Volume I Part 49 (1/2)
”If you knew it, what made you ask me what I came here for? You wanted to make me laugh a bit, you rogue!”
”It was money that you came for five years ago, and then you were to obtain employment, to reform and behave yourself.”
”Bah! my dear love, are we able to direct events to suit our pleasure?
Certain things happened which disarranged the course I had marked out for myself--that's the whole story.”
”Nine years and a half, almost ten years ago, I found a suitable place for you; how did you lose it?”
”Oh! you mean the place of secretary to Monsieur Duronceray?”
”It was a pleasant place; you wrote very well, and that was all that was necessary; you had very little to do and a salary of fifteen hundred francs.”
”Magnificent!--I aimed higher, I was ambitious.”
”And to gratify your pa.s.sions, you dared to rob----”
”Enough! enough! that affair happened a long while ago, and it's no use to talk about it now; besides, I have something to remind me of it that will never disappear, I'm afraid!”
As he said this, Thelenie's brother put his hand to his left cheek, where the scar was; then he continued:
”However, then as now, n.o.body knew I was your brother; you had recommended me to that gentleman as a protege of yours.”
”Thank heaven!”
”By the way, what has become of that Monsieur Duronceray?”
”I have no idea.”
”Do you never see him now?”
”No, not for a long time.”
”Do you know whether he's in Paris at present?”
”I tell you that I know absolutely nothing about him. Why do you ask me all these questions?”
”Oh! because I am not at all anxious to meet that gentleman--although he probably wouldn't recognize me, misfortune has changed my features so!
But he had a certain animal that might recognize me.--Ah! that infernal dog!”
And again Monsieur Croque put his hand to his left cheek.
”The villain! if ever I get a chance to settle his has.h.!.+ But perhaps he's dead! I should like it as well if he was dead. Ever since then I've had a horror of dogs.--But never mind all that; the present business is to provide for the little brother; that's the most urgent thing; do you understand, little sister?”
The beautiful brunette was silent for some time; at last she muttered:
”To be economical, to take the pains to save enough to live on, by depriving oneself, and then to have that money squandered by lazy vagabonds, by people who do not know what decent behavior is--do you know that that is decidedly unpleasant?”
Monsieur Croque swayed to and fro on his couch, singing between his teeth: