Part 4 (2/2)
”'Aha! so this is the way you sleep, mesdemoiselles! But I propose to find out who it is that dares to leave the room in spite of my orders--to light her candle, I suppose.--I knew too much to make any answer. Madame called to Julie to come up with a light. I got away from her; and while she stood in the doorway to keep me from going back, I ran down to her apartment, put out the candles, and threw the matches out of the window. So madame couldn't find out who it was that came out, and we pa.s.sed the time feeling around for each other.--There! your hair's all done, my friend.”
”Thank G.o.d!--I remember that you made noise enough.--I must wait till they're cold before I take them off.--Fifine! you're a perfect devil!
But no matter--I love you sincerely, and if I should ever be rich like Alfred----”
”Ah! then we should see some fine things, shouldn't we?”
”Yes; you would see--In the first place, wealth wouldn't make me any different; it's so absurd to be proud and self-satisfied just because one has a few more yellow boys in one's pocket! Does it increase one's merit? I ask you that, Fifine?”
”It is certain that if you were a millionaire, your eyes wouldn't be any larger.”
”Bah! unkind girl! they are large enough to admire you.--Oh! stop that!”
”I have never heard you speak of this Alfred, whose party you are going to.”
”He's a boarding-school friend; he always used to play leap-frog with me. Since then, we have rather lost sight of each other; he is always in his carriage or in the saddle, and I go on foot.”
”That's better for the health.”
”Well, with all his fortune Alfred is bored. Anyone can see that he doesn't know what to do with himself. He is weary of pleasure; and then, he's a rake, a libertine, a man incapable of true love.”
”For a friend of yours, you give him a pretty character!”
”A friend of mine! oh! simply a boarding-school acquaintance, I tell you.”
”Is he good-looking?”
”Yes, rather; that is to say, an ordinary face, but already worn and lined.”
”Introduce him to me.”
Robineau rose with an offended air and went to the mirror to remove his curl-papers.
”If I knew that he would make you happy, mademoiselle,” he said, ”I certainly would not hesitate! But I doubt if you would find in Alfred the profound and sincere affection which I feel for you.”
”Dieu! my friend, how you do adore me to-night!”
”Because I've no carriage, you talk jestingly of abandoning me. But just let me get wealthy, and my only revenge will be to give you a magnificent country house.”
”You must supply it with rabbits, understand, because I am very fond of rabbit stew. But meantime, while monsieur goes to his dance, I'm going to trim a cap.”
”Downstairs?”
”No, upstairs.”
”Is the shop closed already?”
”What, at nine o'clock? Don't you follow the example of those evil tongues across the street, who say that the best part of our business is done when the shop is closed. Pretty shopkeepers they are, to talk about other people! The chief partner is bargaining for a place as box-opener at a theatre.”
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