LITMIR.BIZ

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goodness! no – what do you mean? You are all right during the day, but at night you might embarrass me."

      With an air of impertinence he asked: "And why?"

      Yvette responded calmly and audaciously, "Because you would not look well en deshabille."

      The Marquise, without appearing at all disturbed, said: "What extraordinary subjects for conversation. One would think that you were not at all ignorant of such things."

      And Servigny jokingly added: "That is also my opinion, Marquise."

      Yvette turned her eyes upon him, and in a haughty, yet wounded, tone said: "You are becoming very vulgar – just as you have been several times lately." And turning quickly she appealed to an individual standing by:

      "Chevalier, come and defend me from insult."

      A thin, brown man, with an easy carriage, came forward.

      "Who is the culprit?" said he, with a constrained smile.

      Yvette pointed out Servigny with a nod of her head:

      "There he is, but I like him better than I do you, because he is less of a bore."

      The Chevalier Valreali bowed:

      "I do what I can, Mademoiselle. I may have less ability, but not less devotion."

      A gentleman came forward, tall and stout, with gray whiskers, saying in loud tones: "Mademoiselle Yvette, I am your most devoted slave."

      Yvette cried: "Ah, Monsieur de Belvigne." Then turning toward Saval, she introduced him.

      "My last adorer – big, fat, rich, and stupid. Those are the kind I like. A veritable drum-major – but of the table d'hote. But see, you are still bigger than he. How shall I nickname you? Good! I have it. I shall call you 'M. Colossus of Rhodes, Junior,' from the Colossus who certainly was your father. But you two ought to have very interesting things to say to each other up there, above the heads of us all – so, by-bye."

      And she left them quickly, going to the orchestra to make the musicians strike up a quadrille.

      Madame Obardi seemed preoccupied. In a soft voice she said to Servigny:

      "You are always teasing her. You will warp her character and bring out many bad traits."

      Servigny replies: "Why, haven't you finished her education?"

      She appeared not to understand, and continued talking in a friendly way. But she noticed a solemn looking man, wearing a perfect constellation of crosses and orders, standing near her, and she ran to him:

      "Ah Prince, Prince, what good fortune!"

      Servigny took Saval's arm and drew him away:

      "That is the latest serious suitor, Prince Kravalow. Isn't she superb?"

      "To my mind they are both superb. The mother would suffice for me perfectly," answered Saval.

      Servigny nodded and said: "At your disposal, my dear boy."

      The dancers elbowed them aside, as they were forming for a quadrille.

      "Now let us go and see the sharpers," said Servigny. And they entered the gambling-room.

      Around each table stood a group of men, looking on. There was very little conversation. At times the clink of gold coins, tossed upon the green cloth or hastily seized, added its sound to the murmur of the players, just as if the money was putting in its word among the human voices.

      All the men were decorated with various orders, and odd ribbons, and they all wore the same severe expression, with different countenances. The especially distinguishing feature was the beard.

      The stiff American with his horseshoe, the haughty Englishman with his fan-beard open on his breast, the Spaniard with his black fleece reaching to the eyes, the Roman with that huge mustache which Italy copied from Victor Emmanuel, the Austrian with his whiskers and shaved chin, a Russian general whose lip seemed armed with two twisted lances, and a Frenchman with a dainty mustache, displayed the fancies of all the barbers in the world.

      "You won't join the game?" asked Servigny.

      "No, shall you?"

      "Not now. If you are ready to go, we will come back some quieter day. There are too many people here to-day, and we can't do anything."

      "Well, let us go."

      And they disappeared behind a door-curtain into the hall. As soon as they were in the street Servigny asked: "Well, what do you think of it?"

      "It certainly is interesting, but I fancy the women's side of it more than the men's."

      "Indeed! Those women are the best of the tribe for us. Don't you find that you breathe the odor of love among them, just as you scent the perfumes at a hairdresser's?"

      "Really such houses are the place for one to go. And what experts, my dear fellow! What artists! Have you ever eaten bakers' cakes? They look well, but they amount to nothing. The man who bakes them only knows how to make bread. Well! the love of a woman in ordinary society always reminds me of these bake-shop trifles, while the love you find at houses like the Marquise Obardi's, don't you see, is the real sweetmeat. Oh! they know how to make cakes, these charming pastry-cooks. Only you pay five sous, at their shops, for what costs two sous elsewhere."

      "Who is the master of the house just now?" asked Saval.

      Servigny shrugged his shoulders, signifying his ignorance.

      "I don't know, the latest one known was an English peer, but he left three months ago. At present she must live off the common herd, or the gambling, perhaps, and on the gamblers, for she has her caprices. But tell me, it is understood that we dine with her on Saturday at Bougival, is it not? People are more free in the country, and I shall succeed in finding out what ideas Yvette has in her head!"

      "I should like nothing better," replied Saval. "I have nothing to do that day."

      Passing down through the Champs-Elysees, under the steps they disturbed a couple making love on one of the benches, and Servigny muttered: "What foolishness and what a serious matter at the same time! How commonplace and amusing love is, always the same and always different! And the beggar who gives his sweetheart twenty sous gets as much return as I would for ten thousand francs from some Obardi, no younger and no less stupid perhaps than this nondescript. What nonsense!"

      He said nothing for a few minutes; then he began again: "All the same, it would be good to become Yvette's first lover. Oh! for that I would give – "

      He did not add what he would give, and Saval said good night to him as they reached the corner of the Rue Royale.

      CHAPTER II

      BOUGIVAL AND LOVE

      They had set the table on the veranda which overlooked the river. The Printemps villa, leased by the Marquise Obardi, was halfway up this hill, just at the corner of the Seine, which turned before the garden wall, flowing toward Marly.

      Opposite the residence, the island of Croissy formed a horizon of tall trees, a mass of verdure, and they could see a long stretch of the big river as far as the floating cafe of La Grenouillere hidden beneath the foliage.

      The evening fell, one of those calm evenings at the waterside, full of color yet soft, one of those peaceful evenings which produces a sensation of pleasure. No breath of air stirred the branches, no shiver of wind ruffled the smooth clear surface of the Seine. It was not too warm, it was mild – good weather to live in. The grateful coolness of the banks of the Seine rose toward a serene sky.

      The sun disappeared behind the trees to shine on other lands, and one seemed to absorb the serenity of the already sleeping earth, to inhale, in the peace of space, the life of the infinite.

      As they left the drawing-room to seat themselves at the table everyone was joyous. A softened gaiety filled their hearts, they felt that it would be so delightful to dine there in the country, with that great river and that twilight for a setting, breathing that pure and fragrant air.

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