"Ah! yes, to be sure."
And Pigeonnier ran out of the room, overtook the waiter in the hall, and said to him:
"Don"t bring any biscuits or macaroons or cakes with the ices; madame doesn"t like any of those things; nothing but ices, you understand."
"We always serve them with ices," replied the waiter, with an offended air; "but you"re not obliged to eat them."
"Yes; but I tell you it isn"t worth while to serve them."
"Very well, monsieur."
The corpulent young man danced back to the room in which he had left his charge, who had removed her hat and shawl.
"Excellent," said Tobie to himself; "she is making herself at home; she made no fuss about coming to a private room, so I conclude that the affair will go of itself."
"What can we see from here, I wonder?" said Madame Plays, walking to the window.
"Oh! nothing attractive," said Tobie, who preferred that the window should remain closed. "We are right above those travelling showmen, who have set up their booth close to the house, and exhibit bears and panthers and other monsters, I believe. If I were the proprietor of this restaurant, it seems to me that I wouldn"t have them so near."
"Why not?" said his fair companion, with a smile; "everybody must live, must they not?"
"Everybody, yes, but not monsters. On my word, I detest monsters--but I idolize beauty."
As Tobie concluded this sentence, he took Madame Plays"s hand and imprinted a kiss upon it; the charming creature allowed her hand to be kissed without objection.
The waiter brought the ices; as he placed them on the table, he looked with amazement at the lady who did not like biscuits; he spent a long time arranging the ices and spoons, and when he had finished he did not leave the room; so that Pigeonnier was obliged to say to him:
"That"s all right; when I want anything, I will ring."
The waiter departed at last, and Tobie seated himself beside Madame Plays, placed an ice in front of her, and said:
"I trust that you will not be like this to me."
"What do you mean? flavored with vanilla?"
"No, no; I meant that--if you would not be like ice to me----"
"Indeed! Is that what Albert told you to say to me?"
"Oh! but you know--when one"s friends are not by--and one has a burning heart--and one finds one"s self beside such a charming woman----"
The waiter suddenly opened the door and said:
"I didn"t bring any biscuits or macaroons, because madame doesn"t want any."
"What! who told you I didn"t want any?" demanded Madame Plays.
"Why, monsieur----"
Tobie"s face became purple; he glared savagely at the waiter, and interrupted him with:
"What"s that you say? what nonsense is this? I said: "If your biscuits aren"t fresh, I don"t want any; if your macaroons are old, keep them."--I do not wish to offer madame anything that is not--worthy of her."
"But, monsieur--just now, out in the hall, why--that wasn"t----"
"If you don"t hear straight, it isn"t my fault. Go! we have heard enough; leave us."
The waiter made no reply, but glanced at Tobie with a cunning expression, as he left the room.
"That waiter is an idiot," said Tobie, eating his ice; "he made me lose the thread of my discourse."
"So Albert is detained by important business? a rendezvous with some other woman, perhaps? Doubtless you know all about it, as he confides his most profound secrets to you. All men are villains when they are together."
"One thing is certain--that I am very happy; and as for his confidence, I would willingly abuse it."
"Upon my word, that is very pretty!"
"Listen; if I had the good fortune to be in favor with so lovely a woman as you, I wouldn"t send a friend to stay with her during my absence."
"It is true that that indicates----"
"Vast self-conceit, or perfect indifference."
"Ha! ha! how you abuse your friend!"
"The absent are always in the wrong; that proverb will be true as long as the world lasts."
"Do you think so? Perhaps I don"t agree with you."
"Oh, yes! oh, yes! do agree with me! When one has eyes that----"
Again the waiter opened the door, and entered the room with two dishes, one filled with biscuits, the other with macaroons.
"There! they are perfectly fresh," he said, as he put them on the table.
"Taste them. They were baked yesterday."
Madame Plays burst out laughing, for Tobie"s eyes were like pistols; however, he dared not say anything, and the waiter was about to leave the room, when Madame Plays, having finished her vanilla ice, called him back.
"Waiter, bring me a fruit ice; what fruits have you?"
"We have strawberry, madame--and vanilla."
"I know you have vanilla, as I have just eaten one. But I ask you what fruit ices you have."
"We have strawberry, madame--and vanilla."
"I understand--you have nothing else."
"I beg pardon, madame; we have mixed ices too."