"How"s the Master?" said the son--"So mamma"s not in?"
"No, she is dining with Madame Ancelin and going on to the Francais; I am to join them in the evening."
After this the father and son had nothing further to say to each other.
They met like two strangers, like two men of hostile races. On this occasion, indeed, Paul in his impatience was half inclined to ask Leonard whether he knew anything about the marriage; but he thought the next minute, "No, he is too stupid; mother would never say a word to him." His father, who was also strongly tempted to put a question, called him back with an air of embarra.s.sment.
"Paul," he said, "I have lost--I can"t find----"
"Can"t find what?" asked the son.
Astier-Rehu hesitated a moment; but after looking closely at the pretty face, whose expression, on account of the bend in the nose, was never perfectly straightforward, he added in a gloomy, surly tone--
"No, nothing; it does not matter. I won"t keep you."
There was nothing for it but to meet his mother at the theatre in Madame Ancelin"s box. That meant two or three hours to be got through first.
Paul dismissed his carriage and ordered Stenne to bring him his dress things at his club. Then he started for a stroll through the city in a faint twilight, while the clipped shrubs of the Tuileries Gardens a.s.sumed brighter colours as the sky grew dark around them. It was the mystic hour so precious to people pursuing dreams or making plans.
The carriages grow fewer, the shadowy figures hurry by and touch the stroller lightly. There is no interruption to the flow of a man"s thoughts. So the ambitious young fellow, who had quite recovered his presence of mind, carried on his reflections clearly. His thoughts were like those of Napoleon at the last hour of the battle of Waterloo: after a long day of success defeat had come with night. What was the reason?
What mistake had he made? He replaced the pieces on the chessboard, and looked for the explanation of failure, but in vain. It had perhaps been rash of him to let two days pa.s.s without seeing her. But it was the most elementary rule that after such a scene as that in the cemetery a woman should be left to herself to recover. How was he to foresee this sudden flight? Suddenly a hope flashed upon him. He knew that the Princess changed her plan as often as a bird its perch. Perhaps she might not yet have gone; perhaps he should find her in the midst of preparations, unhappy, undecided, asking Herbert"s portrait for advice, and should win her back by one embrace. He understood and could follow now all the capricious turns of the romance which had been going on in her little head.
He took a cab to the Rue de Courcelles. n.o.body there. The Princess had gone abroad, they told him, that very morning. A terrible fit of despair came over him, and he went home instead of to the club, so as not to have to talk and answer questions. His spirits sank even lower at the sight of his great mediaeval erection and its front, in the style of the _Tour de la Faim_, all covered with bills; it suggested the piles of overdue accounts. As he felt his way in, he was greeted by a smell of fried onions filling the whole place; for his spruce little valet on nights when his master dined at the club would cook himself a tasty dish. A gleam of daylight still lingered in the studio, and Paul flung himself down on a sofa. There, as he was trying to think by what ill-luck his artfullest, cleverest designs had been upset, he fell asleep for a couple of hours and woke up another man. Just as memory gains in sharpness during the sleep of the body, so had his determination and talent for intrigue gone on acting during his short rest. He had found a new plan, and moreover a calm fixity of resolution, such as among the modern youth of France is very much more rarely met with than courage under arms.
He dressed rapidly and took a couple of eggs and a cup of tea; and when, with a faint odour of the warm curling-iron about his beard and moustaches, he entered the Theatre Francais and gave Madame Ancelin"s name at the box-office, the keenest observer would have failed to detect any absorbing preoccupation in the perfect gentleman of fashion, and would never have guessed the contents of this pretty drawing-room article, black-and-white lacquered, and well locked.
Madame Ancelin"s worship of official literature had two temples, the Academie Francaise and the Comedie Francaise. But the first of these places being open to the pious believer only at uncertain periods, she made the most of the second, and attended its services with great regularity. She never missed a "first night," whether important or unimportant, nor any of the Subscribers" Tuesdays. And as she read no books but those stamped with the hall-mark of the Academie, so the actors at the Comedie were the only players to whom she listened with enthusiasm, with excited e.j.a.c.u.l.a.t.i.o.ns and rapturous amazement. Her exclamations began at the box-office, at the sight of the two great marble fonts, which the good lady"s fancy had set up before the statues of Rachel and Talma in the entrance to the "House of Moliere."
"Don"t they look after it well? Just look at the door-keepers! What a theatre it is!"
The jerky movements of her short arms and the puffing of her fat little body diffused through the pa.s.sage a sense of noisy gleefulness which made people say in every box, "Here"s Madame Ancelin!" On Tuesdays especially, the fashionable indifference of the house contrasted oddly with the seat where, in supreme content, leaning half out of the box, sat and cooed this good plump pink-eyed pigeon, piping away audibly, "Look at Coquelin! Look at De-launay! What perennial youth! What an admirable theatre!" She never allowed her friends to talk of anything else, and in the _entr"actes_ greeted her visitors with exclamations of rapture over the genius of the Academic playwright and the grace of the Actress-a.s.sociate.
