x.x.xII
A BUNCH OF VIOLETS
Since the Comte de Brevanne had spoken to Violette, and since she had seen Georget look at her from a distance, and then walk hastily away, with a glance of contempt at her, the young flower girl felt every day more depressed and discouraged. So long as Georget had been near her, so long as she was able to see him morning and evening, and read in his eyes the love he felt for her, the young girl had looked upon that love as a mere childish freak, and had refused to admit to herself that she shared the sentiment which she aroused.
But now that her young lover had left Paris in order to avoid being near her, now that he had fled from her, and when he met her manifested no other feeling than that of contempt or hatred, poor Violette realized how dearly she loved Georget; and, what was even more cruel, how dearly she still loved him, despite the grief he caused her.
When she learned that the gentleman who had questioned her concerning Georget was the young messenger"s patron, the pretty flower girl had felt a thrill of joy, and hope had returned to her heart; she flattered herself that through the medium of Monsieur Malberg, she could convince her lover that he had done wrong to suspect her. But the abrupt way in which the count left her dispelled that hope.
However, as hope does not quickly leave a young heart, especially that of a young woman who knows that she is pretty, Violette flattered herself for several days that Georget would return to Paris, that he would pa.s.s her booth, and that he would not have the courage not to stop; then she said to herself also that this Monsieur Malberg, who had asked her so many questions concerning her age and her mother, would probably want to see her again. But the days pa.s.sed and no one came, neither Georget, nor his patron. A single man pa.s.sed now and then in front of the booth of the flower girl, at whom he cast insulting glances, glances which seemed to enjoy the grief that he could read on her face. That man was the author of all the girl"s trials; and once even he had dared to approach her and had tried to make love to her; but thereupon Violette had risen, so indignant and so threatening, and the flashing eyes which she turned upon Jericourt denoted such a determined resolution, and her right hand had grasped so quickly several bunches of thorns which were among her flowers, that he had walked rapidly away, and had never again attempted to enter into conversation with the flower girl.
It was ten o"clock in the morning, and Chicotin had just left Roncherolle, who was living in his new lodgings on Rue de Crussol, and, feeling that his left foot was not yet in condition to descend the five flights, had again employed his regular messenger to carry a bouquet to Madame de Grangeville and to inquire for her health. But as the unfortunate victim of the gout saw his resources diminish every day, he had told Chicotin to buy a bouquet for one franc instead of three.
The ci-devant lady-killer was still gallant; but his fortune no longer permitted him to be gallant in the same measure as of yore.
Chicotin walked along Boulevard du Chateau d"Eau, with his franc in his hand; and as it was not flower market day, there were very few dealers in evidence; and the flower girls who were in their places had very few violets, which doubtless were also scarce at that moment.
The pretty flower girl who bore the name of that flower was the only one supplied with them; she had some large and fine bunches.
"_Sapristi!_" said Chicotin to himself, as he turned over some miserable little bunches at two sous which another flower girl offered him; "this isn"t what I want; I can"t carry such things as these to the lady on Rue Fontaine-Saint-Georges; for when one buys only one kind of flower for a franc, one ought to get a fine bunch."
"You think so, do you, sonny? Perhaps you don"t know that violets are out of season just now. See, I will tie these four little bunches that I have left all together and they will make a very pretty bouquet."
"Not much! I don"t want "em; your bunches are all withered; they look as if they had been used before."
"What a stupid little animal!"
Chicotin walked away from her, saying to himself:
"It"s no use for me to look, there"s only one flower girl who has any real good bunches of what I am looking for, and that"s Violette; but I have sworn not to buy anything of her since I knew that she deceived poor Georget. However, I must do my errand, and I don"t know whether I shall find violets anywhere else. After all, you buy of a person and pay her and that"s the end of it; that don"t make you friends; and then, she don"t ask so much as the others; I"ll go to her."
So Chicotin walked to the girl"s booth and examined her bouquets.
"Ah! is it you, Chicotin?" cried Violette, as she recognized Georget"s friend. "It"s a long time since I"ve seen you; it"s a strange thing how all my old acqaintances have gone away, I don"t know where. Have you done like your friend Georget? Have you stopped standing on the boulevard?"
