The Flower Girl of The Chateau d'Eau Volume Ii Part 12

"Oh! ask my neighbor; he'll tell you that it was my c.o.c.katoo's education that led to our acquaintance."

"That is the truth, _belle dame_; oh! you will possess a very knowing bird."

"That will be a change for me, as I have never had anything but canaries.--Come, Frefred, is the dinner ordered? I am to act to-night, you know--in the last piece luckily. I don't go on till half-past ten, but I must have time to dress first; and when you have just dined and have to hurry, it swells you out and you can't get into your dresses."

"The dinner is served; I am glad to believe, my diva, that you will be content."

"I flatter myself that I shall be; besides, it's the first time you have entertained monsieur, and you ought to make it a point of honor to let him see that you have some skill in ordering a little Balthazar. Ring for the waiter, my dear boy."

"But, you see, I--I asked Jericourt to come, and he promised."

"Bah! I don't care a hang for your Jericourt, who always keeps us waiting. Why did you have to invite him? I've had my fill of your Jericourt for some time past! He puts on airs and calls everything detestable that others write. And sweet things his plays are, too!

people stand in line to get tickets."

"Why, Zizi, I thought it would please you; formerly you were never satisfied if Jericourt didn't dine with us."

"Oh! formerly--that may be! but formerly and to-day--there's half a century between the two.--Say, monsieur, ought we to wait for his friend, who's always loafing, but always keeps people waiting, to give himself importance? Just exactly like the people who are slightly known in art or literature, and who, the first time a new play is given, never come till they're sure it's begun, because then everybody has to move to let them get to their stalls. And they're convinced that everyone says: 'Ah! that's So-and-so; that's the famous author! that's the celebrated artist! see--he combs his hair in a way that shows his genius!'--But instead of the exclamations of admiration that they think they call forth as they pa.s.s, if they had sharper ears, they'd hear: 'Oh! what a nuisance! what a bore! to disturb everybody in the middle of an act! The devil take the fellow! He must be very anxious to show himself! but he isn't much to look at! It's just a little bit of self-advertising! And then!'--isn't that so, monsieur?"

"Why, do you know, fascinating Zizi, that you are a keen observer?"

"I don't know what I am, but I know that I have a tremendous appet.i.te, and that I want to dine. It's five minutes to six. We have waited a long while already."

"I agree with you, a lady should never wait for a gentleman."

Saint-Arthur rang and the waiter served the dinner. They attacked the oysters, which they watered with an excellent chablis. From time to time the host exclaimed:

"I don't care, I'm surprised that Jericourt doesn't come; I told him that he would dine with my honorable neighbor."

"You should have announced a neighbor of the other gender," said Roncherolle; "that would have been more likely to attract the gentleman."

"Never mind! never mind! let's go on eating! He'll come for dessert and we'll give him some nuts and raisins," said Zizi.

But just as the soup was served, Jericourt appeared; and he scowled slightly when he saw that they had not waited dinner for him.

"I say! come on, you miserable slow-coach!" cried Saint-Arthur; "don't you ever mean to be punctual?"

"What difference does it make--when you don't wait for me?" retorted Jericourt, with a bare salute to the company.

"Wait for you!" cried Zizi; "on my word! I think not! Catch us having pains in the stomach for monsieur!"

"My friend," said Alfred, "let me present Monsieur de Roncherolle, my neighbor."

Jericourt bent his head slightly, with a patronizing glance at Roncherolle, whose costume probably seemed to him far behind the fas.h.i.+on of the day. The old gentleman, observing the arrogant air with which the man of letters saluted him, made haste to say to Saint-Arthur:

"I beg pardon, my dear neighbor, but I did not ask you to present me to monsieur. Present him to me, if you please--that is all right; but that I should be presented to him--that I don't like."

Saint-Arthur was dumfounded; Jericourt compressed his lips and the little actress began to laugh, saying:

"You don't seem to be very strong in the matter of etiquette, Alfred; you'll never be appointed an amba.s.sador, my boy!"

Jericourt, observing that the strange guest was of a punctilious temper and familiar with good society, decided to take the thing jocosely; and he rejoined, bowing to Roncherolle:

"In truth, it was my place to be presented to monsieur, for he has the advantage of age."

"A melancholy advantage, is it not, monsieur? But one must needs accept it when it comes."

"Will you have some oysters, Jericourt? I'll ring for the waiter."

"No, thanks, I don't eat oysters; I don't care about them any more."

"The deuce! you don't care about oysters! Why, I've seen the time when you adored them!"

"What a donkey you are, Alfred," cried Zizi, "to be surprised because tastes change!"

"Well! my tastes never change so far as food is concerned; I love oysters, I shall always care for them."

"Perhaps it's the oysters that care for you," said Jericourt, helping himself to soup.

"Hum! this begins well," said Roncherolle to himself, filling the actress's gla.s.s with madeira, while she glared savagely at Jericourt.

That gentleman, as he ate his soup, glanced at the gentleman opposite from time to time, and said to himself:

"I know that man; this certainly isn't the first time that I've seen him; but where in the devil have I met him?"

Roncherolle, for his part, having recognized the man of letters at the first glance, smiled slyly as he submitted to be stared at, and continued to be most attentive to his fair neighbor, who said to him, eating for four all the while:

"You please me, you do! you're a good fellow! you're worth a deal more than all these youngsters! you're as young as they are, only you've been so longer!"

At last Jericourt, unable to contain himself, said to his vis-a-vis:

"Mon Dieu! monsieur, it seems to you perhaps that I stare at you rather persistently."

"That flatters me, monsieur; I a.s.sume that you find me pleasant to look at."

"That is not just the reason, monsieur; the fact is that it seems to me that this is not the first time we have met."

"True, monsieur; and I recognized you instantly, when you entered the room."

"Be good enough then to remind me where it was."

"It was near here--at the Chateau d'Eau flower market; you were bargaining for a bouquet, as was an exceedingly ugly little fellow--a friend of yours, I think--and you did not make up your mind; whereupon I arrived and put an end to your hesitation by buying the bouquet;--do you remember now?"

"Yes, monsieur, I remember very well."

And Jericourt pressed his lips together again and scowled, because that reminder recalled no agreeable memories.

"Then there was a _gamin_ who threw the ugly little fellow down, and as he fell he tore his trousers."

"Where?" queried Mademoiselle Zizi.