The Flower Girl of The Chateau d'Eau Volume I Part 41

"Who is Madame Boutillon?"

"She is a young lady who lives here in summer, as we do; she had on a very original, very pretty dress."

"If she has on a pretty dress, it isn't possible that she has hidden herself; she must be somewhere here."

"But no, I can't see her."

"Hus.h.!.+ they are beginning."

The three knocks were given. The amateur with the violin started off and played the overture to Fra Diavolo; the clarinet started a few measures later, and played the overture to Jeune Henri; the two men played thus for some time, seeing who could go the faster, persuaded that they would finally overtake each other and play together. The audience opened their ears in amazement, but the wiser ones stuffed theirs.

"Sapristi! what on earth are they playing?" murmured a native, looking at his neighbor, who answered in an undertone:

"I don't know, but it's a terrible mixture."

At last the violin stopped, but the clarinet went on.

"We are not playing the same thing, that isn't right!" cried the violinist, waving his bow.

The clarinet refused to listen; he went on with his _Jeune Henri_.

Luckily the curtain rose, the actors came on the stage; but as the clarinet kept on, they were obliged to rush upon him and s.n.a.t.c.h his instrument away.

The little farce would have gone very well if Madame Dufournelle had laughed less, and if Monsieur Mangeot had looked less often at the prompter, which, by the way, did him no good, because Monsieur Camuzard, who filled that post, having drunk too freely of the champagne, found his mouth so dry that he could hardly speak, and pa.s.sed his time turning over the play-book, and saying to the actor who was waiting for his lines:

"Wait till I find the place; I can't find it; we have time enough; they won't ask for their money back!"

Luckily the actors did not follow this advice, and despite the prompter, the first play, which was very amusing, came to an end amid the applause of the spectators.

As soon as the first play was at an end, Madame Glumeau rose, in order to make further search for Madame Boutillon, whose husband was chatting tranquilly with a group of men who had gathered on the outskirts of the audience.

"As her husband is there, the lady must also be in the audience, unless she has gone on the stage; she is quite capable of it."

"I say! look at that lady sitting on the branch of a tree!" cried the clarinet at that moment to his neighbor the violin. "There's an idea for you! if the branch should break, we should see some fine things."

"That is she! that is Madame Boutillon!" said Madame Glumeau, looking at the person who had deemed it advisable to adopt that position.

Chambourdin, who had taken the little brunette's arm on the pretext of finding her a good place to see the play, had in fact led her into the wood, of which he knew every nook and corner; but instead of taking her toward the stage, he had taken her in the opposite direction, and had soon found himself with Madame Boutillon in the deserted paths, where they could hardly see their hands before their faces, for lanterns had been placed only in the paths leading to the theatre.

The little brunette, noticing somewhat tardily that her guide was not taking her toward the company, and that he held her arm as if he proposed to waltz with her, chose to stop, saying:

"Where on earth are you taking me, monsieur? I can hardly see anything here."

"That makes no difference, madame; don't be afraid I'll lose my way; I'm like a cat, I can see in the dark."

"But I am not like a cat, monsieur, and I prefer to walk where it is light; we did not take the path leading to the theatre."

"We shall arrive there all the same this way; all the paths lead there."

"This must be the longest one."

"With you, madame, the longest will always be the shortest."

"That is very polite of you; but don't hold me like that, I beg."

"Suppose we should waltz a bit?"

"You are mad! the idea of waltzing when we can't see!"

"That makes no difference; on the contrary, you get less dizzy."

"Really, monsieur, you have some very original ideas; but I want to see the play, and you will be responsible, monsieur, for my not finding a seat."

"As for that, madame, I will undertake to give you one of the best places.--Come, madame."

"Oh! you shall not lead me astray again, monsieur; that isn't the way to go, this is the way."

The little brunette chose the right road this time, and refusing to listen to Chambourdin, she arrived in front of the stage at last; but as she had antic.i.p.ated, all the chairs were occupied.

"Well! what did I tell you, monsieur? Come, show me that excellent seat which you reserved for me."

"This way, madame; I will show you."

And Chambourdin led the young lady to an enormous chestnut, the branches of which reached out a long way, forming a thousand odd figures.

"See, madame, do you want a really good seat? Look at this tree; this first branch, which is very low, will afford you a chair, yes, an armchair, for the branches behind seem placed there expressly for a support. As for the strength of the branch, you need have no fear, it would bear fifteen people like you. From there, you will overlook everybody, and will have an infinitely better view than all the ladies in the chairs. Will you allow me to put you up there, madame? Nothing could be easier; I will make a step for you."

Madame Boutillon roared with laughter at the suggestion of her escort; but as she was a very original person herself, and as she was especially fond of making herself as whimsical as possible, she accepted the suggestion and replied:

"All right, monsieur, give me a back, and let me climb up to my box."

The young man at once obeyed, offering his hands and his shoulders. That method of climbing a tree was slightly risque for a lady, and all the men who witnessed the scene envied the opportunity of the one who acted as Madame Boutillon's ladder; but she mounted so rapidly, and turned about in the tree with such aplomb, that everybody applauded her ascent.

Chambourdin remained standing near the pretty brunette, who used his shoulders as a bench to rest her feet upon; and not for anything on earth would he have abandoned his position.

Madame Glumeau, who had turned toward the chestnut tree, called to Madame Boutillon:

"Mon Dieu, madame! what on earth are you doing there? What an idea to climb up into that tree!"

"I did it to have a good view of the play, madame; all the seats below were taken, and I love to have a good place."

"For heaven's sake, come down, Madame Boutillon! I will give you my chair, and find another. Come, you can't stay up in the air."

"Why not, pray? I don't see that I am in anybody's way; and as I am perfectly comfortable, I propose to stay here."

"She is an extraordinary creature!" said Madame Glumeau, turning to the people near her. "She always wants to do differently from others!"

"If that lady desires to put herself in evidence," said Madame de Grangeville, "it seems to me that she couldn't have a better place."

The mistress of the house left her seat for a moment, and approached the group of which Monsieur Boutillon was one; she made her way to the old gentleman's side and said to him: