-Suzanne is much more beautiful. She's a grown woman, just
in her prime!"
"We won't quarrel about our tastes. Adore Thélénie, my dear Monsieur
Chamoureau, it is your right! but tell me the name of the charming girl
who was with Madame Dalmont."
"Her name! how should I know it? Oh, yes! I remember now that her friend
called her Agathe several times."
"Agathe! her name is Agathe, you say! What a sweet name!"
"Thélénie is a much more distinguished name; and the proof is that it
isn't to be found in the Saints' Calendar!"
"Then that lady is her friend, her kinswoman, her cousin perhaps. Is she
rich?"
"No, her means are very modest."
"What does the husband do?"
"There isn't one; the lady is a widow."
"No husband; so much the better!"
"Why so much the better? Do you propose to marry the widow?"
"I don't say that. But when there is no man in a house----"
"It is easier to get in, you think, eh?"
"Oh, no! just the opposite; for it is almost always the husband who
takes his friends to his house."
"There's no man at Madame Sainte-Suzanne's, but that doesn't prevent her
receiving men. She received me, indeed she herself invited me to come to
see her."
"For God's sake, Monsieur Chamoureau, let us drop Thélénie!"
"I am in love with her, monsieur, I am passionately in love with her!"
"So it would seem, as your passion made you forget the business Madame
Dalmont placed in your hands.--Ah! that was very bad!"
"Here is Monsieur Courtivaux's house; are you going up with me?"
"I should say so! you are quite capable of talking to him of nothing but
Thélénie!"
Edmond accompanied the agent to the apartment of the owner of the house
at Chelles. He was very accommodating; he was anxious to get rid of his
little country estate, and thanks to the eloquence of Edmond, who
impressed it upon him that the purchaser was a young widow of small
means, he consented to pay the expenses of the transaction. He gave them
his notary's address, and suggested that they meet there at three
o'clock on the following day. Edmond declared that Madame Dalmont would
be there punctually, and informed Monsieur Courtivaux that he would go
at once to advise the notary.
While the young man hastily made this arrangement, Chamoureau stood in
rapt contemplation before a woman's portrait, and whispered in Edmond's
ear:
"Don't you think it looks like her?"
"Like whom?"
"Her!"
"Mademoiselle Agathe?"
"No, the superb Sainte-Suzanne!"
"Not in the least. But let us be off. We must go to the notary."
"What! has Monsieur Courtivaux said that he would be there?"
"It's all settled, all arranged; the day and hour were fixed while you
were sighing in front of that portrait. Really, it's very lucky for
those ladies that I came with you! Let us go."
Edmond took Chamoureau to see the notary. The young man had now become
the agent; he made all the arrangements. Chamoureau's only function
seemed to be to sigh.
From the notary's they set off in their cab to go to Madame Dalmont's.
As they drew nearer to her abode, Edmond became more thoughtful and
silent; he even went so far as to sigh, like his companion.
"I am going to that lady's house," he thought. "She will learn that she
is under some obligation to me, since I hastened forward the conclusion
of the transaction. She will thank me; but will she ask me to come
again? That is doubtful, for she has known me only since this morning.
However, I shall no longer be a stranger to them; that is a point
gained."
"Is this the place?" he inquired, pointing to a house.
"I haven't the slightest idea."
"Do you mean that you have never been to see those ladies?"
"Never. But they told us number 40, so this must be the house.--Are you
going up with me?"
"Am I going up with you! That's a pretty question! Why, I settled the
business almost unaided; and do you think I am not going to tell them
about it?"
"Bless my soul! it makes no difference to me; I had no special object in
view in asking you that question."
Agathe opened the door and uttered a cry of joy when she saw Edmond, for
there was something in the young man's expression that announced the
successful result of the steps he had taken.
In a few words he informed Madame Dalmont that the business was
concluded, that Monsieur Courtivaux agreed to assume the expenses, and
that the next day, at three o'clock, she was expected at the notary's
whose address he gave her.
Honorine expressed to the young man the gratitude which the zeal he had
shown in her service had merited. While her friend was speaking, Agathe
said nothing; but it is probable that she too thanked Edmond with her
eyes, for he was radiant with joy.
When the ladies had also said a few words to Chamoureau, who acted as if
he had no idea what it was all about, Edmond said to Honorine:
"As soon as the deeds are signed, madame, you will be entitled to go
with mademoiselle and take possession of your estate, where, I presume,
you propose to pass the summer."
"Summer and winter too, monsieur. I have bought the house with the
intention of secluding myself there altogether."
"What, madame! you are leaving Paris for good? you do not expect to
return for the winter?"
"No, monsieur, I shall pass the whole year at Chelles."
"And mademoiselle also?"
"As if I could live apart from my dear friend!" replied Agathe with a
smile. "As if I could ever leave her! Where she is, I shall always be.
And then, I do not care for Paris, and I look forward with delight to
living in the country."
Edmond's face darkened; he already regretted that he had shown so much
zeal in facilitating their speedy departure. There is always more or
less selfishness in the zeal we display in serving other people. In
Paris he thought that it would be easy for him to see Agathe again, to
meet her, even if he were obliged to pass a large part of the day on the
street where she lived. But he must needs abandon that hope, if she
ceased to live in Paris.
"Are you not afraid, mesdames, of suffering from ennui in the winter, in
a village?" murmured Edmond at last, looking at Agathe with a melancholy
expression.
"One does not suffer from ennui, monsieur," replied Honorine, "with
plenty of occupation for one's time. Women always have something to
overlook, some work to do in a house. In the country, there are a
thousand additional duties to be attended to--a garden, a
poultry-yard--And then, for diversion, we have reading and music."
"Ah! are you ladies musical?"
"A little, monsieur. I expect to sell part of my furniture before
moving, as the house I am buying is furnished; but I certainly shall not
dispose of my piano, our faithful friend; isn't it, Agathe?"
"Oh! if we hadn't the piano, then we should be bored, and no mistake. My
dear friend plays very well indeed, monsieur; and she has taught me what
I know."
"Do not listen to her, monsieur; I can play accompaniments fairly well,
that's all."
"I too am fond of music; I sing a little; and if you ladies had remained
in Paris, I should have been very happy if--if--if I----"
Edmond dared not finish the sentence, but it was easy to guess the rest
of it.
Honorine could not restrain a smile as she said:
"Since this morning, monsieur, you have placed us under great
obligations; you have attended to our business with more zeal than--Dear
me! is Monsieur Chamoureau asleep?"
"No, madame, do not mind him; he has something on his mind which
engrosses him completely; you must excuse him."
"In fact, monsieur, but for you, nothing would have yet been done toward
purchasing Monsieur Courtivaux's house; you will not think it
surprising, I trust, that I am anxious to know to whom I am so obliged."
"That is quite natural, madame, and I should have told you before this.
My name is Edmond Didier; my father was formerly a clerk in the Treasury
and has now retired on his pension, and with my mother is living at his
native place, Nancy in Lorraine. They have sufficient means to live
modestly, and they are happy. I remained in Paris and had entered a
banking house, when an uncle on my mother's side was good enough to
leave me sixty thousand francs."
"With your salary, then, you are very comfortably situated."
"I have to confess, madame, that when I found myself in possession of
that unexpected wealth, I began by leaving my place; I have invested
part of my funds, and I do a little business--not like Chamoureau, I
have no office--but I trade a little on the Bourse, and try to speculate
on the rise or fall of stocks.--That, madame, is my whole biography, and
Monsieur Chamoureau here will bear witness to its accuracy."
"What? what's that? accuracy of what?" exclaimed Chamoureau, who was
thinking what he could do to make himself agreeable to Madame
Sainte-Suzanne, and who suddenly discovered that he was at Madame
Dalmont's.
"Nothing, my dear fellow, except that I was telling these ladies who I
am, so that they may not look upon me as a schemer or a nobody."
"We should never have thought that of you, monsieur, but you cannot
blame two ladies, who live alone, for desiring to know something
concerning the persons whom they receive. Now, monsieur, if the desire
for country air should ever lead you in the direction of Chelles, come
to our modest abode and rest a moment; we shall be delighted to make you
welcome to the house which you have assisted us to purchase."
"Oh, yes! monsieur," cried Agathe, "it will give us great pleasure
to----"
Honorine pulled her young friend's dress, whereupon she corrected
herself and continued:
"And then you will see the house, which is very pretty, and the garden,
of which I mean to take excellent care."
"Your invitation is too kind for me to forget it, madame; and since you
give me your permission, I shall have the honor of paying my respects to
you at Chelles.--Now, my dear Chamoureau, let us not take any more of
the time of these ladies, whom, you remember, you are to meet at three
o'clock to-morrow at Monsieur Courtivaux's notary's."
"Three o'clock to-morrow. The devil! I wanted to go to Rue de Ponthieu
to-morrow; she won't always be out."
Edmond trod on Chamoureau's foot and whispered to him:
"Hold your tongue! don't mention the name of a Thélénie before these
ladies!" Then he added, turning to Honorine: "I will call for Chamoureau
myself, madame, and take him to the notary's. In that way I can answer
for his punctuality."
"That, monsieur, will put the finishing touch to your kindness, for
Monsieur Chamoureau seems to us very absent-minded."
"Pray excuse me, madame; I am in fact very busy concerning--er--it's all
Freluchon's fault!"
"Come, Chamoureau, let us be off."
And Edmond took the agent away.
The next day, thanks to the young man's activity, all the parties met at
the appointed time at the notary's office, and Madame Dalmont became the
owner of the little house at Chelles.
A glance from Agathe amply rewarded Edmond for all the trouble he had
taken to bring the affair to a speedy conclusion. And Honorine added to
his happiness by saying again:
"You will be welcome, monsieur, at that house of which I am now the
owner, thanks to your efforts and your kindness."
XVII
ONE OF THE DREGS
The fair Thélénie returned to her apartment, accompanied by her friend
Héloïse, about an hour after Chamoureau had taken his leave under
Monsieur Beauregard's escort. As she entered the room she tossed aside
shawl, hat, gloves and the rest, with the angry gesture characteristic
of her. Then she threw herself on a couch, while her friend Héloïse
picked up the hat and gloves from the floor, saying:
"You must admit that you take very little care of your things. Such a
pretty hat, almost new! and that's the way you treat it! Why, I would
make this hat last till June. Bless me! I haven't the means to buy them
as often as you do! How much did this one cost? At least fifty-five
francs, I'll bet; milliners are getting to be out of reach. Did I guess
right?"
"For heaven's sake! Héloïse, let me alone; you must see that I'm out of
humor."
"Oh! you're always out of humor now; you make a great mistake to torment
yourself all the time;--it will change your whole appearance, it will
make your complexion yellow. If you want to remain pretty, you must
never lose your temper. A medical student told me that. He ought to
know a lot, for he attended lectures ten years. He also told me that if
I wanted to be well, I must be gay; for there's nothing that's so
healthy as gayety."
"Every ten years' student ought to know that gayety can't be
administered at pleasure, like a syrup or a drug. To tell a person to be
gay is as foolish as to tell him not to have a headache! However, I know
perfectly well that I am not sensible; but when I saw Edmond drive by in
a cab with his new passion, I could not restrain a spasm of anger."
"Yes, and you nearly caused us to be run over by a coupé."
"But that little flower-maker is a horrid-looking creature; it makes one
ashamed to be deserted for such a fright."
"Horrid-looking! oh! that's nonsense. She has a cunning little way with
her, and a saucy face such as men like."
"She is as common as one can imagine. If Edmond had left me for a very
pretty woman, I would forgive him."
"That is not true; you would be even more put out. Oh! I know all about
that; it's always some little compensation to be able to say to
yourself: 'I am certainly prettier than she is, and his new love won't
last long.'"
Thélénie rang for her maid and Mademoiselle Mélie appeared.
"Has anybody been here while I have been out?"
"Yes, madame, that gentleman who came a few days ago, and who was so
amusing when he went away; who had torn his coat, and--another part of
his clothes."
"Ah! Monsieur Chamoureau?"
"That's the name, madame: Monsieur Chamoureau."
"What did he want?"
"Why, to see madame; he seemed very much disappointed not to find her
and asked me if madame would be out long; he wanted to wait."
"The idiot! does he propose to wear me out with his calls; however, as
soon as he bores me too much, I shall have no hesitation in forbidding
him my door. Very well; leave me."
"He is the Spaniard of the Opéra ball who kept pulling up his boots,
isn't he?" said Mademoiselle Héloïse, when the maid had left the room.
"Yes, and the great clown, whom I instructed to tell me everything that
happened at a certain supper after the ball,--I knew that he was to sup
with Edmond and his friends and their ladies. What do you suppose
Monsieur Chamoureau did? he went to sleep in the middle of supper, and
when he woke, everybody had gone!"
"He was drunk, probably!"
"And then he comes to see me, and makes me an impassioned declaration of
love!"
"Accompanied by diamonds or a cashmere shawl?"
"By nothing whatever! What do you suppose he proposed to me? Oh! it's
enough to make one die of laughter!"
"To mend his linen?"
"To marry him--to become Madame Chamoureau!"
"Well! you want a position in society."
"A pretty position that would be! My gentleman makes four thousand
francs with his office; and as I have ten thousand francs a year, I
should be the one to enrich him. Fancy me making Monsieur Chamoureau's
fortune!"
"But in that case the fellow isn't as stupid as he looks."
"Oh! he has no selfish designs. He is really very much in love with
me--according to what he says, at least.--Madame Chamoureau! what an
absurd name!"
"Well, I am not so particular as you are; if he wants to marry me, I'll
take him. I am not such a bad writer, I'll be a clerk in his office."
"I had an idea that you weren't very strong in spelling. One day you
wrote me, being short of money: 'Are you in funds? can I go to your
cash-box?' And you spelt _cash_ with a _q_."
"Well! what difference does it make whether it's a _c_ or a _q_ so long
as the pronunciation's the same? Besides, I've heard it said that
nowadays people write as they choose, and that it's much more _comme il
faut_ not to bother about spelling, because in old times the great
nobles didn't know anything about it."
"For my part, I don't consider it good form to make blunders in
speaking."
"Why, did you have such a very fine education, Thélénie? I thought you'd
never been to school; I had an idea that your mother sold cooked
sausages in a shop where there was always a long line of people waiting;
there was a stove----"
The lovely brunette flashed a savage glance at Héloïse and replied,
smiling bitterly:
"Ah! so you propose to be nasty too, do you? Be careful, my poor
Héloïse, you won't have much chance with me."
"I have no intention of saying anything nasty! Between ourselves, you
can't make me believe that you're a duchess's daughter. I have been told
that your mother sold sausages fried on a stove, but I don't see any
harm in it. It's as good a trade as another."
"And you threw that at me because I told you that you spelt _cash_ with
a _q_."
"Oh! nonsense! what do you suppose I care for a _q_ more or less! what a
fuss about nothing! I assure you, Thélénie, that I hadn't the slightest
intention of making you angry; that would be very stupid on my part. You
take me to the theatre and to drive with you, and sometimes you lend me
money when I haven't any; so why should I try to get up a quarrel with
you?"
"Then try to curb your tongue, Héloïse, for you may happen to say before
witnesses something that I would never forgive. Between ourselves, I
certainly do not undertake to make myself any better than I am; my birth
was very humble, I don't deny it; but as I grew up, and especially when
I began to know well-bred men, with gentlemanly manners, I realized that
if I wanted to _arrive_, I must first of all put myself in a position
to hold my own with them. So I hired teachers and studied; I was
determined to know my own language. I also learned a little English and
Italian, and I assure you that then I felt much more at my ease in the
society of men of the world, who are very glad to take a pretty,
fashionably-dressed woman to drive in a calèche, but who blush for her
when she uses bad grammar before their friends and acquaintances.--What
is it, Mélie? what do you want of us now?"
"I beg pardon, madame," replied the maid, who had just entered. "I
forgot to tell madame that another gentleman came almost at the same
time as Monsieur Chamoureau."
"Who was it?"
"Monsieur Beauregard."