Volume Ii Part 27 (1/2)
she added, somewhat rea.s.sured when she found that it was not a frog which she had been warming in her bosom, ”do you carry goldfish in your handkerchief?”
Chamoureau, as the explanation of the incident began to dawn upon him, turned as red as his fish, and did not know what to say. But Thelenie at once spoke up and told the story of the accident which had happened to her husband, and which explained the presence of an inhabitant of the pond in his coat pocket, unsuspected by him. Thereupon they ended by laughing at the episode, and to obtain full forgiveness for the fish, Thelenie invited the Droguet family to dinner on the Thursday following.
The invitation was accepted with profuse thanks and compliments, and Monsieur and Madame de Belleville took their leave; the Droguets escorted them to their caleche, and they parted well pleased with one another.
”Please examine your pockets, monsieur,” said Thelenie, ”and make sure that there are no more goldfish in them, for I have no desire that you should throw any more of them in the faces of the people we are going to call upon.”
”I have no more in my pockets, madame.”
”I am not surprised that you have such a horrible smell of fish about you; why didn't you change your coat?”
”Because I haven't any other black one that fits me, madame.”
”Then you must have another one made, monsieur; I believe that you are rich enough to have more than one coat.”
On leaving Madame Droguet's, Thelenie drove to the Remplumes, then to the Jarnouillards, then to the mayor's, and to all the leading people of the place, who were extremely flattered by the courtesies and the invitations they received from Monsieur and Madame de Belleville.
Thelenie overlooked neither Monsieur Luminot nor the doctor; she left at their houses invitations to dine with her on the Thursday following.
Then they returned to Goldfish Villa, and Chamoureau said to himself:
”I propose to stay quietly in my room, for fear some other unpleasant accident may happen to me.”
Thelenie, for her part, was well content with her day. She had begun a campaign of calumny against the persons whom Edmond visited, and she was persuaded that her spiteful words would soon be repeated and exaggerated, for calumny is the most agreeable pastime of fools. They would be of so little account in the world, if they did not speak ill of their neighbors.
X
AMI BRINGS CERTAIN PERSONS TOGETHER
When the lovelorn Edmond returned from Paris, his first thought always was to go to Madame Dalmont's to pay his respects to the two friends and to indulge himself in the pleasure of reading Agathe's thoughts in her eyes.
They did not fail to tell him the story of the sale, although Honorine attempted to pa.s.s over in silence the circ.u.mstances that redounded to her credit; but Agathe told everything.
”Why shouldn't you tell of your own good deeds?” she said; ”as they say so much ill of us in the neighborhood, that will be some little compensation.”
”Say ill of you! who has the presumption to do anything of the sort, when you deserve nothing but praise?” exclaimed Edmond with great heat.
”I have known you only a short time, mesdames, but, thank heaven! I soon learned to appreciate you! You are not of those persons whose hearts are a mystery; yours are so kind, so humane!--What Madame Dalmont did for those people doesn't surprise me in the least; if she were wealthy, I am sure that there would be no unfortunates in her neighborhood! I confess, too, that I feel strongly drawn toward that strange man, the owner of the Tower, concerning whom the people hereabout spread such absurd reports. When calumny is rife concerning a person whom I do not know, it always serves to commend that person to me. What he did for the farmer's family was grand, n.o.ble, touching! it was like a gust of wind which swept away in an instant all the petty slanders that were current concerning him!--But I beg you to answer my question: who has spoken ill of you?”
The two friends were silent for some time; Agathe blushed and looked at the floor. At last Honorine decided to speak.
”Agathe thinks that we ought to tell you everything, bad as well as good; so we will speak frankly, once and for all; I believe, in truth, that that is the best course to follow.
”First of all, Monsieur Edmond, I must begin by rea.s.suring you, by begging you to believe that the remarks which are made about us do not affect us in the least. You have heard of a certain Madame Droguet----”
”That inquisitive woman, who hid a whole day in the bushes, watching for Monsieur Paul to pa.s.s,” added Agathe.
”And who received Freluchon so ill because he called at her house to ask for me?”
”That is the woman; the specimens of her social circle who came to see us gave us no desire to know it in its entirety, so we have not called on Madame Droguet, or her friends Mesdames Jarnouillard and Remplume.