"How are you to-day, my dear count?" she inquired, taking a seat by the convalescent"s side.
"I am getting on very slowly, thank you, fair lady; the wound has entirely healed, but my strength doesn"t return very fast."
"What are you drinking there?"
"An infusion of linden leaves."
"Do you think that that stuff will ever bring back your strength?"
"My doctor says that it"s an excellent thing. It"s very soothing."
"It seems to me that you are quite calm enough. Look you, count, I haven"t much confidence in your doctor."
"But, you see, he has cured my wound."
"Your wound would have healed of itself; that wasn"t a disease; but now, instead of giving you something to build you up, he puts you on herb tea and slops; he treats you like a child!"
"Perhaps you are right, dear lady. It"s a fact that he is keeping me to this diet a good while, on the pretext that I must be prudent."
"If you listen to him, you"ll be under the same treatment six months hence. But enough of that subject; I am intrusted with a singular errand to you."
"What is it, dear lady?"
"The man with whom you fought this duel----"
"Monsieur Cherami?"
"Exactly. Monsieur Cherami called on me this morning----"
"The deuce! did he undertake to challenge you also?"
"Oh, no! far from it! He came to ask my pardon for his conduct. He realizes his mistake; he is in despair at what he did; and he wishes, as a great favor, to be allowed to come to offer you his apologies and tell you how delighted he is at your recovery."
"Pardieu! he"s an extraordinary mortal! He insists upon fighting for his friend----"
"Yes; it was in a moment of exasperation."
"And now he"s sorry for it! But I bear the fellow no ill-will at all. He fences very well; ah! he"s an excellent blade!"
"And you will allow him to come to offer his apologies?"
"Willingly; but listen: only on condition that he will tell me who the two seconds were that he brought with him. You can"t form an idea, madame, of those two men, who certainly had never a.s.sisted at such a performance before! It was enough to make you burst with laughing. De Gervier was much amused; but De Maugrille was on the point of losing his temper; he wanted to fight them. It was altogether funny, I a.s.sure you."
"Then you are willing that Monsieur Cherami should come to see you?"
"Yes, on the condition I have suggested."
"He will readily agree to that, I fancy; he is to come to me to-morrow morning to learn your reply, and I will send him to you."
"Very good! I must say that this Monsieur Cherami seemed to me no less clever than original."
Cherami did not fail to return to Madame Monleard"s on the following day; she told him that Monsieur de la Beriniere consented to receive him, on condition that he would tell him who his seconds were.
"And now," said the widow, "how do you propose to restore the count"s health and good-humor?"
"Never fear, madame," replied Beau Arthur; "that is my business; the count needs to be set up mentally, as well as physically. He"s like an old clock that won"t go; but as long as the mainspring isn"t broken, there"s a way out of the difficulty; I"ll set him going."
On leaving f.a.n.n.y, Cherami took a cab and drove to the Palais-Royal, where he went into Corselet"s and purchased a half-bottle of the finest chartreuse; then he removed the label, the seal, and everything which could lead to the identification of the liqueur, put the bottle in his pocket, and repaired to Rue de la Ville-l"eveque, saying to himself:
"It comes high; but one cannot make too many sacrifices when it"s a question of ensuring a friend"s happiness. I have only a hundred and fifty francs left of Gustave"s thousand; but I will spend them with the best will in the world, if I can by that means induce our elderly lover to marry the little widow."
Monsieur de la Beriniere was informed that Monsieur Cherami craved the favor of an interview.
"Show him in," said the count.
Cherami, fashionably dressed and perfumed as in his halcyon days, presented himself before the count, who stepped forward to meet him.
"I beg you, monsieur le comte, do not rise! I understand that you are still weak; and I am too fortunate in being allowed to pay my respects to you and to offer my apologies for my insane behavior toward you."
"Let us say no more about it, Monsieur Cherami; you wanted a duel with me, and you had it--it"s all over with now. Pray be seated, and just tell me, between ourselves, who those two individuals were who acted as your seconds? You will agree that their aspect--their whole manner--was very comical; and I would stake my head that it was the first time they were ever present at a duel."
"Faith! that"s the truth, monsieur le comte; but what would you have?
Everybody that I relied upon failed me, and I had no choice; I persuaded, albeit with much difficulty, those two men of business to attend me on the field of honor."
"Who were the fellows?"
"The elder, monsieur le comte, deals in water from Mont-Dore on a large scale; the younger is his clerk."
"Are they Auvergnats?"
"Yes, monsieur le comte."
"I would have bet anything on it. However, the younger one is as strong as an ox, apparently, for they tell me that he carried me in his arms to my carriage."
"That is true; he is very strong.--Is monsieur le comte"s wound entirely cured?"
"Yes, it has cicatrized. But our meeting was six weeks ago, and my strength doesn"t come back."
"Monsieur le comte, will you allow me to make you an offer?"
"What sort of an offer is it?"
"I have fought duels quite often in the course of my life."
"Oh! I believe it."
"I have been wounded several times."
"You fence very well, however; but one sometimes thrusts awkwardly."