Part 2 (1/2)

”Yes--she is fading fast. Small women ought not to grow stout.”

”Anyhow, I have no patience with her for keeping a girl of fifteen in short skirts.”

”You are making her out older than she is.”

”How is that?--how is that? She is two years younger than Giselle, who has just entered her eighteenth year.”

While the two ladies were exchanging these little remarks, the Baronne de Nailles was saying to the young naval cadet:

”Monsieur Fred, we should be charmed to keep you with us, but possibly you might like to see some of your old friends. Jacqueline can take you to them. They will be glad to see you.”

”Tiens!--that's true,” said Jacqueline. ”Dolly and Belle are yonder. You remember Isabelle Ray, who used to take dancing lessons with us.”

”Of course I do,” said Fred, following his cousin with a feeling of regret that his sword was not knocking against his legs, increasing his importance in the eyes of all the ladies who were present. He was not, however; sorry to leave their imposing circle. Above all, he was glad to escape from the clear-sighted, critical eyes of Madame de Nailles.

On the other hand, to be sent off to the girls' corner, after being insulted by being told he had not grown, hurt his sense of self-importance.

Meantime Jacqueline was taking him back to her own corner, where he was greeted by two or three little exclamations of surprise, shaking hands, however, as his former playmates drew their skirts around them, trying to make room for him to sit down.

”Young ladies,” said Jacqueline, ”I present to you a 'bordachien'--a little middy from the practice-s.h.i.+p the Borda.”

They burst out laughing: ”A bordachien! A middy from the practice-s.h.i.+p!”

they cried.

”I shall not be much longer on the practice-s.h.i.+p,” said the young man, with a gesture which seemed as if his hand were feeling for the hilt of his sword, which was not there, ”for I am going very soon on my first voyage as an ensign.”

”Yes,” explained Jacqueline, ”he is going to be transferred from the 'Borda' to the 'Jean-Bart'--which, by the way, is no longer the 'Jean-Bart', only people call her so because they are used to it.

Meantime you see before you ”C,” the great ”C,” the famous ”C,” that is, he is the pupil who stands highest on the roll of the naval school at this moment.”

There was a vague murmur of applause. Poor Fred was indeed in need of some appreciation on the score of merit, for he was not much to look upon, being at that trying age when a young fellow's moustache is only a light down, an age at which youths always look their worst, and are awkward and unsociable because they are timid.

”Then you are no longer an idle fellow,” said Dolly, rather teasingly.

”People used to say that you went into the navy to get rid of your lessons. That I can quite understand.”

”Oh, he has pa.s.sed many difficult exams,” cried Giselle, coming to the rescue.

”I thought I had had enough of school,” said Fred, without making any defense, ”and besides I had other reasons for going into the navy.”

His ”other reasons” had been a wish to emanc.i.p.ate himself from the excessive solicitude of his mother, who kept him tied to her ap.r.o.n-strings like a little girl. He was impatient to do something for himself, to become a man as soon as possible. But he said nothing of all this, and to escape further questions devoured three or four little cakes that were offered him. Before taking them he removed his gloves and displayed a pair of chapped and h.o.r.n.y hands.

”Why--poor Fred!” cried Jacqueline, who remarked them in a moment, ”what kind of almond paste do you use?”

Much annoyed, he replied, curtly: ”We all have to row, we have also to attend to the machinery. But that is only while we are cadets. Of course, such apprentices.h.i.+p is very hard. After that we shall get our stripes and be ordered on foreign service, and expect promotion.”

”And glory,” said Giselle, who found courage to speak.

Fred thanked her with a look of grat.i.tude. She, at least, understood his profession. She entered into his feelings far better than Jacqueline, who had been his first confidante--Jacqueline, to whom he had confided his purposes, his ambition, and his day-dreams. He thought Jacqueline was selfish. She seemed to care only for herself. And yet, selfish or not selfish, she pleased him better than all the other girls he knew--a thousand times more than gentle, sweet Giselle.

”Ah, glory, of course!” repeated Jacqueline. ”I understand how much that counts, but there is glory of various kinds, and I know the kind that I prefer,” she added in a tone which seemed to imply that it was not that of arms, or of perilous navigation. ”We all know,” she went on, ”that not every man can have genius, but any sailor who has good luck can get to be an admiral.”