"Bah! I don't care a snap of my finger for their baroness!"

"It's after half-past five," said Monsieur Mangeot to his sister; "I trust they will give us some dinner soon; I am half starved!"

"I fancy that you have time to tighten your waistband; they are expecting a baroness, so Monsieur Camuzard told us just now."

"Oho! confound it! I must admit that at this moment I would much rather see a stuffed turkey than a baroness. They are capable of making us wait till six o'clock. I don't know anything more intolerable than not to give your guests their dinner at the appointed time. If you mean to dine at half-past six, don't invite me at five; for otherwise, I would make my arrangements accordingly and take something to stay my stomach.--Ah!

the door opens--it is the long-desired baroness, no doubt."

"No, it's Madame Glumeau coming back."

The buxom Lolotte had, in fact, reappeared in the salon; she tried to catch her husband's eye, but she was obliged to stop and welcome the guests who had arrived during her absence. She had much ado to get rid of Monsieur Chambourdin, who embraced her, and of young Kingerie, who trod on her dress. At last she succeeded in joining Edouard, whose contortions were becoming alarming, and whispered to him:

"It's all ready in your dressing-room."

Glumeau's face beamed.

"Go, my dear," his wife added aloud, "and see if the table is laid as you wish; if the names of the guests are arranged to your satisfaction."

"Yes, yes, you are right; I will go; but we can't sit down, you know, until Madame de Grangeville comes."

"All right, all right! but go."

Glumeau did not wait to be told again; he hurried toward the door, saying to himself:

"At last I can take it!"

But as he opened the door, he found himself face to face with a very fashionably dressed lady who was just about to enter. The unhappy host stopped short, saying:

"It is written that I shall not take it!"

XII

THE BARONNE DE GRANGEVILLE

The Baronne de Grangeville, the latest arrival at Monsieur Glumeau's, was a lady who had once been exceedingly pretty, and who was still rather attractive; by artificial light she appeared no more than thirty-six years old; by daylight, about thirty-nine; we are not certain how she appeared by twilight.

It might be that Madame de Grangeville had not pa.s.sed her fortieth birthday, but it would have been dangerous to make that a.s.sertion, because she was always so carefully gotten up, even in the most trivial details of her toilet, because she was always dressed in such perfect taste, made use of such delicious perfumery, and carried herself so gracefully, that she would inevitably be always young.

The baroness's arrival created a sensation in Monsieur Glumeau's salon, for it should be said that none of the guests there a.s.sembled had previously met that lady, to whom the Glumeaus had been introduced at a third house, where, delighted with her affability, they had invited her to dine with them.

The master of the house, despite his interesting situation, could not do otherwise than offer the lady his hand to escort her to his wife, who received the baroness with an effusion of cordiality and satisfaction which seemed overdone to some of the guests.

"She is very good-looking," said Monsieur Dufournelle to his wife, who whispered:

"No! you should say, she has been."

"But I say yes, she is now; she is a person who still makes conquests, I am sure."

"Ah! I am glad to hear that, my dear; it makes me think that I shall continue to be attractive for a long time to come."

"A lovely dress, a very distinguished bearing!" said Monsieur Camuzard to his daughter.

Mademoiselle Polymnie scrutinized it all without winking, and replied simply:

"Her dress is too long-waisted."

"Ha! ha!" laughed the facetious Chambourdin, tapping Monsieur Mangeot on the shoulder, "that's rather a dainty bit still, eh? What do we think of it, friend Mangeot?"

"I think that it's almost six o'clock, and that I am starving to death!"

"As the baroness has arrived, dinner will probably be served."

"Why, no--look--there's Glumeau running away now! Do you see how he slinks off? Where in the devil can he be going?"

"We must keep him here."

But the gentlemen were too late that time; Monsieur Glumeau finally succeeded in leaving the salon; he would have left one of his coat tails there rather than not go.

Amid all the reflections and comments to which Madame de Grangeville's entrance had given rise, a single person had said not a word--that person was Monsieur de Merval. However, he had scrutinized the baroness no less closely, perhaps even more closely, than the others had done, and his expression, as he looked at her, seemed to indicate that it was not the first time that he had seen her; being a man of the world, however, he was able to conceal his sensations.

As for her who was at that moment the cynosure of every eye, she was not embarra.s.sed for an instant by all the glances that were bent upon her; smiling at one and all most graciously, acknowledging Madame Glumeau's curtsies, addressing a pleasant word to Mademoiselle Eolinde, she displayed as much ease of manner as if she were in her own house until the moment that her eyes met Monsieur de Merval's. Then a surprised expression, a faint suggestion of dismay, blended with the smile that played constantly about her lips; but, like Monsieur de Merval, she speedily recovered her self-possession; her emotion was only momentary.

Young Astianax reappeared in other clothes and was greeted with cheers by Chambourdin and Dufournelle, who told him that all the ladies had looked at his trousers.

The little fellow lost no time in presenting his respects to the Baronne de Grangeville, to whom he delivered a complimentary address that lasted a long time, while Monsieur Mangeot persisted in whispering to his neighbors:

"I say, are we never going to dine? It's after six; I was very hungry, but you will see that my appet.i.te will have vanished when we sit down at the table."

"Where is the famous bouquet you were going to present to your father, young hidalgo?" Chambourdin asked the son of the house.

"The bouquet? Oh! don't mention it, my dear Chambourdin! It was that infernal bouquet that caused the accident to my trousers."

"Did you undertake to pick the flowers yourself, pray? Have you been flitting about the fields, my little shepherd?"

"No; it's a long story! There's a flower girl--who is very pretty--oh! I tell you she's a beauty!"

"Enough, enough, you scamp! I don't wish to know any more;--but you may give me the flower girl's address."

Madame de Grangeville continued to talk with Madame Glumeau and Mademoiselle Eolinde; but the rest of the guests a.s.sumed that morose and surly air which always invades a salon when dinner is delayed too long.

Some looked at the ceiling, others walked about the room, concealing their yawns; this one consulted the clock at every instant, another stretched himself out in an easy-chair and tapped the floor impatiently.

But at last the door of the salon opened, and a servant appeared and said:

"Madame is served."

Instantly the scene changed; faces became amiable once more, lips smiled; there was a general movement, a murmur of satisfaction pa.s.sed about the room, and stout Dufournelle ran to offer his hand to the mistress of the house, eager to escort her to the dining-room. But, while accepting his proffered hand, Madame Glumeau still hesitated; she wondered whether they ought to sit down without her husband.--At that moment he appeared; he walked proudly and quickly; he carried his nose in the air and his foot gracefully arched; he was not the same man who was squirming and making wry faces a short time before. Madame Glumeau drew a long breath and said to herself: