Part 9 (1/2)
But the notary appeared; he looked at Edouard and his wife, and recognized them as the purchasers of Monsieur Renare's house; and instead of looking at the fowl which Bonneau thrust under his nose, he saluted Murville and his companion most humbly.
”What! do you know monsieur and madame?” asked the mayor in amazement.
”I have that honor; monsieur has bought my neighbor Renare's estate, and pays cash for it. The deeds are being made in my office.”
The notary's words changed the whole aspect of the affair. The mayor became extremely polite to Edouard and his wife; he begged them to come into his salon a moment and rest; and then, turning with a stern expression toward Master Bonneau, who did not know which way to turn, he cried angrily:
”You are a scoundrel! You are a knave! You dare to demand payment for a dinner which was not eaten! You serve dried-up fowls, rotten eggs, and ask forty francs for them.”
”But, monsieur le maire----”
”Hold your tongue, or I will make you pay a fine; I know that you mix drugs with your wine, and that you steal all the cats to make rabbit stew; but take care, Master Bonneau,--you will be held responsible for the first plump cat that disappears.”
The inn-keeper retired, covered with confusion, and storming under his breath at the arrival of the notary, who had made the mayor turn about like a weatherc.o.c.k. He drove Fanfan before him, returned to the inn with the wretched fowl in his hand, and in order that everyone might share his ill-humor, he announced that they would have the capon for supper.
The mayor, learning that Edouard and his wife had not dined, absolutely insisted that they should dine with him; he, himself, offered to fetch Madame Germeuil, who had remained in the cabriolet; but the young people declined, declaring that they were expected in Paris early and that they could not delay their departure any longer.
So they separated, the mayor protesting that he should have great pleasure in becoming better acquainted with his const.i.tuents, and our young people thanking him for the zeal he had shown in their behalf after the notary's arrival.
The peasants were still in front of the mayor's house when Edouard and Adeline came out; they stood aside to let them pa.s.s; some even ran to the carriage to tell Madame Germeuil; and one and all bowed most humbly when they drove away. And yet they were the very same persons upon whom the clowns had heaped insolent epithets, and at whom they had been poking fun a moment before; but they did not know then that the mayor would treat them courteously. Men are the same everywhere.
VII
IN WHICH WE SEE THE MAN WITH MOUSTACHES ONCE MORE
They reached Paris famished, as you may imagine. They ordered dinner at once. The servants made all possible haste, jostled one another in order to move faster, and by jostling and colliding with one another, took one thing instead of something else, overturned the sauces, let one dish burn, and served another cold; in a word, they did everything wrong, which often happens when people try to make too much haste.
The servants had ceased to expect their masters to dinner; old Raymond could not understand why they returned hungry; it gave him a very bad impression of the place where they had been, and the cook was very sorry that she had not divined their condition. But our travellers found everything delicious; Master Bonneau's cooking was still foremost in their thoughts.
On the day following this memorable excursion, Adeline was too tired to accompany Edouard to Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, and as they had given their word to Monsieur Renare, the young wife was obliged to consent to let her husband go alone.
Murville promised to be absent only a short time; he intended to return to dinner.
”Take care,” said Madame Germeuil, ”and don't have any unpleasant experiences.”
”I will wager, mamma, that you are still thinking of that face with the moustaches that we saw at the end of the garden.”
”Yes, I don't deny it; indeed I will confess, my children, that I dreamed of it all night.”
”That is not surprising; when something has excited us intensely during the day, our imagination sees the same thing in a dream. But that does not mean that we should conceive dismal presentiments from the fact.”
”Really, mamma, you will make me unhappy,” said Adeline; ”I begin to wish already that Edouard were home again.”
”And yet one must be very childish to be afraid without any reason!
Come, off with you, my dear, and return quickly; above all things, do not dine at the Epee Couronnee!”
Edouard kissed Madame Germeuil's hand; he embraced his wife, as people embrace on the day after their wedding, when they have found the first night all that they hoped, or when they think that they have found it so, which is the same thing, and which happens to many people who know nothing about it, and who consider themselves very shrewd.