Part 35 (2/2)
”Be frank with him, madame It is easiest in the end Tell him that however impure may have been his life in the past, however impure he intend that it shall be in the future, hewith a view to in who is herself pure and without stain”
Madame recoiled, and put her hands to her ears, horror stamped on her handsome face Her massive bosom heaved
”Oh, how can you?” she panted ”How can you make use of such terrible expressions? Wherever have you learnt them?”
”In church,” said Aline
”Ah, but in church s are said that that one would not drea in the world My dear child, how could I possibly say such a thing to M le Marquis? How could I possibly?”
”Shall I say it?”
”Aline!”
”Well, there it is,” said Aline ”So usted with M le Marquis--a disgustingit may be to become Marquise de La Tour d'Azyr, why, frankly, I'd sooner marry a cobbler who practised decency”
Such was her vehemence and obvious determination that Mme de Sautron fetched herself out of her despair to attee in the family would be to the credit of the whole of it At all costs nothing must frustrate it
”Listen, my dear,” she said ”Let us reason M le Marquis is away and will not be back until to-one--or at least whoone with
Mon Dieu, and the drab has a father and a lout of a felloho intends toI suppose they agree with you, entleman must have his little distractions” Her conte of fire ”However, madame, you were about to say?”
”That on the day after to- to Gavrillac M de La Tour d'Azyr will most likely follow at his leisure”
”You mean when this dirty candle is burnt out?”
”Call it what you will” Mada the impropriety of her niece's expressions ”At Gavrillac there will be no Mlle Binet This thing will be in the past It is unfortunate that he should have met her at such a moment The chit is very attractive, after all You cannot deny that And you must make allowances”
”M le Marquis foro Partly to satisfy the wishes of the fa a moment, to resureatly to ave hiiven you, madame, I desire now definitely to withdraw”
Madaitation of the wildest ”Aline, I should never forgive you! Your uncle Quintin would be in despair You do not knohat you are saying, what a wonderful thing you are refusing Have you no sense of your position, of the station into which you were born?”
”If I had not,since If I have tolerated this suit for a single moment, it is because I realize the ie in the worldly sense But I ask ofmore; and Uncle Quintin has placed the decision in ive him!” said madame And then she hurried on: ”Leave this to uided by”I will take counsel with your uncle Charles But do not definitely decide until this unfortunate affair has blown over Charles will kno to arrange it M le Marquis shall do penance, child, since your tyranny demands it; but not in sackcloth and ashes You'll not ask soat all,” she said, which was neither assent nor dissent
So Med ifted with a certain shrewd sense
She took with him precisely the tone that Aline had taken with herself and which in Aline she had found so disconcertingly indelicate She even borrowed several of Aline's phrases
The result was that on the Monday afternoon when at last M de La Tour d'Azyr's returning berline drove up to the chateau, he was met by M le Comte de Sautron who desired a ith hied
”Gervais, you're a fool,” was the excellent opening made by M le Comte