"Monsieur Jarnouillard told it to us as a positive fact; Monsieur de Belleville is to make his experiments during dinner."

"Ha! ha! what an excellent joke!"

"Jarnouillard!--Come here a moment. From whom did you get this story concerning Monsieur de Belleville's secret relative to women's ages?"

The lank, yellow, ugly miser looked around and pointed to Freluchon, crying:

"From that young man from Paris over there."

"Oh! then I am not surprised," said Thelenie; "that is Monsieur Freluchon; his one delight is to laugh and make jokes."

"I call it very ridiculous!" said Madame Droguet.

Thelenie went up to the diminutive young man and bestowed a gracious smile on him.

"You caused those ladies a terrible fright, Monsieur Freluchon!" she said.

"I, madame? how so?"

"By making them believe that my husband has a secret method of telling all their ages."

"Isn't it true? Isn't that what Cha--that your husband guesses?"

"No; it's the age of trees, not of women."

"Frankly, I thought that it was much more agreeable to investigate the age of the fair s.e.x! I should never have imagined that my friend Cha--de Belleville would have taken an interest in any other study. Excuse the mistake--it is quite natural."

"Did Monsieur Edmond Didier come with you?"

"No, madame."

"Shall we see him this evening?"

"I think so--unless he cannot make up his mind to quit his love-making; for he is pa.s.sionately in love, you know--the dear fellow!"

Thelenie with difficulty repressed a nervous gesture; but she found it more difficult to mask the threatening expression which pa.s.sed over her face and which Freluchon did not fail to observe, although she affected to smile as she murmured:

"Yes, so I have been told. But Monsieur Edmond has been in love so often! it is never a serious matter with him."

"It is true," said Freluchon, playing with his switch, "that I have known him to have love-affairs which lasted only a short time. But this time it is a genuine pa.s.sion, a sincere attachment, for he expects to marry his love very soon."

"Oh! he says that, but he will think twice before doing it."

"Why so? Mademoiselle Agathe is a charming girl; she is bright and talented; she has an equable, sweet disposition, and much charm."

"Ha! ha! ha! what an eloquent portrait! Look out! One would think that you too were in love with the young lady."

"Isn't she the girl who lives with that other woman in the Courtivaux house?" said Madame Droguet.

"As you very elegantly express it, madame," Freluchon replied, "she is that girl. By the way, I haven't as yet seen any other girl in the neighborhood."

"But they say that those women----"

Thelenie hastily interrupted the giantess, whispering:

"Hush! not now! You can talk about her this evening--when the lover is here!"

Then she hurried the ladies toward a part of the garden where a small Theatre de Guignol[C] had been set up, calling:

[C] A sort of Punch and Judy show.

"Come, mesdames, come; we have a marionette theatre here, and I believe the performance is going to begin."

Freluchon remained where he stood, looking after Thelenie and saying to himself:

"I can't get it out of my head that that woman is meditating some dirty, spiteful trick, which she means to play on Edmond. I am sorry I urged him to come to this affair. But still a man should never be afraid of such women; if this one should become too impertinent I will Chamoureau her till her head swims. This Baron von Schtapelmerg has the look of a genuine recruiting officer.--Ah! I see yonder, among those young men from Paris, a former travelling salesman, who, if I remember aright, used to speak German perfectly. I must put him in communication with Monsieur Thousand Sauerkrauts!"

And Freluchon walked toward the young man in question and shook hands with him. Then he pa.s.sed his arm through his, and, as if by accident, took up a position with him beside Croque, who, in common with a large majority of the guests, had stopped in front of the canvas theatre commonly called: _Theatre de Guignol_.

XIX

THeaTRE DE GUIGNOL.--A SCIENTIFIC DISCOVERY.

There was quite a large gathering in front of the little canvas structure. The ladies were seated on chairs and most of the men stood behind them.

Mademoiselle Helose was one of the audience; when she caught sight of Croque, whom she recognized at once, she nudged Thelenie and whispered:

"Why, that man is the one----"

"He's a German baron; don't forget that!" was the beautiful brunette's reply; and the words were accompanied by such a meaning glance that Helose instantly understood that she was not to recognize the gentleman.

The scene between Polichinelle and the devil had just begun; the theme was about the same as usual; the men who work the marionettes follow too closely in the beaten track.

The devil tries to tempt Polichinelle, who thrashes the devil. The company considered that the devil was entirely too good a fellow and submitted to his thrashing altogether too readily.

"This Guignol isn't very good, is he?" said Freluchon to his neighbor, Croque.

"No, he don't say enough funny things, ten thousand kirschwa.s.sers! if I was inside there, I'd give you something a little better seasoned!"

"Well, baron, why don't you go under the canvas and play a few scenes for us; I am sure that you would be much more amusing."

"Oh, no! I wouldn't dare; I might let out something altogether too free.

I don't know French well enough."