Volume Ii Part 21 (2/2)
”They have a carriage!--with horses?”
”Yes, indeed, with real horses! There are just the husband and wife--no children. They live in great style, and they say the lady's extremely pretty--and so stylis.h.!.+”
”All right; we shall see how that is. I doubt whether this person dresses any better than I do. Did you see the dress I had on last Tuesday, Luminot?”
”I must have seen it!”
”The man didn't so much as notice it! a gray damask with green stripes.”
”Oh, yes! it was magnificent; you were at least twelve feet round.”
”I am not talking about how large round I was; I am talking about the material of my dress, which cost twenty francs a yard; and it's so stiff that it stands alone! it's superb!”
”You were simply gorgeous!”
”Bah! you men think of nothing but novelty; you go into ecstasies beforehand over a woman you don't know.”
”I am not going into ecstasies over her; I am simply repeating what I have been told; and I am very glad to see nice people flocking to our part of the country.”
”What are the names of these nice people?”
”Wait a moment--they told me the person's name--it's an odd name--that of a place in the outskirts of Paris--a well-known place.”
”What! these distinguished people bear the name of a place?”
”Why not?--It isn't Saint-Cloud.”
”Ha! ha! Monsieur and Madame Saint-Cloud! that would be amusing!”
”It isn't Vaugirard--the devil! I did know the name. It isn't La Villette!”
Luminot was interrupted by the arrival of Madame Remplume, who rushed into the room as eagerly as he had done.
”Madame Droguet, I've heard some news----”
”My dear woman, I fancy that your news isn't news to me. The Goldfish Villa is sold, isn't it?”
”Ah! you know it! but it's just out.”
”I have only known it a minute; neighbor Luminot came to tell us.”
”How in the world does he make out to get all the news first?”
”Oh! I walk about here and there and everywhere, mesdames.”
”The new owners are to come to-day to take possession of their property, where they mean to pa.s.s the whole summer.”
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