"Not such an a.s.s! He lifted that enormous man as if he was a feather!
Peste! he"s too strong!"
XXI
CONSPIRACY
The scene that had taken place in the card-room brought Thelenie"s fete to an end. Monsieur Droguet"s nose was crushed and three of his teeth were broken; and his wife persistently exclaimed:
"They were the last he had!"
Chamoureau, who had seen only the end of the episode, and who was excessively annoyed to be called by his true name before his guests, ran from one to another, saying:
"Why, what has happened here? How did all this come about? Has there been a quarrel?"
"Better than that! The stout gentleman yonder was struck."
"Struck! by whom? Freluchon?"
"No, by his friend--the young man who was playing ecarte with the baron."
Chamoureau thereupon bustled up to the former wine merchant, who was feeling his ribs.
"What"s this I hear? Edmond Didier struck you?"
"Yes, monsieur! but he shall pay me dear for it; that blow will cost him his life!"
"What! you mean to fight with him?"
"Is it possible to doubt it?" cried Thelenie; "show me the man who would not fight after receiving a blow--unless he chose to be disgraced forever."
"Oh! I will fight, madame; you may be perfectly sure that I will fight."
"And I trust that you will kill that scoundrel who broke my husband"s teeth!--Come, Droguet, let us go. What in the world are you looking for, on the floor and under the tables?"
"I am looking for my teeth."
"Mon Dieu! what"s the use? you don"t imagine you can glue them in again, do you?--Oh! what a scene!"
"Monsieur de Belleville, you will be one of my witnesses[E], of course."
[E] Luminot uses the word _temoin_ which means either a second (in a duel) or a witness.
"A witness--what for?"
"For my duel."
"But I can"t be a witness, for I was not here; I didn"t hear the quarrel."
"That makes no difference; it doesn"t prevent your being a witness."
"Rely upon him, monsieur," said Thelenie; "he will be too happy to a.s.sist you in this affair."
Chamoureau made a pitiful face, which indicated that he was not at all happy to serve as second in a duel.
All the guests soon took their leave.
"What a pity that such a beautiful party should end like this!" was the general sentiment. But many persons added under their breath: "For all that, it appears that their real name is Chamoureau, and not Belleville."
Thelenie was not sorry to see the close of the festivities and the departure of all her guests. When they were going away, she whispered to Croque:
"Wait for me in the garden, in the left-hand path."
When everybody had gone, and Chamoureau and his wife were left alone in one of the salons, she said:
"Well, monsieur, what are you doing here?"
"Why, I was waiting for you, my dear love."
"Waiting for me; why, I should like to know?"
"Why, so that we may retire together."
"Since when, monsieur, have you needed my company to go to your apartment?"
Chamoureau simpered and balanced himself on one leg as he replied:
"To my apartment--of course not; but to-night, it would be very pleasant to me--it seems to me that after dancing so much--the natural sequence of a party--in short, my dear and loving heart, I would like to go with you to your room--you understand----"
And the amorous husband put out his hand to take his wife"s. But she abruptly withdrew her hand and exclaimed, with an angry glance at Chamoureau:
"It"s very becoming of you, monsieur, to presume to ask to pa.s.s the night with me, after all the idiotic things you have done to-day! for you have done nothing else."
"What! I have been doing idiotic things! What were they, pray?"
"It is useless for me to tell you, monsieur; you wouldn"t understand me."
"Was it my fault if Monsieur Luminot and Monsieur Edmond had a quarrel?
After all, madame, it was you who insisted on inviting the two friends; I wouldn"t have asked them to come here myself. I was sure that Freluchon would call me Chamoureau, and he didn"t fail to do it; you heard him, didn"t you?"
"That"s all right, monsieur; that"s not what I refer to. Go to bed."
Chamoureau drew himself up, a.s.sumed a dignified air, and replied:
"You tell me to go to bed. But allow me, madame, to remind you, that since we have occupied this house, where you consigned me to an apartment a long way from yours, you have not once allowed me to enter your apartment at night! Sometimes it"s one excuse, sometimes another; you always have a pretext for refusing to admit me.--But it seems to me, madame, that I have some rights--some glorious rights in fact! Am I your husband, or am I not? "That is the question," as the English would say."