Part 32 (1/2)
”The secret which I now dispose of to you, monsieur”
”And which I buy for a hundred pistoles Take them”
”Thank you, monsieur Look, look, the little door opens; a woman admits the neur; do not call out her name; whoever says Montalais says Malicorne If you quarrel with the one, you will be on bad ter”
”And I,” said the valet, pocketing the purse, ”have received nothing”
The chevalier, being now certain that Guiche had entered, returned to the prince, whoood looks ”I a has taken the sun as his device; really, neur, it is you whom this device would best suit”
”Where is De Guiche?”
”He cannot be found He has fled-has evaporated entirely Your scolding of thisterrified him He could not be found in his apartments”
”Bah! the hair-brained fellow is capable of setting off post-haste to his own estates Poor man! ill recall hineur, to-day is a very festival of ideas; I have another”
”What is it?”
”Madary with you, and she has reason to be so You owe her revenge; go and dine with her”
”Oh! that would be acting like a weak and whiood husband to do so The princess is no doubt wearied enough; she will be weeping in her plate, and here eyes will get quite red A husband who is the cause of his wife's eyes getting red is an odious creature Coneur, come”
”I cannot; for I have directed dinner to be served here”
”Yet see, neur, how dull we shall be; I shall be low-spirited because I know that Madae as you wish to appear, will be sighing all the while Take htful surprise I a this ”
”Well, perhaps I was”
”There is no perhaps at all, for it is a fact you were so”
”Chevalier, chevalier, your advice is not good”
”Nay, es are on your own side Your violet-colored suit, eold, becomes you admirably Madame will be as neur”
”You decide o”
The duke left his room, accompanied by the chevalier and went towards Madame's apartments The chevalier hastily whispered to the valet, ”Be sure there are some people before that little door, so that no one can escape in that direction Run, run!” And he followed the duke towards the ante-chambers of Madame's suite of apartments, and when the ushers were about to announce thehness wishes to surprise Madame”
Chapter xxxII Monsieur is Jealous of Guiche
Monsieur entered the room abruptly, as persons do who mean well and think they confer pleasure, or as those who hope to surprise some secret, the terrible reward of jealous people Madame, almost out of her senses with joy at the first bars ofthe dinner, which had been already begun, unfinished Her partner was M de Guiche, ith his ar on one knee, like the Spanish dancers, with looks full of passion, and gestures of theround hi seductiveness Montalais stood by adly; La Valliere, seated in a corner of the roohtfully It is impossible to describe the effect which the presence of the prince produced upon this gleeful company, and it would be equally iht of their happiness produced upon Philip The Comte de Guiche had no power to ures and of an attitude, unable to utter a word The Chevalier de Lorraine, leaning his back against the doorway, sht of the frankest admiration The pallor of the prince, and the convulsive twitching of his hands and limbs, were the first symptoms that struck those present A dead silence succeeded the merry e of this interval to salute Madaether in his reverences as though they were the master and , in a hoarse tone of voice, ”I a to find you ill and low-spirited, and I find you abandoning yourself to new amusements; really, it is do towards De Guiche, ”Coood a dancer” And, again addressing his wife, he said, ”Show a little more consideration for me, Madame; whenever you intend to amuse yourselves here, invite lected”
Guiche had now recovered his self-possession, and with the spirited boldness which was natural to hihness knows very well that my very life is at your service, and whenever there is a question of its being needed, I a to ht,” said the prince, coldly ”But, Madame,” he continued, ”you do not remark that your ladies depriveto you, Madame, but to me If you wish to dine without entle”
Madame felt the reproach and the lesson, and the color rushed to her face ”Monsieur,” she replied, ”I was not aware, when I came to the court of France, that princesses of arded as the women in Turkey are I was not aware that ere not allowed to be seen; but, since such is your desire, I will conform myself to it; pray do not hesitate, if you should wish it, to have my s barred, even”
This repartee, which er, no inconsiderable portion of which had already evaporated in words
”Very well,” he said, in a concentrated tone of voice, ”this is the way in which I aneur,” murmured the chevalier in the duke's ear, in such ato calm him
”Come,” replied the prince, as his only answer to the re round with so hasty a ainst Madame The chevalier followed him to his own apartave free vent to his fury The chevalier raised his eyes towards the ceiling, joined his hands together, and said not a word
”Give me your opinion,” exclai place here”
”Oh, neur, it is a very serious matter”
”It is abominable! I cannot live in this manner”
”How miserable all this is,” said the chevalier ”We hoped to enjoy tranquillity after that ham had left”
”And this is worse”
”I do not say that, ham would never have ventured upon a fourth part of e have just now seen”
”What do you , and to feign indisposition in order to dine tete-a-tete”
”No, no,himself like a self-willed child; ”but I will not endure it any longer, I neur, an exposure-”
”By Heaven, monsieur, shall I put myself out of the hen people show so little consideration for me? Wait for me here, chevalier, wait forapartentleman in attendance if the queen-mother had returned from chapel