When the caleche stopped at Madame Droguet's door, it caused a general turmoil in the house. Everybody ran upstairs or downstairs, crying:

"A carriage for us!"

"The new owners of Goldfish Villa!"

"Monsieur and Madame de Belleville coming here!"

"Josephine, my cap with bunches of jasmine."

"Yes, madame."

"Monsieur Droguet, run and put on a black coat."

"Yes, wife. Must I change my waistcoat too?"

"Yes, if you have time. Mon Dieu! here they are! and I haven't my jasmine cap! Josephine, let them wait a moment in the salon. Say that I--that I----"

"I will say that madame is washing her hands."

"No, indeed! that would be nice! You will say that I am taking a foot bath; that is much more _comme il faut_."

Meanwhile Monsieur and Madame de Belleville had entered the house and given their names to the concierge, who performed the duties of footman as well.

Josephine came to say that her mistress was taking a foot bath, and requested them to have the kindness to wait a moment in the salon into which she ushered them.

Thelenie proceeded at once to take a survey of the room, while Chamoureau gazed at the two full-length portraits, life size, representing the master and the mistress of the house.

"It's very fine here," he murmured; "handsome furniture, rich paper, and a superb clock!"

"Hush, monsieur! all this is in execrable taste, and the portraits alone are enough to tell us what sort of people they represent--rich grocers, I fancy. Never mind; let us be very agreeable; we must dazzle all these people, and it ought not to be very difficult."

Madame Droguet soon arrived, with her cap a little too much over one ear; but that gave the ex-vivandiere a martial look which was not unbecoming to her.

Monsieur Droguet came at his wife's heels, in a very short coat and a too long waistcoat, which lacked several b.u.t.tons; but he had not had time to notice it.

They bestowed a most affable welcome on their new neighbors; it was easy to see that Thelenie's genuine refinement produced a deep impression on Madame Droguet, who confounded herself in compliments and courtesies, at the same time saying to her husband in an undertone:

"b.u.t.ton yourself up!"

And he, thinking that his wife referred to his waistcoat, murmured with a contrite expression:

"The b.u.t.tons are missing."

Thelenie informed Madame Droguet that she proposed to give dinners, receptions, festivities of all sorts, and that she should hope for her company as well as her husband's.

The corpulent dame was beside herself with joy, and Monsieur Droguet wrenched off one of the two remaining b.u.t.tons of his waistcoat.

They then proceeded to discuss the question of the other persons to be invited. Madame Droguet named her own particular friends, and Thelenie asked with an indifferent air:

"Haven't you a certain Madame Dalmont here--a so-called widow, who has a young woman living with her?"

"Yes, we have," replied Madame Droguet with a sneering smile. "But, between us, dear Madame de Belleville, I don't think that they are people worthy to be received at your house. In the first place, they are not polite. When they came here to live they did not call upon us as is customary."

"That indicates at once a lack of _savoir-vivre_."

"Does it not, madame? Then they have struck up a friendship with a very low-lived person, a sort of wolf, whom n.o.body in the neighborhood cared to know, and who seems to be on the best of terms with them already. He walks home with them at night. And then----"

"What! isn't that all?"

"A young man from Paris, named Edmond Didier, hired a house here in Ch.e.l.les, soon after those strangers came here. And since he's been here, he pa.s.ses almost all his time at their house, until it's got to be a perfect scandal. I am not evil-minded certainly, but there are things one can't help seeing.--Let your waistcoat alone, Droguet, and b.u.t.ton yourself up!"

"What you tell me on the subject of these women, madame, does not surprise me in the least," cried Thelenie, delighted by what she had heard. "We have known Monsieur Edmond Didier a long while; my husband was once very intimate with him----"

At this point, Chamoureau, who had not been able as yet to put in a word and had confined himself to watching Monsieur Droguet as he felt for the missing b.u.t.tons or wrenched off the others,--Chamoureau thought that he saw an opportunity to speak.

"Yes," he said, "I used to know Monsieur Edmond Didier--that is to say, through Freluchon, who used--at the time when----"

Thelenie made haste to cut him short:

"In fact, madame, we heard in Paris that Monsieur Edmond had formed a liaison unworthy of him, which distressed his family; for what you have told me of this Dalmont woman corresponds perfectly with what people think of her in Paris, where she is looked upon as a scheming adventuress; and doubtless her young friend is little better; birds of a feather flock together."

Madame de Belleville, who was doing her best to play the _grande dame_, forgot that it was not good form to quote proverbs; but it was as right as possible in the eyes of Madame Droguet, who was radiant with delight and exclaimed:

"You hear, Droguet; they're adventuresses, n.o.bodies! I was sure of it, myself; I am never mistaken in my conjectures; didn't I say so, only last night, to Doctor Antoine, who undertook to stand up for them!--Just be sick, Droguet, be sick, my dear man; I tell you beforehand that I won't send for the doctor."

Monsieur Droguet, who had finally found one b.u.t.ton of his waistcoat firmly attached, had just b.u.t.toned it with an air of proud satisfaction, and seemed to pay little heed to what his wife said.

At that moment Chamoureau was seized with a paroxysm of sneezing, which ended in a shower and spattered his neighbors; he hurriedly drew his handkerchief, to make his nose presentable; but in his haste to unfold it, he threw into Madame Droguet's face an object which slid down that lady's cheek into her bosom, where it disappeared. She uttered a shriek, her husband jumped backward, and Thelenie glared sternly at Chamoureau, as she demanded:

"What was that you threw at madame?"

"I, threw something at madame! why I had nothing to throw."

Meanwhile Madame Droguet had thrown herself back in her chair, shrieking frantically:

"Oh! take it away! oh! the horrid beast! what kind of a creature is it?

It's still there; it's slipped down inside my corsets! Take it away!

take it away! or I'll scratch someone!"

Chamoureau stared at her with a terrified expression, but he did not move. Monsieur Droguet let his wife shriek, while he tried obstinately to put another b.u.t.ton through its b.u.t.tonhole.

"Well! does neither of you propose to a.s.sist madame?" Thelenie asked them.

"It seems to me," muttered Chamoureau, "that it isn't for me to go fumbling in that lady's corsets; that's her husband's business."

Madame Droguet, seeing that no one came to her a.s.sistance, concluded to put her right hand inside her dress. She brought to light a small goldfish which its enforced sojourn in a warm pocket had deprived of a great part of its activity.

"A goldfish!" murmured Madame Droguet in amazement. "What! monsieur,"