"Will it be long before you return to Paris?"
"I don"t think so. But sometimes, when one has no business to attend to----"
"Of course, and when one is enjoying one"s self. Are you going to visit--friends?"
"Yes, I am going to see several friends--to make a round of visits. By the way, Mignonne, I wanted to say---- That young man whom you have seen here several times--Ballangier--will probably come while I am away."
"I will tell the concierge not to let anyone come up, as you won"t be here."
"That is all right, so far as most people are concerned; but I want Ballangier to be excepted from that prohibition. I take a very deep interest in that young man. He used to have none but evil acquaintances in Paris; he must not find a house closed to him where he can learn only profitable lessons. And then, too, my library is at his disposal; he may take whatever books he chooses. So you will please be kind enough to admit him. He"s a fine fellow, and I am sure that he will do his utmost to deserve your esteem."
"Very good, monsieur," Mignonne replied, in a cold and constrained tone; "your orders shall be followed."
"But I am not giving you orders; I am simply expressing a wish, that"s all!"
"And if any letters should come for you, monsieur, where shall I send them?"
"I don"t expect any. At all events, my servant will call and get them from the concierge."
"Oh! you will send your servant to Paris, but you won"t come yourself?"
She hastily lowered her eyes, but I saw that they were full of tears. I made haste to grasp her hand, which she did not withdraw, and pressed it affectionately.
"I shall see you soon, Mignonne," I said. "Keep a sharp eye on my house!"
And I hurried away, driving Monsieur Pomponne before me, for he seemed determined to return to the room where Mignonne was, probably to pick up a pin.
XLVI
FONTENAY-SOUS-BOIS
We arrived at Fontenay about three in the afternoon. Frederique"s country house was a little beyond the village; it was not isolated, for there were several pretty villas in the neighborhood; but it was far enough from the centre of population for us not to be annoyed by the singing of drunken men, the noise of children, and the barking of dogs.
An iron fence surrounded a beautiful lawn bordered by flowers in front of the house. At the left was a small building, entirely separate from the main house, and Frederique said to me as we pa.s.sed it:
"That is where you are to sleep, my friend; there"s a very nice little chamber over the billiard room, and you will be absolutely at home there, free to go in and out without disturbing anyone."
"But I didn"t come here to live alone! And you?"
"I live in this huge structure. I will show you my apartments. But, never fear, my friend, I didn"t bring you here to banish you from my presence. You will not be compelled to return to your own quarters except to sleep.--Adele, take Pomponne to the pavilion at once, with his master"s traps."
Adele was the lady"s-maid. She was an excellent girl, who deigned to a.s.sume the functions of cook in addition to her own, in the country.
Monsieur Pomponne followed her, peering inquisitively into every clump of bushes.
Frederique showed me the house, which consisted of two stories, with six sleeping-rooms. It was furnished with taste, and would easily accommodate a large family.
"What are you going to do with so much room, all alone as you are?" I inquired.
"In the country, my friend, I find that one needs plenty of s.p.a.ce. I saw this house, and it took my fancy; the rent was not high, so I hired it.
I could not make it smaller; besides, you see that I am not alone now."
"You will still be alone in your great caravansary, since you relegate me to a separate building!"
"Ah! my friend, what about the proprieties? Is it not a very bold step at the best for me, a married woman, to bring a young man to stay at my house in the country? The world doesn"t know that we are only Orestes and Pylades, Damon and Pythias. But I don"t care a snap of my finger for what people may say!"
"And your husband?"
"My husband! I fancy that he doesn"t even know that I am in the country.--You have seen the house, now come and see the garden. But wait a minute! wait! my rustic cap! Oh! it is so nice to be comfortable!"
She subst.i.tuted for her city bonnet a little straw cap with a visor, which she wore a little on one side; she was captivating so. I found in the hall several hats for the country, of different shapes.
"Take your choice," said my hostess.
"What! are these part of the furniture?"
"No, I brought them all for my own use--to try--you know, I dress like a man sometimes."
"So you told me; but I have never seen you in masculine costume."
"I"ll put it on some morning, to stroll about the fields with you. Oh! I look like a scamp then, I tell you! Come, monsieur, choose a hat."
I donned a gray felt, with a pointed crown and a broad brim, in which I must have resembled an Italian bandit; all I needed was the ribbons.
Frederique escorted me to the garden. It contained nearly two acres, and was laid out in an original fashion. There were none of the customary, broad, straight paths; on the contrary, they wound and twisted about in all directions--a veritable labyrinth. Shade trees, shrubbery, and thickets combined to make the garden a fascinating spot, which appeared four times larger than it really was.
Our first day pa.s.sed very quickly. I was installed in the small pavilion, and was very comfortable there; but it seemed to me that I should prefer to be in the main house, under the same roof with Frederique. My friendship for her developed so rapidly that when I was fifteen minutes without seeing her I felt that something was missing: I had never loved a mistress as I loved that friend.
When I woke for the first time in that house to which I had come so unexpectedly, I was conscious of a feeling of contentment, of secret happiness, which I could not describe. Was it pleasure because I was in the country with a person who manifested such sincere friendship for me?
Was it satisfaction because I had acted wisely in going away from Mignonne and being careful not to take an unfair advantage of the sentiment I had inspired? Or was it simply the change of air?
I went to a window that looked on the garden, and I heard a voice calling me a sluggard. Frederique was already up. She wore a white dress, cut like a blouse, with a blue sash. I had noticed that blue was her favorite color. Her little straw cap was on her head, and her beautiful glossy black hair fell in dense curls on both sides of her face.
It seemed to me that I had never seen her so lovely, so alluring. Ah! it is a fact that in the country, amid the green fields and trees, everything that appeals to our senses moves and excites us more keenly than elsewhere.
Frederique put her arm through mine and we strolled about the garden.
For the first time, I was conscious of a peculiar sensation at the contact of her arm with mine. Was it really the first time that I had experienced that sensation? No. But that morning it seemed sweeter to me; and yet, for some unknown reason, I was no longer so light-hearted, so at my ease with her; I was almost afraid to look at her. What thoughts were these that came into my head? I dared not heed them.
Madame Dauberny had never been so amiable, so gay, so kind, so sparkling. I thought that I knew her; but to be able to appreciate fully all the resources of her wit, all the charm of her society, and all the seductiveness of her beauty, I found that it was necessary to be alone with her in that charming retreat.
The time pa.s.sed with extraordinary rapidity; and yet there were but we two. We made frequent trips in the saddle or on foot about the surrounding country. The horses that we hired were very ugly--but what did we care? We did not go out to exhibit ourselves. When the weather was bad, we played and sang, or I drew some landscape that I had sketched, while she read aloud to me. Every morning she said:
"My friend, if you want to take a trip to Paris, don"t hesitate; you can come back this evening; but don"t go to your own rooms, if Mignonne is there. As we have undertaken to cure that young woman, we must not cause a relapse."
"Do you mean that you are tired of me?" I would say; "would you like to be rid of me for to-day?"
Her only reply was to give me a light tap on the cheek, and nothing more would be said about Paris.