"Indeed you shall not; you shall accompany us, M. de Lucenay and me, to Madame de Senneval"s; she gives a party, and has frequently asked me to introduce you to her."
"I shall be but too happy."
"Then, too, I must tell you frankly that I don"t like to see you begin so early with your habits and tastes for clubs. You are possessed of everything necessary in order to be everywhere welcomed, and even sought after, in the world, and you ought, therefore, to mix with it as much as possible."
"Yes, you are right, cousin."
"And as I am on the footing of a grandmother with you, my dear Conrad, I am determined to exact a great deal from you. You are emanc.i.p.ated, it is true, but I believe you will want a guardian for a long time to come, and you must, therefore, consider me in that light."
"Most joyfully, happily, cousin!" said the young duke, emphatically.
It is impossible to describe the mute rage of Florestan, who was standing up, and leaning with his elbow on the mantelpiece. Neither the duke nor Clotilde paid the slightest attention to him. Knowing the rapidity with which Madame de Lucenay decided, he imagined she was pushing her boldness and contempt so far as to commence at once, and in his presence, a regular flirtation with the Duc de Montbrison.
It was not so. The d.u.c.h.ess felt for her cousin nothing beyond a truly maternal affection, having almost seen him born. But the young duke was so handsome, and seemed so happy at the agreeable reception of his cousin, that the jealousy, or, rather, pride of Florestan was aroused.
His heart writhed beneath the cruel wounds of envy, excited by Conrad de Montbrison, who, rich and handsome, was beginning so splendidly that life of pleasures, enjoyments, and fetes, from which he, ruined, undone, despised, dishonoured, was expelled.
M. de Saint-Remy was brave with that bravery of the head, if we may so call it, which will urge a man, by anger or by vanity, to face a duel.
But, vitiated and corrupted, he had not the courage of the heart which triumphs over bad inclinations, or which, at least, gives the energy which enables a man to escape infamy by a voluntary death. Furious at the bitter contempt of the d.u.c.h.ess, believing he saw a successor in the young duke, M. de Saint-Remy resolved to confront Madame de Lucenay with all insolence, and, if need were, to seek a quarrel with Conrad.
The d.u.c.h.ess, irritated at Florestan"s audacity, did not look towards him, and M. de Montbrison, in his anxious attention to his cousin, forgetting something of his high breeding, had not saluted or spoken a word to the vicomte, with whom he was acquainted. The latter, advancing to Conrad, whose back was towards him, touched his arm lightly, and said, in a dry and ironical tone:
"Good evening, sir; a thousand pardons for not having observed you before."
M. de Montbrison, perceiving that he had really failed in politeness, turned around instantly, and said cordially to the vicomte:
"Really, sir, I am ashamed; but I hope that my cousin, who caused my forgetfulness, will be my excuse, and--"
"Conrad," interposed the d.u.c.h.ess, immeasurably annoyed at Florestan"s impudence, persisting as he did in remaining, as it were, to brave her,--"Conrad, that will do; make no apologies; it is not worth while."
M. de Montbrison, believing that his cousin was reproaching him in joke for being somewhat too formal, said, in a gay tone, to the vicomte, who was livid with rage:
"I will not say more, sir, since my cousin forbids me. You see her guardianship has begun."
"And will not stop when it begins, my dear sir, be a.s.sured of that.
Thus, with this notice (which Madame la d.u.c.h.esse will hasten to fulfil, I have no doubt)--with this notice, I say, I have it in my mind to make you a proposal."
"To me, sir?" said Conrad, beginning to take offence at the sardonic tone of Florestan.
"To you yourself. I leave in a few days for the legation to Gerolstein, to which I am attached. I wish, therefore, to get my house, completely furnished, and my stable, entirely arranged, off my hands; and you might find it a suitable arrangement;" and the vicomte insolently emphasised his last words, looking Madame de Lucenay full in the face. "It would be very piquant, would it not, Madame la d.u.c.h.esse?"
"I do not understand you, sir," said M. de Montbrison, more and more astonished.
"I will tell you, Conrad, why you cannot accept the offer that is made you," said Clotilde.
"And why, Madame la d.u.c.h.esse, cannot the duke accept my offer?"
"My dear Conrad, what is offered you for sale is already sold to others.
So, you understand, you would have the inconvenience of being robbed just as if you were in a wood."
