Part 33 (1/2)

”Valerie!” exclaimed Caroline, blus.h.i.+ng fiery red.

”Caroline!” replied I, quietly.

”What _were_ you going to say?”

”Fancying her to be a very great heiress,” I continued; ”but finding her to be a far better thing, a delightful, beautiful, and excellent wife.”

”Happy man!” said de Chavannes, with a half sigh.

”Why do you say so, Count?”

”To have married one for whom you vouch so strongly. Is that any common fortune?”

”It is rather common, Count, just of late I mean,” said Caroline, laughing. ”You do not know that among Valerie's other accomplishments she is the greatest little match-maker in existence. She marries off all her friends as fast--oh! you cannot think how fast.”

”I _hope_, I mean to say I _think_,” he corrected himself, not without some little confusion, ”that she is not quite so bad as you make her out. She has not yet made any match for herself, I believe. No, no. I don't believe she is quite so bad.”

”I would not be too sure, Count, were I you,” she answered, desirous of paying me off a little for some of the badinage with which I had treated her. ”These ladies, with so many strings to their bow--”

It was now my time to exclaim ”Caroline!” and I did so not without giving some little emphasis of severity to my tone, for I really thought she was going beyond the limits of propriety, if not of _persiflage_; and I will do her the justice to say that she felt it herself, for she blushed very much as I spoke, and was at once silent.

The awkwardness of this pause was fortunately broken by the return of Auguste and Lionel at a sharp canter; for the review was now entirely at an end, and they had now for the first moment remembered that, having promised to return in a quarter of an hour, they had suffered two hours or more to elapse, and that we were probably all alone.

Caroline immediately began to rally Lionel and Auguste; the former, with whom she was very intimate, pretty severely, for their want of gallantry in leaving us all alone and unprotected in such a crowd.

”Not the least danger--not the least!” replied Lionel hastily. ”Had we not known that, we should have returned long ago.”

”In proof of which _no_ danger, we have been all frightened nearly to death; Mademoiselle Valerie de Chatenoeuf has been grievously affronted, and I am not sure but she would have been beaten by a French _Chevalier d'Industrie_, had it not been for the gallantry of the Count de Chavannes.”

And thereupon out came the whole history of Monsieur G--, his horse-whipping, the opportune appearance of Colonel Jervis, and all the curious circ.u.mstances of the scene.

I never in my life saw anyone so fearfully excited as Auguste. He turned white as ashes, even to his very lips, while his eyes literally flashed fire, and his frame s.h.i.+vered as if he had been in an ague fit.

”_Il me le paiera_!” he muttered between his hard-set teeth. ”_Il me le paiera, le scelerat! Ma pauvre soeur--ma pauvre pet.i.te Valerie_!”

And then he shook the hand of Chavannes with the heartiest and warmest emotion. ”I shall never forget this,” he said, in a thick, low voice; ”never, never! From this time forth, de Chavannes, we are friends for ever. But I shall never, never, be able to repay you.”

”Nonsense, _mon cher_, nonsense,” replied Chavannes. ”I did nothing-- positively nothing at all. I should not have been a man, had I done otherwise.”

This had, however, no effect at all in stopping Auguste's exclamations and professions of eternal grat.i.tude; nor did he cease until Monsieur de Chavannes said quietly, ”Well, well, if you will have it so, say no more about it; and one day or other I will ask a favour of you, which, if granted, will leave me your debtor.”

”_If_ granted!--it _is_ granted,” exclaimed Auguste, impetuously. ”What is it?--name it--I say it _is_ granted.”

”Don't be rash, _mon cher_,” replied the Count, laughing; ”it is no slight boon which I shall ask.”

”Do not be foolish, Auguste,” I interposed; ”you are letting your feelings get the better of you, strangely; and, Caroline, if you do not tell the people to drive home, you will keep the Judge waiting dinner--a proceeding to which you know he is by no means partial.”

”You are right, as usual, Valerie; always thoughtful for other people.

So we will go home.”