At Paul Astier"s entrance the curtain was up; and knowing that the ritual of Madame Ancelin required absolute silence at such a time, he waited quietly in the little room, separated by a step from the front of the box, where Madame Ancelin was seated in bliss between Madame Astier and Madame Eviza, while behind were Danjou and De Freydet looking like prisoners. The click, which the box-door made and must make in shutting, was followed by a "Hush!" calculated to appal the intruder who was disturbing the service. Madame Astier half turned round, and felt a shiver at the sight of her son. What was the matter? What had Paul to say to her of such pressing importance as to bring him to that haunt of boredom--Paul, who never let himself be bored without a reason? Money again, no doubt, horrid money! Well, fortunately she would soon have plenty; Sammy"s marriage would make them all rich. Much as she longed to go up to Paul and rea.s.sure him with the good news, which perhaps he had not heard, she was obliged to stay in her seat, look on at the play, and join as chorus in her hostess"s exclamations, "Look at Coquelin! Look at De-launay! Oh! Oh!" It was a hard trial to her to have to wait So it was to Paul, who could see nothing but the glaring heat of the footlights, and in the looking-gla.s.s at the side the reflection of part of the house, stalls, dress-circle, boxes, rows of faces, pretty dresses, bonnets, all as it were drowned in a blue haze, and presenting the colourless ghostly appearance of things dimly seen under water. During the _entr"acte_ came the usual infliction of indiscriminate praise.
"Monsieur Paul! Di" y" see Reichemberg"s dress? Di" y" see the pink-bead ap.r.o.n? and the ribbon ruching? Di" y" see? This is the only place where they know how to dress, that it is!"
Visitors began to come, and the mother was able to get hold of her son and carry him off to the sofa. There, in the midst of wraps and the bustle of people going out, they spoke in low voices with their heads close together.
"Answer me quickly and clearly," began Paul "Is Sammy going to be married?"
"Yes, the d.u.c.h.ess heard yesterday. But she has come here to-night all the same. Corsican pride!"
"And whom has he caught? Can you tell me now?"
"Why, Colette, of course! You must have had a suspicion."
"Not the least," said Paul. "And what shall you get for it?"
She murmured triumphantly, "Eight thousand pounds!"
[Ill.u.s.tration: Well, by your schemes I have lost a million 192]
"Well, by your schemes I have lost a million!--a million, and a wife!"
He grasped her by the wrists in his anger, and hissed into her face, "You selfish marplot!"
The news took away her breath and her senses. It was Paul then, Paul, from whom proceeded the force which acted, as she had occasionally perceived, against her influence; it was Paul whom the little fool was thinking of when she said, sobbing in her arms, "If you only knew!" And now, just at the end of the mines which with so much cunning and skilful patience they had each been driving towards the treasure, one last stroke of the axe had brought them face to face, empty-handed! They sat silent, looking at each other, with corresponding crooks in their noses and the same fierce gleam in both pairs of grey eyes, while all around them were the stir of people coming and going and the buzz of conversation. Rigid indeed is the discipline of society, seeing that it could repress in these two creatures all the cries and groans, all the desire to roar and slay, which filled and shook their hearts. Madame Astier was the first to express her thoughts aloud:
"If only the Princess were not gone!"
And she writhed her lips with rage at the thought that the sudden departure had been her own suggestion.
"We will get her back," said Paul.
"How?"
Without answering her question, he asked, "Is Sammy here to-night?"
"Oh, I don"t think so, as _she_ is---- Where are you going? what do you mean to do?"
"Keep quiet, won"t you? Don"t interfere. You are too unlucky for me."
He left with a crowd of visitors who were driven away by the end of the _entr"acte_, and she went back to her seat on Madame Ancelin"s left.
Her hostess worshipped with the same ecstasy as before, and it was one perpetual giving of thanks.
"Oh, look at Coquelin! What humour he has! My dear, do look at him!"
"My dear" was indeed not attending; her eyes wandered, and on her lips was the painful smile of a dancer hissed off the boards. With the excuse that the footlights dazzled her, she was turning every moment towards the audience to look for her son. Perhaps there would be a duel with the Prince, if he was there. And all her fault--all through her stupid bungling.
"Ah, there"s Delaunay! Di" y" see him? Di" y" see?"
No, she had seen nothing but the d.u.c.h.ess"s box, where some one had just come in, with a youthful elegant figure, like her Paul. But it was the little Count Adriani, who had heard of the rupture like the rest of Paris and was already tracking the game. Through the rest of the play the mother ate her heart out in misery, turning over innumerable confused plans for the future, mixed in her thoughts with past events and scenes which ought to have forewarned her. Stupid, how stupid of her! How had she failed to guess?
