""Oh, you are entirely too particular, M. Gerald," said Madame de Mirecourt.
""I too particular?" exclaimed M. de Senneterre, laughing. "What a frightful slander! I will convince you to the contrary. Look at that little green brougham coming this way, and that--"
""Gerald!" cried Madame de Senneterre, reminding her son of my presence with a look, for I had involuntarily turned to glance at the vehicle to which M. de Senneterre had called attention, and which was occupied by a young and extremely pretty woman, who seemed to be following the young duke with her eyes.
"His mother"s warning exclamation, and the look she cast at me, made M.
de Senneterre bite his lips, but it was with a smile that he replied:
"You are right, mother. It would make angels too unhappy to know that there are such things as demons in the world."
This half apology was indirectly addressed to me, I suppose, for two of the ladies glanced at me, smiling in their turn, and I felt greatly embarra.s.sed.
"As we were leaving, Madame de Senneterre asked:
"You dine with me to-day, do you not, Gerald?"
"No, mother, and I must ask you to pardon me for not having told you that I had made another engagement."
"That is very unfortunate, for I, too, have made an engagement for you,"
replied Madame de Senneterre, smiling.
"All right, mother," said M. de Senneterre, affectionately; "I will send my friends a brief note of excuse; then I shall be entirely at your service."
And after having bowed very deferentially to us, M. de Senneterre started his horse off at a gallop.
"He rides with perfect skill and grace, and on horseback reminds me not a little of my poor father.
"Though he had addressed only a very few remarks to me, I feel sure, from what I saw and heard during this interview, that M. de Senneterre must possess a frank, generous, and resolute nature, as well as a profound respect and affection for his mother. The other ladies must have thought so, too, for they did not cease praising him until we separated.
"The next day and the day following, we again saw M. de Macreuse at church. His grief seemed no less deep, though more calm. Two or three times he happened to glance in our direction, and I could not help being struck by the contrast between his sad, almost timid look and bearing, and M. le Duc de Senneterre"s dashing ease of manner.
"The next day after our visit to the Bois, I accompanied my guardian to the garden of the Luxembourg, as I had promised.
"We had visited the conservatories and the magnificent rose gardens, when we met a friend of M. de la Rochaigue. He was introduced to me as the Baron de Ravil or du Ravil, I believe.
"This gentleman walked along beside us for several minutes, then, drawing out his watch, he remarked to M. de la Rochaigue:
""Pardon me for leaving you so soon, M. le baron, but I am very anxious not to miss this important session."
""What important session?" inquired my guardian.
""Can it be that you haven"t heard that M. de Mornand speaks to-day?"
""Is it possible?"
""Certainly; all Paris will be there, for when M. de Mornand speaks, it is an event."
""It is indeed. He is a man of wonderful talent, I think, a man who can hardly fail to be minister some day or other. How unfortunate that I did not hear of this before. I am sure, my dear ward, that the session would have interested you very much, in spite of all Madame de la Rochaigue"s nonsensical talk, but if I should take you to the chamber now she would be sure to accuse me of having set a trap for you."
""Still, if mademoiselle has the slightest desire to attend the session, I am at your service, M. le baron," said our companion; "I expected to meet one of my nieces and her husband here, but they have not come, and probably will not, now. I had procured tickets of admission to the diplomatic gallery for them, and if these tickets would be of any service to you--"
""What do you say, my dear ward?"
""I will do whatever you like, monsieur; but it seems to me a session of the Chamber of Peers might be very interesting," I added, chiefly out of regard for my guardian, I fear.
""Very well, I will accept your offer, then, my dear M. de Ravil," cried M. de la Rochaigue, "and you are lucky, indeed, my dear child," he added, turning to me, "to happen here on a day M. de Mornand speaks."
"We hastened towards the palace, and just as we were leaving the quincunxes I saw, some distance off, M. de Maillefort, who seemed to be following us,--a fact that surprised me, and made me rather uneasy.
""Why do I meet this wicked man at every turn?" I said to myself. "Who could have informed him of our plans?"
"The diplomatic gallery, where we had seats, was filled with elegantly dressed ladies. I occupied a seat on the upper row of benches between my guardian and M. de Ravil.
"A gentleman near us, having been heard to remark that some noted orator--he did not refer to M. de Mornand--was also to speak during the session, M. de Ravil replied that there was no other orator who could compare with M. de Mornand, and that this crowd had come to hear him. He ascended the tribune almost immediately, and there was a profound silence.
"I was incapable of criticising or even of entirely comprehending M. de Mornand"s discourse. It related to subjects with which I was totally unacquainted, but I was deeply impressed by the conclusion of his speech, in which he spoke with the warmest sympathy of the unhappy lot of fishermen"s families awaiting in sickening suspense upon the beach the return of a beloved father, son, or husband, while the tempest was raging wildly around them.
"It so happened that, as M. de Mornand uttered these touching words, he turned towards our tribune, and his strong face seemed to me filled with a profound compa.s.sion for the unfortunate creatures whose cause he had espoused.
""Wonderful! How very touching!" whispered M. de Ravil, wiping his eyes, for he, too, seemed deeply affected.
""M. de Mornand is sublime!" exclaimed my guardian. "There is little doubt that his speech will greatly ameliorate the lot of thousands of these unfortunates."
"Prolonged applause followed the conclusion of M. de Mornand"s speech.
He was about to leave the tribune when another member of the Chamber, a man with a malevolent, sarcastic face, rose in his seat, and said:
""I ask the permission of the Chamber to ask M. de Mornand a simple question before he descends from the tribune and before his sudden and generous compa.s.sion for our brave fishermen shall consequently have evaporated."
""If you will take my advice, we will leave at once to escape the crowd," M. de Ravil remarked to my guardian. "M. de Mornand having finished, everybody will want to go, for there will be nothing else of interest."
"M. de la Rochaigue offered me his arm, but just as we were leaving the hall we heard shouts of laughter, and renewed applause.
""I know what that means," remarked M. de Ravil. "M. de Mornand has crushed, by his sarcasm, the imprudent member who had the audacity to question any of his statements, for when he wishes to be, M. de Mornand is as witty as the devil."
"My guardian having suggested that we extend our walk to the observatory, I consented, and M. de Ravil accompanied us.
""M. le baron," he remarked to my guardian; "did you notice Madame de Bretigny, who left the hall just as we did?"
""The wife of the minister? No, I did not."
""I am sorry, monsieur, for you would have seen one of the n.o.blest women that ever lived. You have no idea what wonderfully good use she makes of her position as a minister"s wife, or of the vast amount of good she does, the wrongs she repairs, and the a.s.sistance she gives to the worthy."
""I am not surprised to hear it," replied my guardian. "In a position like that of Madame de Bretigny, one can do any amount of good, for--"
"But interrupting himself suddenly, he turned to M. de Ravil and exclaimed, eagerly:
""Say, isn"t that he over there in that secluded path, walking along, looking at the flowers?"