Volume Ii Part 50 (1/2)
”Monsieur Jarnouillard told it to us as a positive fact; Monsieur de Belleville is to make his experiments during dinner.”
”Ha! ha! what an excellent joke!”
”Jarnouillard!--Come here a moment. From whom did you get this story concerning Monsieur de Belleville's secret relative to women's ages?”
The lank, yellow, ugly miser looked around and pointed to Freluchon, crying:
”From that young man from Paris over there.”
”Oh! then I am not surprised,” said Thelenie; ”that is Monsieur Freluchon; his one delight is to laugh and make jokes.”
”I call it very ridiculous!” said Madame Droguet.
Thelenie went up to the diminutive young man and bestowed a gracious smile on him.
”You caused those ladies a terrible fright, Monsieur Freluchon!” she said.
”I, madame? how so?”
”By making them believe that my husband has a secret method of telling all their ages.”
”Isn't it true? Isn't that what Cha--that your husband guesses?”
”No; it's the age of trees, not of women.”
”Frankly, I thought that it was much more agreeable to investigate the age of the fair s.e.x! I should never have imagined that my friend Cha--de Belleville would have taken an interest in any other study. Excuse the mistake--it is quite natural.”
”Did Monsieur Edmond Didier come with you?”
”No, madame.”
”Shall we see him this evening?”
”I think so--unless he cannot make up his mind to quit his love-making; for he is pa.s.sionately in love, you know--the dear fellow!”
Thelenie with difficulty repressed a nervous gesture; but she found it more difficult to mask the threatening expression which pa.s.sed over her face and which Freluchon did not fail to observe, although she affected to smile as she murmured:
”Yes, so I have been told. But Monsieur Edmond has been in love so often! it is never a serious matter with him.”
”It is true,” said Freluchon, playing with his switch, ”that I have known him to have love-affairs which lasted only a short time. But this time it is a genuine pa.s.sion, a sincere attachment, for he expects to marry his love very soon.”
”Oh! he says that, but he will think twice before doing it.”
”Why so? Mademoiselle Agathe is a charming girl; she is bright and talented; she has an equable, sweet disposition, and much charm.”
”Ha! ha! ha! what an eloquent portrait! Look out! One would think that you too were in love with the young lady.”
”Isn't she the girl who lives with that other woman in the Courtivaux house?” said Madame Droguet.