Part 5 (2/2)
”Oh, yes!”
”Oh, no!--by the bye, have we done all the errands?”
She took out of her pocket a long list, which she began to read:
”_Ice. Cakes. Fruit. Fish. The Dubuissons. Speak to the butcher. Pink gauze. Mere Rafut. Hat. Pierrot's books. Henry's cartridges (16)._”
”What's that?” asked M. de Rueille, who was looking at the list.
”Henry has commissioned you to get his cartridges instead of telling me to get them?”
”Yes; the time before last when he asked you, you forgot them; and last time you brought him number twelve cartridges, and his are number sixteen; therefore, he preferred--”
”Ah! I can understand that; but they do take advantage of you--and the children too have taken advantage. '_Balloon for Marcel, pencils for Robert_;' Fred is the only one who has not given you any commissions. You need not despair though, he is only three years old; he will begin next year.”
”He did not give me any commissions, but I have brought him a picture book--'Puss in Boots.' He adores cats, so that will amuse him.”
”How delicious you are!”
”Delicious! Is that saying enough? Could you not find something rather more eulogistic? Let us see--try now!”
She was still glancing down the list; and Paul de Rueille pointed with the handle of his whip to a line written in pencil:
”What's that?--'_Tell grandmamma about La Noriniere!_'”
”Why, I met the Juzencourts, and they said I was to be sure to tell grandmamma that 'The Noriniere' is to be inhabited.”
”Ah, Clagny has sold it?”
”No; he is coming back to it. It appears that he is coming every summer.”
”Ah, so much the better. Grandmamma will be very glad of that.”
”Yes, she likes him very much. I do not know him, this M. de Clagny, but I have often heard about him.”
”Don't you remember seeing him a long time ago?”
”Why, no!”
”Well, he was your G.o.dfather, anyhow!”
”You are dreaming! Uncle Alexis is my G.o.dfather.”
”Your Uncle Jonzac is the G.o.dfather of Denyse, but it was M. de Clagny who was the G.o.dfather of Bijou. Yes, he said once, speaking of you when you were very little, _the Bijou_--and the name suited you so well that you have had it ever since.”
”Don't you think it is rather ridiculous to call me Bijou now that I am old?”
”You look as though you were fourteen, and you always will look like that, I promise you.”
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