For Monsieur de Mardeille, who did not wish that anyone should know that he was spending money to gratify the shirtmaker, had not sent his gifts by Frontin.
That evening, about seven o"clock, the dandy presented himself at Georgette"s door. She was all dressed and ready, and probably less seductive in that guise than in her jacket and short skirt; but she was still very comely, because a young and pretty woman never becomes ugly in a stylish bonnet. Indeed, Monsieur de Mardeille was surprised at the ease with which his little neighbor wore her new costume.
"On my honor!" he cried; "you are charming thus! You wear these clothes with such grace!"
"Does that surprise you, monsieur?"
"Nothing surprises me in you; I believe you to be adapted for any station."
"I am ready; let us go."
"Oh! we have plenty of time. Pray let me admire you a moment."
"You may admire me all you please at the theatre; but as I don"t often go, I want to see everything. Let us be off!"
Georgette was already on the landing. Monsieur de Mardeille followed her, saying to himself:
"She has a little will of her own that can"t be resisted! But to-night, when we return from the theatre, I flatter myself that she won"t dismiss me so quickly."
It was still broad daylight when Georgette left her room, handsomely dressed and on Monsieur de Mardeille"s arm. All the neighbors were at their windows; it is unnecessary to say that their tongues were in motion.
"The ex-beau carries the day!" said the photographer; "he is rich and fashionable, and such advantages seduce these little girls, who are immensely flattered by hanging on a dandy"s arm."
"And then, he"s very good-looking still," said the miniature painter. "I can understand that he may have taken the little one"s fancy. These girls have a surprising taste for mature men."
"The Lovelace of the first floor must have put out some money," said the two men of letters; "he"s dressed the little neighbor from top to toe.
Women can always be caught by flattering their coquetry."
"And we couldn"t offer her all that!"
"It"s very strange! this Mardeille has the reputation of being a stingy curmudgeon with women."
"That"s a report that he spreads himself, so as to get all the more credit."
The young doctor said nothing; he simply sighed, as he thought:
"She hasn"t even had a cold!"
Monsieur Bistelle was furious, for she had received his bouquets and had not received him, and had met all his propositions with a refusal, although they were most alluring. And so, when he saw Georgette pa.s.s in her new attire, he cried:
"Bah! cheap stuff! Why, that shawl isn"t a cashmere, nor even a Lyon; that dress isn"t silk; that bonnet didn"t come from one of our leading milliners! It"s all trumpery; anyone can see that at a glance. I"d have dressed the girl a hundred times better; she"s a fool to prefer that Mardeille, who never knew what it was to be generous to a woman!"
This gentleman did not reflect that he himself was very ugly, whereas his rival was still very comely; but that is one of the things that one never considers. Moreover, we are so accustomed to our own faces that we never deem ourselves unattractive.
Even Monsieur Renardin, the old bachelor, made a very p.r.o.nounced grimace when he saw Georgette pa.s.s; especially as Mademoiselle Arthemise, his maid-servant, did not fail to say, with a sneer:
"See, there goes your flame on the arm of the Joconde of the first floor! I advise you to send boxes of candied fruits to such hussies! The shirtmaker snaps her fingers at you."
"In the first place, Arthemise, you"re talking nonsense; that young woman didn"t receive any candied fruit from me, as you ate it all."
"Thank G.o.d! I was on hand to stop it as it pa.s.sed--or else she would have got it. It"s very lucky that I ate it, you see. I suppose you think that mincing thing would have put the box on her head to go out with you, don"t you? Oh! she"s a sly one! She"s bleeding the ex-young man of the first floor; she"s quite right, for he"s a skinflint with women, they say; he"s getting what he deserves."
Monsieur de Mardeille escorted Georgette to the Ambigu-Comique. He tried to take her to a small, dark box, but she refused to enter it, and he was obliged to take a seat in the balcony with her. There it was impossible to take the slightest liberty! As some consolation, our gallant kept trying to whisper words of love in the girl"s ear, but she soon said to him impatiently:
"Please be kind enough not to keep talking to me! You prevent me from hearing the play, and I suppose that is what people go to the theatre for."
Monsieur de Mardeille bit his lip and said to himself:
"There"s nothing so idiotic as these girls who have never been to the theatre! I won"t bring you very often, I can tell you!"
The play amused Georgette immensely, but was exceedingly tedious to her escort, who was overjoyed when it came to an end. He suggested returning home in a cab; but the girl refused, she was absolutely determined to go on foot.
"But it"s beginning to rain!" said Monsieur de Mardeille.
"Well, it will cool us off!"
"But your new bonnet--won"t the rain fade it and ruin it?"
"What a terrible misfortune, if it is spoiled! There are other bonnets in the milliners" shops!"
"I wonder if she thinks I am going to buy her one every day!" thought her companion, with difficulty restraining an outburst of temper; for he was obliged to return on foot, while Georgette, leaning on his arm, talked of nothing but the play and the actors she had seen.
They reached home at last. Monsieur de Mardeille had impatiently awaited that moment. He flattered himself that it would mark his final triumph.
They entered the house in which they both lived. In front of the concierge"s lodge, which was at the foot of Monsieur de Mardeille"s staircase, Georgette stopped and said, with a graceful courtesy:
"Bonsoir, monsieur! a thousand thanks for the pleasure you have given me by taking me to the play."
"What"s that? Bonsoir?" cried Mardeille, with a smile. "But I am not going to bed yet; and you will allow me to come up and chat a moment with you, will you not?"
"Oh! no, monsieur! for I am going to bed, and this is no time for conversation."
"Going to bed? What difference does that make? I won"t prevent you; indeed, I shall be too happy to a.s.sist you in making your _toilette de nuit_."
"I don"t need anyone to a.s.sist me. If I did, I wouldn"t resort to a man for that purpose. Bonsoir, monsieur!"
"Oh! I say--this is a jest! Surely, my charming neighbor, you don"t mean that you won"t receive me in your room a moment?"
"To-morrow, monsieur, to-morrow during the day, I shall be greatly flattered to receive a call from you, if you choose to come; but at this time of night it would be very improper."
With that, Georgette nodded and ran across the courtyard to her own staircase, leaving Monsieur de Mardeille, utterly taken aback, in front of the concierge"s door. He was nonplussed by the girl"s conduct.
"This is too much!" he said to himself; "she accepts my presents--a whole toilette, which cost me a pretty penny--and she"s just as cruel as she was before! So the young lady is making sport of me, is she?"
But suddenly, the courtyard and staircase being still lighted, he saw the concierge in his lodge watching what was going on; whereupon our dandy struck his forehead, saying to himself:
"What an idiot I am not to understand! That child has a hundred times more tact than I have! She doesn"t want the concierge to see me go up to her room at midnight; for that would inevitably spread a report through the whole house that I had pa.s.sed the night there! Yes, of course that"s it; she"s quite right; she has pointed out to me clearly enough what I have to do: go up to my room and pretend to go to bed; then, when everybody"s asleep, and the gas is all out, go downstairs and steal up to her room, where I"ll wager that I shall find the door unlocked as usual. There is my path all marked out for me: now I must follow it."
Monsieur de Mardeille went upstairs, purposely making a great noise. He entered his room, slammed the door, ordered Frontin to undress him, and then dismissed him with strict injunctions to go to bed at once. Half an hour pa.s.sed, the gas was extinguished, there was no light to be seen in any of the neighbors" rooms, not even Georgette"s.