Volume I Part 16 (1/2)
”I am not surprised now that she proposed to sup in her mask!” he said to himself.
VI
A GENUINE INTRIGUE
The pearl-gray domino had entered the enclosure reserved for the dancers, walking boldly through the crowd, well able to repay in kind those who pushed and jostled her, and paying no attention to the men who spoke to her and tried to detain her by the usual phrases, which such gentlemen do not vary enough.
”Where are you going, lovely domino?”
”Listen to me, my deserted beauty!”
”You are running after him--better come with me.”
”If your face resembles your figure, you are the phoenix of dominos.”
To all these pretty speeches, tall Thelenie replied only by a very expressive shake of the head. When a man attempted to detain her by taking her arm, she had no difficulty in releasing herself by a sudden movement, saying in a far from encouraging tone:
”I advise you to let me alone, for I a.s.sure you that you are wasting your time with me; and that would be a great pity, if you came to the ball with the purpose of making good use of it.”
Thelenie's black eyes, full of fire, looked about on all sides for the little _debardeur_ with whom she had seen Edmond Didier talking. She was certain of recognizing her, although there were many similar costumes at the ball; a woman guided by jealousy takes in at a glance the figure, the carriage, the foot, the hand and the slightest movements of the person she believes to be her rival.
In a corner of the ball-room, near the orchestra, the pearl-gray domino, convinced that she was not mistaken, halted in front of a little masked _debardeur_ and said:
”I was looking for you.”
”You were looking for me!”
”Yes, you.”
”What for?”
”To speak to you, naturally.”
”What can you have to say to me? I don't know you--at least, I don't think I know you. But perhaps you're that big Julie who goes to the Cafe du Cirque so often, near the Folies-Dramatiques, and who always wins at dominoes.”
”I am not big Julie; I never go to the Cafe du Cirque, and I don't play dominoes. But you evidently go there, and I am not sorry to know it.”
”I go where I please--what business is it of yours? What are you talking about? If you were looking for me just to say that, it wasn't worth putting yourself out, charming domino.”
”I have something much more interesting to say to you; but first tell me this: what do you do? who are you? Not of much importance! I can see that by your manners and your language. No matter--I want to know; are you a milliner, flower-maker, seamstress--or something much lower down?
Come--answer me.”
”Ha! ha! ha! this is too good, on my word! Madame questions me, and with a tone of authority!--one would think she was talking to a slave! By what right do you ask me all this?”
”By what right? Oh! I'll show you that I have a right. Listen: you are Monsieur Edmond Didier's mistress.”
”Oho! so you know that, my tall beauty! Very good! I understand it all now; you're one of Edmond's old ones; a poor creature whom he abandoned for me! Ha! ha! and you've come here to make a jealous row!”