The little _debardeur_ ran away from Edmond, to join the dance; and almost at the same moment the young man"s arm was taken by a little blue domino, who said to him:
"She"s not the one you are looking for; whom are you looking for, Edmond Didier?"
"Ah! you know me, do you?"
"Yes, I know you very well; also your friend Freluchon with whom you came to the ball. But I don"t know the tall greenhorn disguised as a Spaniard, who came with you two, and who was on your arm just now. Mon Dieu! what a stupid-looking creature! and how wretchedly he carries his costume! Such a figure too! Who on earth is that scarecrow?"
"Do you know that you are very inquisitive? you ask such a lot of questions one on top of another!"
"It"s because I like to know about things. Won"t you answer me?"
"Oh, yes: the Spaniard is a friend of Freluchon, very well-to-do, a business agent, who has just lost his wife and is now trying to find a place for his heart."
"For life?"
"Oh, no! just for a term of years. If you desire to form an agreeable connection, I commend him to you."
"Thanks; he"s too clumsy; he does nothing but pull up his boot-flaps, and I am tempted to offer him a pair of garters to keep them in place."
"You would do him a great service."
"Is he better looking without his nose?"
"He"s not at all bad-looking."
"What is the idiot"s name?"
"It is perfectly evident that you aspire to make a victim of him."
"Oh, no! you are mistaken; but perhaps I might like to have a little fun with him. What"s his name?"
"What I am going to do is rather indiscreet perhaps, but as he will be delighted to be mystified, I will tell you his name: Chamoureau."
"Cha----"
"Moureau."
"Oh! how well the name suits the man! Chalumeau would be even better, for he looks like a stick; but never mind, Chamoureau is not bad. Ha!
ha!"
"And now tell me how you happen to know me?"
"Well; try to guess."
"Faith! I confess that I haven"t the faintest idea."
"You have answered only one of my questions. Won"t you tell me now what woman you are looking for?"
"Oh, no; such things aren"t to be mentioned! As to the Spaniard"s name, that"s all right! but I won"t tell you the name of the person I would like to meet; guess it, if you can."
"It should be the fair Thelenie--Madame de Sainte-Suzanne, if you prefer."
"Ah! you also know----"
"That you have been her lover. Who doesn"t know that? But are you so no longer? have you ceased to love her?"
"You are becoming too inquisitive again; I shall not answer that."
"You are unfaithful to her, I see; who in the world has succeeded in captivating you? Come, my little Edmond, take me for your confidante; that"s a very modest role for me to a.s.sume."
At that moment Freluchon rushed up to them, seized Edmond"s arm and led him away, saying:
"They"re right over there, both of them--dancing. I recognized their Andalusian steps. Henriette is dressed as a Folly; come at once; they don"t propose to be recognized, but we"ll bring them to it."
Edmond instantly threw off the little blue domino"s arm and hurried away with Freluchon.
Two women, each wearing a small mask of velvet, without a barb, and dressed, one as a sort of _debardeur_, that is to say, in a high shirt, velvet trousers with broad satin bands, a fringed sash and a round hat covered with flowers; the other as Folly, with a fool"s bauble in her hand, bells on her arm and legs and cap, around her waist, everywhere, in short,--were dancing with two men whose costumes were eccentric to the last degree.
One, in a Greek tunic, with deerskin breeches and riding-boots, wore a Roman helmet. The other, dressed as a Cupid, with quiver and arrows, had on his head the sort of head-covering usually a.s.signed to Don Quixote, that is to say, a dish turned upside down.
The dancing of these gentlemen was in keeping with their costumes; it was very daring. The man in the helmet whirled his arms about like the wings of a windmill, with terrifying rapidity. The Cupid kicked up his heels almost in the face of his vis-a-vis, and from time to time, when he was doing the _cavalier seul_, threw himself flat on his stomach and executed the evolution known as the _spider_. As yet, the two little women had ventured upon nothing more than permissible cancan steps.
"The devil!" said Freluchon, planting himself behind the Folly; "those bucks have a style of dancing that"s rather risky for their partners.
Look out, Henriette; that Cupid will land his foot in your eye, and that"s more dangerous, I a.s.sure you, than a kick somewhere else!"
The Folly pretended not to hear and went on dancing.
Edmond meanwhile, standing behind the little _debardeur_, said to her:
"My dear Amelia, I am very much afraid that your Roman will carry away your nose while he imitates a windmill with his arms; that would be a pity!"
The _debardeur_, like the Folly, made no reply; but a slight movement of the shoulders betrayed her, and seemed to say:
"Oh! let me alone; you bore me!"
A moment later Freluchon called loudly to his friend:
"I say, Edmond, they turned me out of my lodgings this morning, because I hadn"t paid my rent or for my furniture! Did you ever hear such nonsense? Just imagine that my furniture, which I thought was paid for, wasn"t!--Well! it didn"t take away my spirits; on the contrary, it put me just in the mood to dance and enjoy myself!"
"But I, who lived with you--where am I to sleep?" rejoined Edmond with a laugh; "here am I too without a home!"
"Never fear! we"ll find some Roman or some Cupid to give us shelter!--And to think that for lack of four hundred francs I missed the finest match!"
"Nonsense! really?"
"Yes, my dear fellow, a superb match! a flower-maker, thoroughbred, who would have brought me as her dowry, in addition to her virtue, of which I will say nothing, the most agreeable disposition to have me shut up at Clichy,--with or without an eye-gla.s.s--in a very short time."
The little woman disguised as a Folly suddenly walked up to Freluchon and said to him under her breath, but in a voice that trembled with anger: