The Milkmaid of Montfermeil Part 56

"You will soon find out, lieutenant, that it was for your advantage that that villain carried off your money!"

"Faith! who knows? Tell me, am I wrong to look at the bright side?"

"No, indeed; there are lots of people who couldn't find a bright side to such a thing; but still--excuse my fears, monsieur--what you have left won't last forever, no matter how much we may economize; and what will you do then, lieutenant? for a man can't live on his cheerfulness alone."

"Why, then--we'll see, my dear Bertrand; I have some talents--well, I'll turn them to account, I'll work."

"You work, monsieur!" said Bertrand, turning his back, to wipe away a tear.

"Why not, my friend?"

"Because you're not used to it--because it would be too hard for you--because I wouldn't allow it, in fact,--and--But let's not say any more about that. You're right; it's better to forget ourselves. Who knows? perhaps we shall find your thief!"

"That's the talk, my dear Bertrand; we must always hope; it makes us none the poorer and it does us good."

Auguste went out to seek distraction with a mercer's apprentice, and Bertrand went downstairs to read the life of the great Turenne to Schtrack.

XVI

A SCENE IN SOCIETY

The cabriolet was sold, the little groom found another place. When Madame Saint-Edmond observed that her neighbor was cutting down his establishment, she no longer deigned to look at him, but pa.s.sed him without even bowing to him. Bertrand was indignant at her discourtesy, but Auguste laughed at it, saying:

"I am certain now that that woman never loved me, and it is always pleasant to know whom one is dealing with."

But Bertrand muttered:

"Just let her lose her poodle again; and if I find him I'll make him do a turn of sentry duty that he'll never be relieved from."

Auguste continued to seek distraction in society, and as distraction is ordinarily expensive, he spent much more than he should have done, although he had determined to be virtuous and orderly. He considered himself very prudent, because, instead of losing fifty louis at an evening party, he lost only fifty crowns; because, instead of hiring a box at the theatre, he contented himself with buying seat tickets at the office; and because he rode in cabs instead of keeping a cabriolet. But even this outlay was too large for a person who had only a small capital and no income. Bertrand saw with dismay that their funds would not last as long as he had hoped; he dared not remonstrate with Auguste, but he often said to him:

"Let's go see the pretty milkmaid, monsieur, and that little Coco that you're so fond of; that will divert you. We can pa.s.s a few days at the village, and amus.e.m.e.nts don't cost so much there as they do in Paris."

Auguste constantly postponed visiting Montfermeil. He did not tell Bertrand the reason that he dreaded to go there; but he was pained to think that he was no longer able to do all that he had hoped to do for the child; he supposed that the money which he had left for him had been used; and, being accustomed to follow nothing but the impulses of his heart and give money away with a lavish hand, he sighed at the idea of being obliged to reckon the extent of his benefactions. That pang was the keenest that the loss of his fortune had as yet caused him.

After an absence of six weeks, Monsieur and Madame de la Thoma.s.siniere returned to Paris. Their mansion became once more the rendezvous of the people who love good dinners, evening parties and b.a.l.l.s; and the old chevalier of the pigeon's wings was not the last to return thither, although at their last dinner-party he had sworn that they would never catch him there again. The marquises and dandies, the women of fashion, the poets and bankers were very careful not to mention Madame Thomas to Monsieur de la Thoma.s.siniere; and he said to himself, rubbing his hands:

"It's all forgotten, n.o.body thinks about it now, it hasn't injured me in the least. For all that, I did well to pa.s.s six weeks in England; that sufficed to forget it."

Monsieur de la Thoma.s.siniere was mistaken; Madame Thomas's visit was not forgotten; but so long as he was rich and continued to give gorgeous parties and grand dinners, people would continue to go to his house and to welcome him warmly. Let him but lose his money, and everybody would very soon discover what he was--a very stupid, vulgar individual. So that it was not necessary for him to make the journey to England. To be sure, he did not say all this to himself.