Florestan bit his lips with rage.
"Take care, madame!" he cried.
"What, threats! and here, sir?" exclaimed Conrad.
"Pooh, pooh! Conrad, pay no attention," said Madame de Lucenay, taking a lozenge from a sweetmeat box with the utmost composure; "a man of honour ought not and cannot have any future communication with that person. If he likes, I will tell you why."
A tremendous explosion would no doubt have occurred, when the two folding-doors again opened, and the Duc de Lucenay entered, noisily, violently, hurriedly, as was "his usual custom in the afternoon," as well as the forenoon.
"Ah, my dear! What, dressed already?" said he to his wife. "Why, how surprising! Quite astonishing! Good evening, Saint-Remy; good evening, Conrad. Ah, you see the most miserable of men; that is to say, I neither sleep nor eat, but am completely "done up." Can"t reconcile myself to it. Poor D"Harville, what an event!" And M. de Lucenay threw himself back in a sort of small sofa with two backs, and, crossing his left knee over his right, took his foot in his hand, whilst he continued to utter the most distressing exclamations.
The excitement of Conrad and Florestan had time to calm down, without being perceived by M. de Lucenay, who was the least clear-sighted man in the world.
Madame de Lucenay, not from embarra.s.sment, for she was never embarra.s.sed, as we know, but because Florestan"s presence was as disgusting as it was insupportable, said to the duke:
"We are ready to go as soon as you please. I am going to introduce Conrad to Madame de Senneval."
"No, no, no!" cried the duke, letting go his foot to seize one of the cushions, on which he struck violently with his two fists, to the great alarm of Clotilde, who, at the sudden cries of her husband, started from her chair.
"Monsieur, what ails you?" she inquired; "you frighten me exceedingly."
"No," replied the duke, thrusting the cushion from him, rising suddenly, and walking up and down with rapid strides and gesticulations, "I cannot get over the idea of the death of poor dear D"Harville; can you, Saint-Remy?"
"Indeed, it was a frightful event!" said the vicomte, who, with hatred and rage in his heart, kept his eye on M. de Montbrison; but this latter, after the last words of his cousin, turned away from a man so deeply degraded, not from want of feeling, but from pride.
"For goodness" sake, my lord," said the d.u.c.h.ess to her husband, "do not regret the loss of M. d"Harville in so noisy and really so singular a manner. Ring, if you please for my carriage."
"Yes, it is really true," said M. de Lucenay, seizing the bell-rope, "really true that, three days ago, he was full of life and health, and, to-day, what remains of him? Nothing! Nothing! Nothing!"
These three last exclamations were accompanied by three such violent pulls that the bell-rope, which the duke held in his hand whilst he was gesticulating, broke away from the upper spring, fell on a candelabra filled with lighted wax candles, knocked two of them out of the sconces, one of which, falling on the mantelpiece, broke a lovely little cup of old Sevres china; whilst the other, falling on the ground, rolled on a fur hearth rug, which took flame, but was soon extinguished under Conrad"s foot.
At the same moment, two _valets de chambre_, summoned by the furious ringing, entered hastily, and found M. de Lucenay with the bell-rope in his hand, the d.u.c.h.ess laughing heartily at this ridiculous fall of the wax lights, and M. de Montbrison sharing her mirth. M. de Saint-Remy alone did not laugh. M. de Lucenay, quite accustomed to such accidents, preserved his usual seriousness, and, throwing the bell-rope to one of the men, said:
"The d.u.c.h.ess"s carriage."
Clotilde, having somewhat recovered her composure, said:
"Really, my lord, there is no man in the world but yourself capable of exciting laughter at so lamentable an event."
"Lamentable! Say fearful. Why, now, only yesterday, I was recollecting how many persons in my own family I would rather should have died than poor D"Harville. First, there"s my nephew, D"Emberval, who stutters so annoyingly; then there"s your Aunt Merinville, who is always talking about her nerves and her headache, and who always gobbles up every day, whilst she is waiting for dinner, a mess of broth like a porter"s wife.
Are you very fond of your Aunt Merinville?"
"Really, my lord, have you lost your wits?" said the d.u.c.h.ess, shrugging her shoulders.
"It"s true enough, though," continued the duke; "one would give twenty indifferent persons for one friend; eh, Saint-Remy?"
"Unquestionably."