Part 67 (1/2)
”Well, I see that everything is going all right. The little woman is yours this time--and you think so much of her!--And her sister, the good Adolphine--do you still see her?”
”I have seen very little of her lately; she never comes to her sister's, and that surprises me; twice I have tried to talk with Adolphine, to tell her that my marriage to f.a.n.n.y was settled; but I couldn't find her, she had gone out; for I can't believe that she would have refused to see me--her brother.”
”In all this excitement, you haven't thought about a place for me, I suppose?”
”Pardon me, I did mention it to my uncle. He doesn't seem to believe that you are serious in your desire for employment.”
”Ah! pardieu, if your uncle has got to have a hand in it, I am very certain that I shall never get a place!”
”Never fear; I will attend to it myself, but there's no hurry. Are you in need of money? Tell me.”
”Why, no, I am not in need of money. Do you suppose that I have already gone through the thousand francs you loaned me?”
”But that was more than two months ago, and----”
”True, and formerly I should have seen the last of it in a week; I should have made only seven mouthfuls of it. But to-day it's different!
I told you that I had reformed. I have discovered, just at the beginning of Boulevard du Temple, a soup dealer who supplies dinners; and delicious dinners, too, on my word of honor! you don't have a great variety of dishes, to be sure; but everything is good. Excellent roast beef; you would fancy you were in London; and you can dine abundantly for eighteen sous. Eighteen sous! I used to give more than that to the waiter.”
”My friend, you shouldn't go to extremes in anything; it seems to me that you are carrying your reformation too far.”
”I am very well pleased; I believe that I shall end by living on my five hundred and fifty francs a year; when that time comes, I propose to parade the streets between two clarionets, to exhibit myself.”
”After I am married, I will find you a suitable place.”
”Make haste and marry, then, that I may have my cue. By the way, I venture to believe that it won't come off without notice to me? I don't ask to be invited to the wedding; that would be presumptuous; but I desire, at least, to salute the bridal couple when they leave the church.”
”And I propose that you shall be of the wedding party. We shall not give a ball,--her widowhood is too recent,--but a handsome banquet, and I hope that, on that day, you will forget your reformation. But, adieu! I am late, she is expecting me. You will hear from me soon.”
”A mighty good fellow!” said Cherami to himself, as Gustave hurried away; ”he deserves to be happy! But will he be, with his f.a.n.n.y? Hum! I'm none too sure of it. For my part, I should prefer the other; but as he's in love with this one--to be sure, she's a very pretty woman, but I, old fox that I am, I wouldn't trust her!--Sapristi! what do I see? My two little pearls, Laurette and Lucie, and I have money in my pocket! But, no; by Saint Anthony, I will not yield to the temptation! Let's be off before they see me.”
Laurette and Lucie were, in fact, coming toward Cherami, both dressed with much coquetry and looking very attractive; but he, after heaving a profound sigh, retreated with so much precipitation, that he ran into the door of an omnibus, which had stopped for a lady; and, being urged by the conductor, he concluded to enter also.
XLVII
THE RETURN FROM ITALY
Several weeks pa.s.sed. It was a Thursday; and f.a.n.n.y, who had not been at her father's for a long time, said to Gustave when she saw him during the day:
”I must go to dine with father to-day, my dear; I trust that you will come there this evening?”
”As you will be there, you may be certain that I will come. By the way, I saw that there was an apartment to rent in a nice house on Rue Fontaine. Do you like that quarter?”
”Very much.”
”Very well; I will go some time to-day to look at it, and if it seems to me to be suitable I will tell you this evening, so that you can go to see it. For ten months have pa.s.sed; the time is not very far away when I shall be able to call you my wife! so it is none too soon for me to see about getting an apartment ready.”
”Do so, my dear; you can tell me to-night if you have found what we want.”