"How much do you ask for this bunch, mamzelle?"
"I say, Chicotin, do you ever see your friend Georget? for of course he must come to Paris from time to time."
"This big bunch of violets, mamzelle, I ask you how much it is."
"And I ask you if you ever see Georget? It seems to me you might answer me."
"Mamzelle, I came here to buy some violets and not for anything else. I buy them of you, because you"re the only one that"s got any good ones; if it wasn"t for that----"
"If it wasn"t for that--well, what? Come, finish what you were going to say."
"Well! I was going to say that if it wasn"t for that I wouldn"t have spoken to you."
"What, you too, Chicotin? Why, has it gone so far that I must receive insults from everybody? that everybody is going to insult me? Ah! that"s a shame! what have I done to you, that you should say that to me?"
"To me--you haven"t done anything to me personally, but you have to somebody else, somebody I"m very fond of, who"s my friend; you"ve made him unhappy, and when anyone treat my friends bad, I always take a hand in it."
"Ah! Georget has told you too----"
"Yes, mamzelle, he has told me--mon Dieu! you know well enough what he must have told me,--that he couldn"t love you any longer, because you--but no matter--How much for this big bunch, mamzelle?"
"And you believed all that too; you are convinced that I am a girl without honor, without shame?"
"Mamzelle, I give you my word that I didn"t believe it right away; no, indeed; and that I didn"t want to believe it at all; but when you are certain of a thing--look you, just consider that Georget and I followed that dandified Monsieur Jericourt a whole day, to make him speak; I begged him to tell me the truth about you."
"Monsieur Jericourt--well?"
"Well! he called me a fool; he said that when a girl went--How much for this bunch, if you please?"
"Ah! the coward! the villain! but he lied, Chicotin, I swear to you that he lied!"
"Oh! mamzelle, everybody knows that women never admit such things; if only n.o.body had seen you; but as someone did see you, nothing you can say will make me believe--Well, if you"re not crying now! I"m sorry for it, I don"t like to make anybody cry; but it ain"t my fault; I didn"t say a word about this; it was you who would talk about it; it worries me to see you cry, and I"ll go away, as you won"t tell me how much this big bunch of violets is."
"Whatever you please," faltered the girl, holding her handkerchief to her eyes.
"Mon Dieu! I can"t pay more than twenty sous, mamzelle."
"All right, that"s enough; take it."
"Yes, mamzelle, I will take it; here"s the twenty sous. Adieu, mamzelle."
Chicotin took the bouquet and walked away very fast, because he felt that if he remained longer with the flower girl he would be quite capable of crying with her.
Violette wiped her eyes and tried to keep back her tears; but this fresh blow had wounded her heart too deeply; she felt too unhappy, and was absolutely determined to extricate herself from that position.
Throughout the day she cudgelled her brains trying to think whom she could apply to for good advice; she felt that she must have a friend, a protector to defend her, to a.s.sist her to justify herself. But in vain did the poor girl cast her eyes about; fatherless and motherless, she was also friendless since Georget believed her guilty. At last, an idea, a last hope presented itself to her mind; despite the haste with which Monsieur Malberg had left her, it had seemed to her that he had felt some interest in her; the questions he had asked, the extreme attention with which he had gazed upon her, everything led her to suppose that something spoke to him in her favor; moreover, all the good that she had heard of that strange man, and the benefactions which he had heaped upon Georget and his mother, finally confirmed her in her determination. She decided to go to Nogent, and to appeal to Georget"s patron for aid and protection; and she flattered herself that he would not turn her away.
Somewhat tranquillized by this hope, Violette went to sleep less unhappy, saying to herself:
"To-morrow morning I will go to Nogent."
x.x.xIII
DISAPPOINTMENT.--CERTAINTY
On the fifteenth day after his visit to Monsieur de Roncherolle, the Comte de Brevanne did not fail to return to the furnished apartment on Rue de Bretagne. As he was starting upstairs, Beauvinet stopped him, saying:
"Whose room is monsieur going to?"
"To Monsieur de Roncherolle"s; I know that it is on the third floor!"