"He's taking snuff!" said Brigitte, her eye still glued to the keyhole; "his gold snuff-box beats Minard's--though, perhaps, it is only silver-gilt," she added, reflectively. "He's doing the talking, and Thuillier is sitting there listening to him like a buzzard. Ishall go in and tell them they can't keep ladies waiting that way."But just as she put her hand on the lock she heard Thuillier's visitor raise his voice, and that made her look through the keyhole again.
"He is standing up; he's going," she said with satisfaction.
But a moment later she saw she had made a mistake; the little old man had only left his chair to walk up and down the room and continue the conversation with greater freedom.
"My gracious! I shall certainly go in," she said, "and tell Thuillier we are going without him, and he can follow us."So saying, the old maid gave two little sharp and very imperious raps on the door, after which she resolutely entered the study.
La Peyrade, goaded by anxiety, had the bad taste to look through the keyhole himself at what was happening. Instantly he thought he recognized the small old man he had seen under the name of "the commander" on that memorable morning when he had waited for Madame de Godollo. Then he saw Thuillier addressing his sister with impatience and with gestures of authority altogether out of his usual habits of deference and submission.
"It seems," said Brigitte, re-entering the salon, "that Thuillier finds some great interest in that creature's talk, for he ordered me bluntly to leave them, though the little old fellow did say, rather civilly, that they would soon be through. But Jerome added: 'MIND, you are to wait for me.' Really, since he has taken to making newspapers Idon't know him; he has set up an air as if he were leading the world with his wand.""I am very much afraid he is being entangled by some adventurer," said la Peyrade. "I am pretty sure I saw that old man at Madame de Godollo's the day I went to warn her off the premises; he must be of the same stripe.""Why didn't you tell me?" cried Brigitte. "I'd have asked him for news of the countess, and let him see we knew what we knew of his Hungarian."Just then the sound of moving chairs was heard, and Brigitte darted back to the keyhole.
"Yes," she said, "he is really going, and Thuillier is bowing him out respectfully!"As Thuillier did not immediately return, Colleville had time to go to the window and exclaim at seeing the little old gentleman driving away in an elegant coupe, of which the reader has already heard.
"The deuce!" cried Colleville; "what an ornate livery! If he is an adventurer he is a number one."At last Thuillier re-entered the room, his face full of care, his manner extremely grave.
"My dear la Peyrade," he said, "you did not tell us that another proposal of marriage had been seriously considered by you.""Yes, I did; I told you that a very rich heiress had been offered to me, but that my inclinations were here, and that I had not given any encouragement to the affair; consequently, of course, there was no serious engagement.""Well, I think you do wrong to treat that proposal so lightly.""What! do you mean to say, in presence of these ladies, that you blame me for remaining faithful to my first desires and our old engagement?""My friend, the conversation that I have just had has been a most instructive one to me; and when you know what I know, with other details personal to yourself, which will be confided to you, I think that you will enter into my ideas. One thing is certain; we shall not go to the notary to-day; and as for you, the best thing that you can do is to go, without delay, to Monsieur du Portail.""That name again! it pursues me like a remorse," exclaimed la Peyrade.
"Yes; go at once; he is awaiting you. It is an indispensable preliminary before we can go any farther. When you have seen that excellent man and heard what he has to say to you--well, THEN if you persist in claiming Celeste's hand, we might perhaps carry out our plans. Until then we shall take no steps in the matter.""But, my poor Thuillier," said Brigitte, "you have let yourself be gammoned by a rascal; that man belongs to the Godollo set.""Madame de Godollo," replied Thuillier, "is not at all what you suppose her to be, and the best thing this house can do is never to say one word about her, either good or evil. As for la Peyrade, as this is not the first time he has been requested to go and see Monsieur du Portail, I am surprised that he hesitates to do so.""Ah ca!" said Brigitte, "that little old man has completely befooled you.""I tell you that that little old man is all that he appears to be. He wears seven crosses, he drives in a splendid equipage, and he has told me things that have overwhelmed me with astonishment.""Well, perhaps he's a fortune-teller like Madame Fontaine, who managed once upon a time to upset me when Madame Minard and I, just to amuse ourselves, went to consult her.""Well, if he is not a sorcerer he certainly has a very long arm," said Thuillier, "and I think a man would suffer for it if he didn't respect his advice. As for you, Brigitte, he saw you only for a minute, but he told me your whole character; he said you were a masterful woman, born to command.""The fact is," said Brigitte, licking her chops at this compliment, like a cat drinking cream, "he has a very well-bred air, that little old fellow. You take my advice, my dear," she said, turning to la Peyrade; "if such a very big-wig as that wants you to do so, go and see this du Portail, whoever he is. That, it seems to me, won't bind you to anything.""You are right, Brigitte," said Colleville; "as for me, I'd follow up all the Portails, or PortERS, or PortENTS for the matter of that, if they asked me to."The scene was beginning to resemble that in the "Barber of Seville,"where everybody tells Basil to go to bed, for he certainly has a fever. La Peyrade, thus prodded, picked up his hat in some ill-humor, and went where his destiny called him,--"quo sua fata vocabant."