"Not at all, madame; but it occurred to me that we had nothing to say to each other, and in that case----"

"You are mistaken, monsieur--I have many things to say to you; I am not like you! Oh! don't be alarmed; look in all directions--we are alone, quite alone; no one will see you talking with me, and your mistress will not make a scene!"

"I have no mistress, madame; I love an honorable, virtuous young lady, and I expect to make her my wife when I am in a position to a.s.sure her a happy and tranquil future at least, if not a brilliant one. So you see that there is no question of a mistress."

Thelenie seemed to reflect for a few moments; then she replied, a.s.suming an air of good-fellowship:

"Oh! that makes a difference; in that case, forgive me, Edmond; people have spoken about these ladies to me in rather a sneering way; I know that the world is very cruel, that slander is its sweetest recreation.

But if you propose to marry this young lady, I have no doubt that she deserves all your love; and I will not venture to criticise your choice."

This was said with an air of sincerity which instantly changed Edmond's sentiments; his expression became trustful once more, and he offered his hand to Thelenie.

"Good!" he said; "I like to hear you talk so; I have never been willing to believe, myself, in the spitefulness of women; I am not like Freluchon, who always thinks that he is being deceived."

"Oh! but Freluchon always deserves to be."

"Then you are no longer angry with me?"

"Angry with you? of course not. Why should I bear you a grudge? our liaison came to an end, because everything must come to an end. Besides, I am married; I have married thirty thousand francs a year; do you suppose that I am not content with my lot?"

"I am overjoyed to find you like this."

"Frankly, you must have a large supply of self-esteem, to think that you would find me otherwise, and that I still sighed for you!"

"I did not think that; but you made so many threats----"

"Ha! ha! ha! I thought that you were better acquainted with the human heart. But you are rea.s.sured now, aren't you? You are no longer afraid of my stabbing you?"

"It never went so far as that!"

"You will no longer avoid me as soon as you see me?"

"Of course not!"

"Because one is no longer a lover is no reason for not being a friend, is it? I have always thought not. You will come to see me; I insist upon it; otherwise I shall think that you still hate me."

"I do not go into society here; I go only to Madame Dalmont's."

"But we are not new acquaintances; was not my husband your friend? If you should refuse to come to see us, it might suggest strange ideas to him, knowing--and he does know it--that you are living in this neighborhood."

"I thought that Chamoureau had no ideas that were not agreeable to you."

"Mon Dieu! that man loves me; it is his greatest pleasure to gratify my wishes; don't charge that to him as a crime! And because a woman has led rather an agitated life, do you suppose that when she is once married, she can't behave herself and make her husband happy?"

"I think that one can always behave oneself when one has firmly determined to do so, and that it is never too late to atone for one's errors."

"Ah! it's very lucky that you are willing to admit that. When will you dine with us?"

"I tell you again, I don't go into society; I give all my time to the person to whom I am paying court; that is natural certainly."

"I fancy that she does not demand that you should break with all your acquaintances."

"She demands nothing; in this matter I simply follow my own inclinations; but I will call to see you--I promise."

"I told my husband to write to Freluchon. I am going to give very soon a grand dinner party and ball; I propose to dazzle all the good people of this region, which, by the way, is not very difficult. I love to believe that Monsieur Freluchon will be one of us; I shall have also a few devotees of lansquenet and baccarat--fine players. They will come from Paris, by the way; for here they don't play to lose or win more than fifteen sous!--it's pitiful! I, you know, have always liked to play for high stakes, and thank heaven! I am able now to gratify all my tastes.

Adieu, monsieur l'amoureux, monsieur l'ermite. I shall send you an invitation to my ball, and if you will condescend to spare us an hour, we shall be most grateful."

And Thelenie, with a friendly nod to Edmond, walked away.

"Decidedly, I was foolish to be alarmed," he said to himself, as he bent his steps toward Agathe's abode; "Thelenie no longer thinks of me; she is rich, she has reached the position to which she aspired--what more can she want?--Besides, do such women ever know real love? She thinks of nothing but making a sensation and playing the _grande dame_. She kept her eyes fixed on Agathe a long while; but that was because she did not expect to find such perfect beauty here. That she may have felt some vexation, I can understand. Thelenie is not accustomed to having anyone dispute the sceptre of beauty with her; and I'll wager that that was her only reason for not including those two ladies among her guests. She doesn't propose to have a woman at her parties who is prettier than herself."

On her side Madame de Belleville went away from the interview well pleased with herself, and thinking that she would attain her object much more surely by banishing all suspicion from Edmond's mind.

She had taken a path that skirted a thinly settled part of the village, to shorten the distance to her house. This path was quite narrow and lined with wild blackberry bushes. A small boy was busily engaged looking for blackberries where the bushes were densest, heedless of the risk of tearing his clothes, which were already in a wretched state.

When he caught sight of Thelenie, he cried:

"Aha! she ain't on horseback to-day! that woman won't ride me down again!"

Thelenie heard these words and recognized the urchin to whom she had administered divers blows with her crop. She stopped in front of him, gazing at him with a stern expression; but little Emile sustained her glance without lowering his eyes for an instant.

"Ah! it's you, is it, little good-for-nothing! Are you going to throw stones at me to-day?"

"I say! you ain't on horseback!"

"And if I were, would you throw stones at my horse again, to frighten him and make him rear? You would have been very glad if I had fallen, wouldn't you?"

"It would have made me laugh."

"What a little rascal! What is your name?"

"I dunno."

"You don't know your name?"

"I won't tell you."

"And your parents--what are their names? what is their business? where do they live?"

"Catch me telling you, so you can go and complain and get me a scolding!

I ain't such a fool!"

Thelenie examined the little fellow and could not help admiring the beauty of his eyes, whose bold and mocking expression gave strong indications of an extremely self-willed nature.

"You won't tell me your name?"

"I ain't got any."

"And the dog that came to your a.s.sistance the other day--he is yours, of course?"