Destival's flight caused a sensation. When it was mentioned to La Thoma.s.siniere, he cried:

"I was certain that that man would turn out ill! He fancied that he was as well equipped as I; he had the a.s.surance to dream of making a fortune like mine! As if my talents were given to everybody! He gave wretched dinners: poor food and poor wine! And he had an idea that he gave dinners like mine! I have said a hundred times: 'That man will go under!' and he hasn't failed to do it."

"His wife was too much of a flirt," said Athalie; "she insisted on following all the fashions and wearing cashmere shawls; she had taken my dressmaker."

"Taken your dressmaker, madame!" cried her husband; "you must agree that that was utterly absurd! Those people had lost their senses! The idea of taking your dressmaker! the wife of a miserable little business agent!"

"But she's still in Paris," said the Marquis de Cligneval, who was present at this conversation. "I saw her in a buggy a few days ago, more stylishly dressed than ever."

"Really?" said the speculator; "you say that she was dressed in style?

It's a fact that she had much more wit than her husband! It seems that her skirts are entirely clear of his business; she must have taken measures beforehand, and she did well; certainly no one can blame her."

The conversation was interrupted by the arrival of Dalville, who had not been at the Thoma.s.siniere's since their return from England.

"Ah! Monsieur Dalville!" said the speculator, hurrying to meet the young man with an air of great cordiality, while the marquis seized Auguste's hand and cried:

"How delighted I am to see you, my amiable friend! Gad! I intended to come to see you one of these days.--'n.o.body ever sees him now,' I said to myself; 'what in the deuce has become of him?'"

"It is a fact, monsieur," said Athalie, with a gracious smile to Auguste, "you have been in no hurry, monsieur, to come to see us since we returned more than ten days ago; it's very unkind, for you know how fond of you we are."

"You are too kind, madame," said Auguste, taking a seat beside the pet.i.te-maitresse; "but I have been very much occupied. You have learned no doubt that Destival----"

"We were speaking about him a moment ago," said La Thoma.s.siniere, "and I was saying to monsieur le marquis, my good friend, that his performance did not surprise me in the least! Indeed, I believe that I antic.i.p.ated it!"

"That is true--you did say that to me," the marquis replied; "but I admit that such things always pa.s.s my comprehension. To fail--to run away with other people's money--why, it's shocking! Let a man go off with his own all he pleases; but the idea of deceiving people who have confidence in one's good faith! who place their property in one's hands to administer! who leave everything to one's honesty! Ah! I could never forgive that!"

"Nor I," cried La Thoma.s.siniere; "I could never forgive anyone for not succeeding in business. I will say more--I won't receive such a man in my house. The minute your credit begins to sink, why, good-evening; you'd better stay at home! That's all I know! For we must have honesty first of all, as monsieur le marquis observed; and with rich people a man is never in any danger."

Dalville smiled at the warmth with which the two worthies emphasized their love of honesty, and after a moment he rejoined:

"Do you know how much of my money Destival has taken away with him?"

"No," said La Thoma.s.siniere; "is it possible that he cheated you too? I thought that you were too shrewd to allow yourself to be taken in, Monsieur Dalville!"

"Oh! in money matters, monsieur, the shrewdest are likely to be the stupidest. A man doesn't need intelligence to grow rich; that's a truth of which the world presents us with proofs every day."

"Monsieur Dalville is forever joking," Athalie said, laughingly; while La Thoma.s.siniere said to the marquis in an undertone:

"This young man knows nothing whatever about business. I feel sorry for him."

"How much did the scoundrel rob you of?" queried the marquis.

"Two hundred and fifty thousand francs."

"The deuce!" cried La Thoma.s.siniere; "but that's quite a sum of money!

Two hundred and fifty thousand francs! You must have stout loins to stand such a loss!"

"Oh well! I stand it as best I can. This is the time to be philosophical."

"I understand; that means that you are still very rich."

"Not at all; on the contrary, I have nothing left. Destival has carried off my capital, and in a few months I shall have to turn my attention to earning my living."