The Flower Girl of The Chateau d'Eau Volume I Part 42

"Monsieur Boutillon, do look at your wife, sitting on the branch of a tree! I am afraid some accident will happen to her. Tell her to get down. I have begged her to but she won't listen to me."

"What! what! Is that my wife up there?" replied the husband, looking into the air. "Oh! that doesn't surprise me; she has always been fond of climbing trees; she's a regular squirrel, is Zephirine! She is strong, and yet she is very light. One day, at a village fete, she insisted upon climbing a greased pole. She put on trousers, and she would have reached the prize, if they hadn't torn, so that she had to come down! We had a good laugh over it!"

"But Monsieur Boutillon, if madame should fall,--it isn't probable that she has put on trousers to come here to dance."

"No matter! never fear, I'll answer for everything."

"If the husband answers for everything, madame," observed Jericourt with a mocking expression, "it seems to me that you have no right to worry!"

"Let's go and stand by the chestnut tree, Jericourt," said little Saint-Arthur, leading his literary friend away.

"Ah! my dear Alfred, you are a sad rake! you want to see the foliage upside down!--Well, I will let you take me where you will."

As she returned to her seat, Madame Glumeau saw her son rush into the woods with an air of dismay, crying:

"Miaulard! Miaulard! where's Miaulard?"

"What's the matter, Astianax? you look all upset. What do you want of Monsieur Miaulard?"

"Why, we want him to take Kingerie's place. Just as we were ready to begin _Il y a plus d'un Ane a la Foire_, we noticed that Kingerie wasn't on the stage; we called him and hunted everywhere for him; at last Dufournelle heard groaning from the direction of the pond; he ran there and found that Kingerie had fallen in. It seems that he had remained at the billiard room to dress, and discovered that he was late; thereupon he started to run, and didn't remember that there was a small pond in the woods; so he fell into it."

"Upon my word! did he do it on purpose? A pond that isn't ten feet in circ.u.mference! Did he find a way to drown himself in it, too?"

"No, he couldn't have done it if he had wanted to; there isn't three feet of water; but the champagne he had drunk--everything together made him sick; he is in no state to act, and Miaulard must take his place.--Tell the audience to be patient.--Miaulard! Miaulard!"

Madame Glumeau returned to her seat and informed the company of the accident that had happened to one of the amateur actors, and requested indulgence for the one who was to take his place. This little speech at an end, the mistress of the house was on the point of resuming her seat, when she saw a gentleman standing against a tree a little apart from the company, and apparently engaged in pa.s.sing in review the a.s.sembled guests.

"Ah! I was very certain that he would come, myself," said Madame Glumeau, sitting down beside Madame de Grangeville. "It's a great favor that he does us, for hitherto he has refused every invitation; he hasn't been anywhere."

"Of whom are you speaking, madame?"

"Of one of our neighbors, named Monsieur Malberg, who owns a fine estate near ours, and who has the reputation of living like a bear, of never seeing anybody. But he makes a very good appearance, none the less."

"Where is this bear of yours?"

"Over yonder, at the right. Turn a little and you can see him at your ease; he isn't looking this way now."

Madame de Grangeville followed the indication that Madame Glumeau had given her and soon she saw Monsieur Malberg, who was quite alone, evidently determined to hold himself aloof from the a.s.semblage, at which he was looking as if he were seeking someone there.

The baroness's eyes rested upon him; she seemed unable to remove them, and as she gazed at him, her features altered, her face became ghastly pale, and her whole person betrayed the most profound agitation. Madame Glumeau did not observe her neighbor's confusion, because she was talking with the violin and the clarinet players, who proposed to play something to beguile the tedium of the intermission; but, luckily for the audience, the signal was given and the second play soon began.

Madame Glumeau gently nudged her neighbor, who was still looking toward the right, and said:

"They've begun, they've begun. You'll see my husband act now, he has a very important part; he is splendid in it; he cuts a thousand capers. My daughter and my son act also, and the play is very well mounted!"

Madame de Grangeville did not seem to hear what Madame Glumeau said, for she continued to look toward the right, apparently paying no attention to the stage; but suddenly she turned her head and resumed her former position; it was because Monsieur Malberg had looked in her direction and she had not dared to meet his glance.

The second farce was _enleve_, as they say on the stage. The subst.i.tution of Miaulard for young Kingerie did not injure the play in the least. The former being extremely hoa.r.s.e, n.o.body heard him speak, which made it unnecessary for him to know his part. But it was noticed that Monsieur Glumeau, who had danced his part through three-fourths of the play, was much less animated toward the end.

After the farce, as they expected a long intermission, to prepare the scenery for the important play and to give the actors time to change their costumes, there was a general movement among the audience. The men went to walk in the woods, to smoke their cigars, the ladies gathered in groups to chat, and some of them also walked away under the trees, where they were frequently heard laughing heartily,--for what reason, n.o.body knew.

"This idea of a theatre in the woods is very original," said Jericourt to his friend Alfred; "really I did not imagine that it would be so amusing. Come, Saint-Arthur, let us take a turn around the theatre to look at it all at close quarters. Do you intend to stay planted by this chestnut tree? Why, my dear fellow, it would do no good for you to shake the tree, the lady won't fall like a plum; besides, she has a cavalier at her feet, who doesn't seem inclined to lose sight of her."

"But suppose I should climb the tree myself?"

"Ah! that would be one way of approaching the lady, it is true; but reserve that until a little later, wait until the last play begins."

The little dandy allowed his friend to lead him on the stage, where they did not find a single actress, those ladies having gone to dress; but by way of compensation, they saw the young druggist in the costume of Detroussandos, chief of bandits, who was rehearsing his part, his battles, his manuvres, with Miaulard, the latter having undertaken also the role of Malinot, which the unfortunate Kingerie was to have played in _Roderic et Cunegonde_.

Monsieur Fourriette's costume consisted simply of flesh-colored tights, over which he had drawn a very short pair of red and black bathing drawers, a jacket, a belt, and a broad-brimmed gray hat with the brim turned down.

"The deuce! there's a brigand who proposes to show how he is built,"

said Jericourt.

"Is not my costume pretty, messieurs?" asked the druggist, addressing the two young men, whom he recognized as persons to whom he had several times sold pills and other preparations.

"Ah! it's Monsieur Fourriette; I didn't recognize you. So you are to act in the next play, are you?"

"Yes, messieurs, I take the part of Detroussandos, the brigand; I am rather well dressed, eh?"

"In other words, you are not dressed at all; your costume is exceedingly indecent."

"In what respect, pray? I have on tights----"

"Yes, but so tight one wouldn't think you wore any."

"So much the better; at all events, I have drawers----"

"Which don't reach half way down your thighs."

"Messieurs, I love accuracy in everything; this is the true costume of the Italian brigand."

"It is lucky that you are not to act in the Creation of the World; you would be capable of representing Adam in the costume of that day."

"Faith! it would be more exact."

"I like to think that you will have a cloak at least."

"Yes, I have one, but I shan't put it on; I shall simply carry it on my arm."

"You evidently mean to make conquests."

"Why not? I saw a little lady just now up in a tree--_fichtre!_ messieurs, such a pretty brunette! such a lovely bird!--Come, Monsieur Miaulard, let's rehea.r.s.e our fight with swords. One, two, up; three, four, down!"

"I say, messieurs, it isn't certain that we shall give the play, after all," said Monsieur Mangeot, appearing in his hermit's costume, with a huge piece of cotton batting pasted to his chin, which imitated a white beard to perfection.

"Why, what's the matter?"