"Has she--you know what?"
"I can tell you that better to-morrow, if I should happen to see you."
"Are you the best man?"
"Better than that."
"Better than that! What! Do you mean--Oh, no! that is impossible. You are not going to be married?"
"Why is it impossible?"
"Because you don"t do such crazy things as that."
"I don"t know whether marriage is always a crazy thing, but I can a.s.sure you that I was married this morning, and that, far from regretting it, I congratulate myself upon it."
"Oh! if it was only this morning, that is easy to understand.--What! are you really married, Henri? Ha! ha! how amusing it is!"
"What is there so amusing about it?"
"Ha! ha! ha! Poor Henri! You are married! Upon my word, I can"t get over it. But I promise you that it gives me the very greatest pleasure! Ha!
ha! ha!"
Lucile"s sneering laughter had an ironical note that began to irritate me. I bowed to her and turned away, but she detained me.
"By the way, one moment, monsieur; it is probable that I shall not have the pleasure of talking with you again for a long time, for a married man doesn"t go out without his wife. So yours is very pretty, is she?"
"Yes."
"And are you very much in love with her?"
"More than I have ever been."
"Oh! how frank!"
"Why shouldn"t I say what I think?"
"To be sure. Then you must try to make her love you more than you have ever been loved. Ha! ha!"
"I think that that will not be difficult."
"Do you think so? You may be mistaken."
"Excuse me, madame, if I leave you; but my wife must have finished dressing, and I must return for her."
"If _your wife_ is waiting for you, why, go, monsieur; and see to it that she never waits for anybody else. Ha! ha!"
I saw that Lucile had not forgiven me. I left her. I was unable to conceal the vexation that that woman caused me to feel. I jumped into the carriage which took me back to Eugenie. She was waiting for me; the sight of her, a single word from her lips, speedily dissipated that slight cloud. Eugenie was dazzling; her charms, her graces, her lovely dress, everything combined to add fascination to her aspect. I took her hand.
"It is time to go to the ball; let us start," said Madame Dumeillan and my mother. I held Eugenie"s hand, I was looking at my wife, and I had forgotten everything else.
Our appearance in the salons was greeted with a flattering murmur. Words of praise rang in my ears, and I admit that they flattered my heart too; it was my wife who was the object of universal admiration. Eugenie blushed and lowered her eyes; but it would have been difficult for her to avoid hearing the compliments which were rained upon her as she pa.s.sed.
There were many people already there, and my acquaintances came forward to greet me. Giraud took my hand and pressed it. I felt inclined to be friendly with everyone, I was so happy! The men crowded about my wife to obtain the favor of dancing with her; they took their numbers, and I overheard one of them say that he was number twenty-six. Judging from that, it was evident that I could not look forward to dancing with my wife that night. But I made the best of it, and invited other ladies to dance.
I spied a little man, pushing and jostling everybody to make a pa.s.sage for himself; it was Belan, escorting a young lady who was at least a head taller than he, and with whom he was about to dance. When they pa.s.sed me, they stopped, and he said to me:
"My friend, this is Mademoiselle Armide de Beausire, of whom I have spoken to you so often."
I bowed low before Mademoiselle Armide, who was neither beautiful nor ugly, and whose eyes were almost as large as her mouth; but there was in her face and in her whole person something stiff and prim which smelt of the province a league away.
People crowded around Belan and Mademoiselle Armide to see them dance.
The little man danced very well; and as he had a very good figure, he had procured tight trousers, a tight coat and a tight waistcoat; there was not a fold to be seen on his whole body; if his face had been black you would have thought that he was a little negro _in puris naturalibus_.
Between the contradances I struggled through the crowd, to try to introduce to my wife a crowd of people whom I hardly knew, but who said to me:
"Won"t you present me to madame?"
At midnight the crowd had become so great that it was difficult to move.
Did I know all those people? No; but I had told several of my acquaintances to bring their acquaintances, and that sort of thing extends very far sometimes. However, it was a brilliant affair. There were lovely dresses and very pretty women; the men were well-dressed, and I saw none of those expressionless, ign.o.ble faces, none of those old creased caps which one is surprised sometimes to see at a fashionable party, where however they often have more right to be than most people; for those unattractive, common faces which we see in corners at a wedding party usually belong to some uncle or some cousin whom it was impossible not to invite.
Three times I found Giraud eating ices or carrying them to his wife. He had brought only two of his children; the two older ones; that was very considerate of him. I was so happy that I asked Madame Giraud to dance, and she seemed highly flattered by that courtesy. But what did it matter to me with whom I danced when it was not Eugenie? I no longer thought of paying court to ladies; other times, other ideas.
"Your ball is delightful," said Belan, leading me into a salon where card playing was in progress, but where it was possible to move about.
"There are at least four hundred people here."
"Faith! I should be hard put to it to say how many there are here. If they are enjoying themselves, that is all that is necessary."
"It will be like this at my wedding. What do you think of Armide?"
"She is very attractive."
"And her eyes?"
"They are superb."
"They are extraordinary, are they not? Well, my dear fellow, she has everything like that,--wit, talents, and such an air of distinction! Did you see us dancing together?"
"Yes."
"Didn"t we get along well?"
"It is a pity that you are a little short beside her."
"Short! you are joking. She is a little tall! However, when a man is built as I am, it is worth three inches of height. I certainly wouldn"t change figures with that tall, lanky man in front of us. Those tall fellows are always awkward. Have you seen Madame de Beausire?"
"I don"t think so."
"Come then, and let me present you to her. You will see a woman who hasn"t a single touch of the plebeian; she is the type of true distinction."