Part 16 (1/2)
And then (to Little Billee's horror this time) one of them happened to look back, and Zouzou actually kissed his hand to her.
”Do you _know_ that lady?” asked Little Billee, very sternly.
”_Parbleu! si je la connais!_ Why, it's my mother! Isn't she nice? She's rather cross with me just now.”
”Your _mother_! Why, what do you mean? What on earth would your mother be doing in that big carriage and at that big house?”
”_Parbleu, farceur!_ She lives there!”
”_Lives_ there! Why, who and what is she, your mother?”
”The d.u.c.h.esse de la Rochemartel, _parbleu!_ and that's my sister; and that's my aunt, Princess de Chevagne-Bauffremont! She's the '_patronne_'
of that _chic_ equipage. She's a millionaire, my aunt Chevagne!”
”Well, I never! What's _your_ name, then?”
”Oh, _my_ name! Hang it--let me see!
Well--Gontran-Xavier--Francois--Marie--Joseph d'Amaury--Brissac de Roncesvaulx de la Rochemartel-Boissegur, at your service!”
”Quite correct!” said Dodor; ”_l'enfant dit vrai!_”
”Well--I--never! And what's _your_ name, Dodor?”
”Oh! I'm only a humble individual, and answer to the one-horse name of Theodore Rigolot de Lafarce. But Zouzou's an awful swell, you know--his brother's the Duke!”
[Ill.u.s.tration: HoTEL DE LA ROCHEMARTEL]
Little Billee was no sn.o.b. But he was a respectably brought-up young Briton of the higher middle cla.s.s, and these revelations, which he could not but believe, astounded him so that he could hardly speak. Much as he flattered himself that he scorned the bloated aristocracy, t.i.tles are t.i.tles--even French t.i.tles!--and when it comes to dukes and princesses who live in houses like the Hotel de la Rochemartel ...!
It's enough to take a respectably brought-up young Briton's breath away!
When he saw Taffy that evening, he exclaimed: ”I say, Zouzou's mother's a d.u.c.h.ess!”
”Yes--the d.u.c.h.esse de la Rochemartel-Boissegur.”
”You never told me!”
”You never asked me. It's one of the greatest names in France. They're very poor, I believe.”
”Poor! You should see the house they live in!”
”I've been there, to dinner; and the dinner wasn't very good. They let a great part of it, and live mostly in the country. The Duke is Zouzou's brother; very unlike Zouzou; he's consumptive and unmarried, and the most respectable man in Paris. Zouzou will be the Duke some day.”
”And Dodor--he's a swell, too, I suppose--he says he's _de_ something or other!”
”Yes--Rigolot de Lafarce. I've no doubt he descends from the Crusaders, too; the name seems to favor it, anyhow; and such lots of them do in this country. His mother was English, and bore the worthy name of Brown.