At last came the departure, but oh how long it took! She had to stop every moment, to bow or smile to her friends, to say good-bye. "What are you going to do this summer? Do come and see us at Deauville." All down the narrow pa.s.sage crammed with people, where ladies finish putting on their wraps with a pretty movement to make sure of their ear-rings, all down the white marble staircase to the men-servants waiting at the foot, the mother, as she talks, still watches, listens, tries to catch in the hum of the great fashionable swarm dispersing for some months a word or hint of a scene that evening in a box. Here comes the d.u.c.h.ess, haughty and erect in her long white and gold mantle, taking the arm of the young officer of the Papal Guard. She knows the shabby trick her friend has played her, and as the two women pa.s.s they exchange a cold expressionless glance more to be dreaded than the most violent expletive of a fishwoman. They know now what to think of each other; they know that in the poisoned warfare, which is to succeed their sisterly intimacy, every blow will tell, will be directed to the right spot by practised hands. But they discharge the task imposed by society, and both wear the same mask of indifference, so that the masterful hate of the one can meet and strike against the spiteful hate of the other without producing a spark.
Downstairs, in the press of valets and young clubmen, Leonard Astier was waiting, as he had promised, for his wife. "Ah, there is the great man!"
exclaimed Madame Ancelin; and with a final dip of her fingers into the holy water she scattered it around her broadcast, over the great Astier-Rehu, the great Danjou, and Coquelin, you know! and Delaunay, you know! Oh! Oh! Oh!--Astier did not reply, but followed with his wife on his arm and his collar turned up against the draught. It was raining.
Madame Ancelin offered to take them home; but it was only with the conventional politeness of a "carriage" lady afraid of tiring her horses and still more afraid of her coachman"s temper (she has invariably the best coachman in Paris). Besides, "the great man" had a cab; and without waiting for the lady"s benediction--"Ah, well, we know you two like to be alone. Ah! what a happy household!"--he dragged off Madame Astier along the wet and dirty colonnade.
When, at the end of a ball or evening party, a fashionable couple drive off in their carriage, the question always suggests itself, "Now what will they say?" Not much usually, for the man generally comes away from this kind of festivity weary and knocked up, while the lady continues the party in the darkness of the carriage by inward comparisons of her dress and her looks with those she has just seen, and makes plans for the arrangement of her drawing-room or a new costume. Still the restraint of feature required by society is so excessive, and fashionable hypocrisy has reached such a height, that it would be interesting to be present at the moment when the conventional att.i.tude is relaxed, to hear the real natural tone of voice, and to realise the actual relations of the beings thus suddenly released from trammels and sent rolling home in the light of their brougham lamps through the empty streets of Paris. In the case of the Astiers the return home was very characteristic. The moment they were alone the wife laid aside the deference and pretended interest exhibited towards the Master in society, and spoke her mind, compensating herself in so doing for the attention with which she had listened for the hundredth time to old stories which bored her to death. The husband, kindly by disposition and accustomed to think well of himself and everyone else, invariably came home in a state of bliss, and was horrified at the malicious comments of his wife on their hosts and the guests they had met. Madame Astier would utter calmly the most shocking accusations, exaggerating gossip in the light unconscious way which is characteristic of Parisian society.
Rather than stimulate her he would hold his tongue and turn round in his corner to take a little doze. But on this evening Leonard sat down straight, regardless of the sharp "Do mind my dress!" which showed that somebody"s skirts were being crumpled. What did he care about her dress?
"I"ve been robbed!" he said, in such a tone that the windows rattled.
Oh dear, the autographs! She had not been thinking of them, least of all just now, when tormented by very different anxieties, and there was nothing feigned in her surprise.
Robbed--yes, robbed of his "Charles-the-Fifths," the three best things in his collection! But the a.s.surance which made his attack so violent died out of his voice, and his suspicion hesitated, at the sight of Adelaide"s surprise. Meanwhile she recovered her self-possession.
"But whom do you suspect?" Corentine, she thought, was trustworthy.
Teyssedre? It was hardly likely that an ignorant----
Teyssedre! He exclaimed at it, the thing seemed so obvious. Helped by his hatred for the man of polish, he soon began to see how the crime had come about, and traced it step by step from a chance allusion at dinner to the value of his doc.u.ments, heard by Corentine and repeated in all innocence. Ah, the scoundrel! Why, he had the skull of a criminal!
Foolish to struggle against the intimations of instinct! There must be something out of the common, when a floor-polisher could arouse so strange an antipathy in a member of the Inst.i.tute! Ah, well, the dolt was done for now! He should catch it! "My three Charleses! Only fancy!"
He wanted to inform the police at once, before going home. His wife tried to prevent him. "Are you out of your mind? Go to the police-station after midnight?" But he insisted, and thrust his great numskull out into the rain to give orders to the driver. She was obliged to pull him back with an effort, and feeling too much exhausted to carry on the lie, to let him say his say and bring him round gradually, she came out with the whole truth.