Volume Ii Part 34 (2/2)
”My dear love, I am bringing someone whom you will be delighted to see, a visitor whom you did not expect, but who will give you great pleasure.”
Thelenie did not deign to turn her face toward the door, but contented herself with asking:
”Who is it? what's the matter? whom have you brought?”
”Monsieur de Schtapelmerg.”
”Who's he? Schtapelmerg! Where does he come from? I don't know any such person.”
”She has forgotten your name, baron.”
”When madame hears my voice, I am quite sure that she will recognize me at once and will not ask again who I am.”
There was a shrill, strident tone in Croque's voice which, in truth, made it easy to recognize; so that, as soon as he began to speak, Thelenie faced about abruptly, and, after examining him, exclaimed:
”What! is it you?”
”Yes, dear and n.o.ble lady; it is I, the Baron von Schtapelmerg, your old friend, who was always the most sincere and devoted of your servants. I have just had the honor of informing your highly honored husband, Monsieur de Belleville, of that fact, madame, having had the pleasure of meeting him on my way here; and I already entertain for him the most sincere esteem, having, at the first glance, seen that he is endowed with capacities of all sorts.”
Croque finished his harangue by bowing low to Monsieur and Madame de Belleville.
Thelenie had much difficulty in refraining from laughing in the faces of her husband and the pretended baron, especially when she saw Chamoureau press Croque's hand warmly, saying:
”Faith, my dear baron, if I suit you, I can say without flattery that you are altogether to my taste, and that my wife could not have an acquaintance who would be more agreeable to me.”
”You hear, charming lady; now I am your husband's friend too; and I like to believe that you have kept a little place warm for me in your heart.
_Tarteiff!_”
”Certainly, Monsieur de--I cannot possibly remember your name.”
”Schtapelmerg--descended, I venture to say, from one of the most venerable families of Bavaria.”
”Yes, yes! I know it. But, my dear baron, allow me to tell you that you are really rather careless in the matter of dress! I know that a man pays little attention to such details when travelling; but upon my word, if I didn't know you as I do, seeing you appear in this garb I should never have detected in you the true aristocrat.”
”I deserve the rebuke. Yes, I deserve it. I am dressed like a ragam.u.f.fin, that is true! You see, in the train, while I was dozing, a fellow traveller took my hat, which was quite new, and left me with this one. I didn't notice it till I left the train.”
”There's some very clever stealing done on railway trains,” said Chamoureau; ”I myself, one day--that is to say, one evening--or rather it was just between daylight and dark; but there was a man----”
”I believe that we will postpone your story, monsieur,” said Thelenie, interrupting her husband. ”But how about the things I gave you to do--have you attended to them?”
”Not yet, my sweet love; I was going out for that purpose, when I met the dear baron in the avenue of lindens. At that moment I was thinking of something very important--how old those magnificent trees probably are.”
”It seems to me, monsieur, that you will do better to think of my commissions--while I talk with this old friend, who has many things to tell me, no doubt.”
”Oh! yes, _belle dame_; I have to tell you about a lot of people, whom I met on my travels.”
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