The little doctor felt a faintness run through his veins, and a thrill of anger follow it. The poor man could not imagine a love affair that did not include Clotilde Nancanou.
"Whom have you married?"
"De pritties" gal in de citty."
The questioner controlled himself.
"M-hum," he responded, with a contraction of the eyes.
Raoul waited an instant for some kindlier comment, and finding the hope vain, suddenly a.s.sumed a look of delighted admiration.
"Hi, yi, yi! Doctah, "ow you har lookingue fine."
The true look of the doctor was that he had not much longer to live. A smile of bitter humor pa.s.sed over his face, and he looked for a near seat, saying:
"How"s Frowenfeld?"
Raoul struck an ecstatic att.i.tude and stretched forth his hand as if the doctor could not fail to grasp it. The invalid"s heart sank like lead.
"Frowenfeld has got her," he thought.
"Well?" said he with a frown of impatience and restraint; and Raoul cried:
"I sole my pigshoe!"
The doctor could not help but laugh.
"Shades of the masters!"
"No; "Louizyanna rif-using to hantre de h-Union.""
The doctor stood corrected.
The two walked across the deck, following the shadow of the swinging sail. The doctor lay down in a low-swung hammock, and Raoul sat upon the deck _a la Turque_.
"Come, come, Raoul, tell me, what is the news?"
"News? Oh, I donno. You "eard concernin" the dool?"
"You don"t mean to say--"
"Yesseh!"
"Agricola and Sylvestre?"
"W"at de dev"! No! Burr an" "Ammiltong; in Noo-Juzzy-las-June. Collonnel Burr, "e--"
"Oh, fudge! yes. How is Frowenfeld?"
""E"s well. Guess "ow much I sole my pigshoe."
"Well, how much?"
"Two "ondred fifty." He laid himself out at length, his elbow on the deck, his head in his hand. "I believe I"m sorry I sole "er."
"I don"t wonder. How"s Honore? Tell me what has happened. Remember, I"ve been away five months."
"No; I am verrie glad dat I sole "er. What? Ha! I should think so! If it have not had been fo" dat I would not be married to-day. You think I would get married on dat sal"rie w"at Proffis-or Frowenfel" was payin"
me? Twenty-five dolla" de mont"? Docta Keene, no gen"leman h-ought to git married if "e "ave not anny"ow fifty dolla" de mont"! If I wasn" a h-artiz I wouldn" git married; I gie you my word!"
"Yes," said the little doctor, "you are right. Now tell me the news."
"Well, dat Cong-ress gone an" make--"
"Raoul, stop. I know that Congress has divided the province into two territories; I know you Creoles think all your liberties are lost; I know the people are in a great stew because they are not allowed to elect their own officers and legislatures, and that in Opelousas and Attakapas they are as wild as their cattle about it--"
"We "ad two big mitting" about it," interrupted Raoul; "my bro"r-in-law speak at both of them!"
"Who?"
"Chahlie Mandarin."
"Glad to hear it," said Doctor Keene,--which was the truth. "Besides that, I know Laussat has gone to Martinique; that the Americains have a newspaper, and that cotton is two-bits a pound. Now what I want to know is, how are my friends? What has Honore done? What has Frowenfeld done?
And Palmyre,--and Agricole? They hustled me away from here as if I had been caught trying to cut my throat. Tell me everything."
And Raoul sank the artist and bridegroom in the historian, and told him.
CHAPTER XLVII
THE NEWS
"My cousin Honore,--well, you kin jus" say "e bitray" "is "ole fam"ly."
"How so?" asked Doctor Keene, with a handkerchief over his face to shield his eyes from the sun.
"Well,--ce"t"nly "e did! Di"n" "e gave dat money to Aurora De Grapion?--one "undred five t"ousan" dolla"? Jis" as if to say, "Yeh"s de money my h-uncle stole from you" "usban"." Hah! w"en I will swear on a stack of Bible" as "igh as yo" head, dat Agricole win dat "abitation fair!--If I see it? No, sir; I don"t "ave to see it! I"ll swear to it! Hah!"
"And have she and her daughter actually got the money?"
"She--an"--heh--daughtah--ac--shilly--got-"at-money-sir! W"at? Dey livin" in de rue Royale in mag-_niff_ycen" style on top de drug-sto" of Proffis-or Frowenfel"."
"But how, over Frowenfeld"s, when Frowenfeld"s is a one-story--"
"My dear frien"! Proffis-or Frowenfel" is _moove!_ You rickleck dat big new t"ree-story buildin" w"at jus" finished in de rue Royale, a lill mo"
farther up town from his old shop? Well, we open dare _a big sto"!_ An"