Volume I Part 48 (1/2)
”Oh! madame, it is--if you knew! I am all upset.”
”Explain yourself, I say.”
”There's a man there, who looks just like a thief; I believe he is one; he has every appearance of it. Oh! what a horrid man! he frightens me to death! He has on a long coat with holes in the elbows, and a face--an expression----”
”Well! what does this man want?”
”He wants to speak to madame--in private; and if you knew how insolently he talks; one would say that he thought he was in his own house.”
”Send the man away; it must be some beggar who has come to ask alms; I don't see such people; send him away.”
”And quickly, too,” suggested Mademoiselle Helose, ”for he is capable of stealing something in your reception room. I shouldn't suppose your concierge would let poor people come upstairs. Is the man a dumb idiot?”
”I don't know if the man will go away,” said Melie. ”'You will tell your mistress,' he says, 'that it's Croque who wants to speak to her.'”
When she heard that name, Thelenie turned ghastly pale; she was evidently deeply agitated; her features contracted; she seemed completely crushed, and muttered between her teeth:
”Oh! mon Dieu! he is still alive! I hoped that he was dead!”
”Croque! what a name!” exclaimed Helose; ”why not Croque-Mitaine and be done with it? Then we should know at all events that he doesn't mean to scare anyone but children!”
”I will go and tell the horrid man to go away, that madame refuses to receive him,” said Melie.
But Thelenie hurriedly arrested the maid, crying:
”No, no; don't do that, Melie; on the contrary, go to this--this gentleman, and show him in. I am curious to know what he has to say to me.--Do you, Helose, step into the salon a moment.”
”What! you propose to receive this man? You are not afraid to be left alone with him?”
”No, I am not afraid; do what I tell you; and you, Melie, go and bring this stranger to me.”
The maid obeyed, not trying to conceal her amazement at her mistress's sudden change of front; and Mademoiselle Helose walked toward the salon, remarking as she went:
”Keep your eye on the mantel all the time, and look out that your friend don't pinch something.”
When the wretchedly-dressed personage was ushered into Thelenie's bedroom, he bowed to her most respectfully; she motioned to her maid and to Helose to leave them, then carefully closed and locked all the doors. Thereupon Monsieur Croque dropped carelessly upon a couch and tossed his hat on the floor, saying:
”d.a.m.n my eyes! my dear love, it takes a lot of trouble to reach you!
it's worse than it is at a minister's office! What a get-up! what style!
what a dust!”
The beautiful brunette gazed loweringly at the person before her, and said at last in a faltering tone:
”What! is it you? I thought----”
”You thought I'd kicked the bucket, didn't you? and I'll bet you didn't weep very much over me. But no, the little man's still alive; and he hasn't the slightest inclination to die. What a pity it would be! at forty years! just the prime of life for a man!”
”But what has become of you these five years past? for it is fully five years since I last saw or heard of you.--Mon Dieu! what do you look like!--how can you possibly show yourself dressed like this?”
”Why, I have to do it when I haven't anything else to put on my back, and not a sign of anything to buy duds with.”