oneis
witty
;
they
are
making
epigrams
or
clever
tournures
de
phrases
all
the
time
,
and
do
n't
seem
to
talk
of
the
teeny
weeny
things
we
do
in
England
.
They
have
most
exquisite
manners
,
and
extraordinarily
unpleasant
personal
habits
,
like
eating
,
and
coughing
,
and
picking
their
teeth
,
etc.
;
but
they
do
have
nice
under-clothes
,
and
lovely
soaps
and
scents
and
things
.
Views
for
Victorine
The
Frascati
beds
were
comfortable
,
and
I
could
not
wake
in
the
morning
,
in
spite
of
Agnès
fussing
about
.
The
Vicomte
has
awakened
every
one
each
day
by
rapping
at
their
doors
,
but
this
morning
I
was
at
last
aroused
by
Héloise
,
who
had
the
next
room
,
and
we
had
our
coffee
together
.
She
says
she
does
hope
soon
to
get
Victorine
married
,
and
that
they
have
a
nephew
of
the
Baronne
's
in
view
,
but
he
has
not
seen
her
yet
.
It
appears
it
is
easier
to
get
them
off
if
they
are
quiet
looking
and
dowdy
,
but
not
so
aggressive
as
Victorine
.
You
have
n't
much
chance
if
you
are
very
pretty
and
lively
;
as
she
says
,
the
men
only
like
you
to
be
that
when
you
are
married
to
some
one
else
.
Héloise
wishes
to
have
everything
smart
as
the
Tournelles
have
,
but
Godmamma
and
Victorine
are
always
against
her
.
She
says
life
there
is
for
ever
eating
galette
de
plomp
,
which
I
suppose
means
a
suet
pudding
feeling
.
We
all
went
to
High
Mass
at
eleven
;
it
was
very
pretty
,
and
such
a
good-looking
priest
handed
the
bag
.
I
should
hate
to
be
a
priest
;
should
n't
you
,
Mamma
?
You
may
n't
even
look
at
any
one
nice
.
We
breakfasted
at
Frascati
,
but
we
were
a
little
bit
gloomy
at
our
trip
being
over
.
This
afternoon
they
have
nearly
all
gone
for
a
drive
in
hired
motor
cars
,
but
I
have
n't
a
hat
here
that
would
stay
on
,
so
I
am
writing
to
you
instead
,
and
we
cross
over
to
Trouville
at
five
o'clock
in
the
ordinary
boat
,
as
it
is
too
rough
for
the
Sauterelle
.
—
Good-bye
,
dear
Mamma
,
your
affectionate
daughter
,
Elizabeth
.
A
Full-blown
Bride
P.S.
—
I
forgot
to
tell
you
the
story
of
the
"
Côte
des
deux
Amants
.
"
You
know
the
fearfully
straight
,
steep
hill
we
have
often
noticed
from
the
train
if
you
go
to
Paris
from
Dieppe
.
Well
,
Hippolyte
told
us
the
story
when
we
passed
it
.
It
is
quite
close
from
the
river
,
and
looks
as
if
it
had
been
cut
with
a
knife
,
it
is
so
steep
.
It
appears
that
in
the
Middle
Ages
there
was
a
castle
on
the
top
,
and
there
lived
a
Comte
who
had
a
tremendously
stout
daughter
.
He
said
no
one
should
have
her
and
her
fortune
unless
he
was
strong
enough
to
carry
her
from
the
bottom
to
the
top
of
the
hill
.
Hundreds
tried
—
it
was
a
beauty
then
to
be
fat
—
but
every
one
dropped
her
half-way
,
and
the
poor
thing
got
"
très
fatiguée
d'être
plantée
comme
ça
,
"
when
a
handsome
cavalier
came
along
,
and
he
succeeded
.
His
snorts
of
out-of-breathness
could
be
heard
for
miles
,
but
he
got
her
to
the
top
and
then
fell
dead
at
her
feet
;
and
she
went
into
a
convent
and
died
.
Hippolyte
said
also
that
the
other
ending
of
the
story
was
,
that
she
got
so
thin
from
pining
for
the
knight
that
the
next
one
who
came
along
had
no
difficulty
,
and
so
they
married
and
lived
happy
ever
after
.
But
I
like
the
tragic
end
best
.
And
he
said
that
the
peasants
still
declare
they
can
hear
the
knight
wheezing
on
moonlight
nights
,
but
"
Antoine
"
said
it
was
probably
a
traction
engine
.
And
I
do
n't
think
it
nice
of
him
;
do
you
,
Mamma
?
CHÂTEAU
DE
CROIXMARE
Château
de
Croixmare
,
24th
August
.
Dearest
Mamma
,
—
I
am
quite
sure
I
shall
never
be
able
to
stand
the
whole
fortnight
more
here
.
We
got
back
on
Monday
evening
,
and
Godmamma
was
as
disagreeable
as
could
be
.
She
said
all
sorts
of
spiteful
things
about
the
Tournelles
,
and
especially
the
Baronne
;
and
Jean
looked
nervous
and
uncomfortable
,
and
Héloise
like
a
mule
;
and
Victorine
said
I
had
no
doubt
enjoyed
myself
,
but
for
her
part
she
would
be
sorry
to
be
taken
for
a
"
young
married
woman
,
"
which
was
what
Madame
de
Visac
(
a
woman
who
came
to
call
after
we
left
)
had
said
—
"
Qui
est
cette
jeune
femme
avec
votre
belle
soeur
?
"
Modest
Maidens
She
had
seen
us
embarking
.
So
I
said
I
was
flattered
,
as
that
seemed
to
mean
in
France
all
that
was
attractive
in
contrast
to
the
girls
.
Did
you
ever
hear
of
such
a
cat
,
Mamma
?
and
considering
that
I
am
only
seventeen
,
and
she
is
an
old
maid
of
twenty-two
;
I
think
it
too
ridiculous
.
She
need
not
fear
,
no
one
would
ever
think
she
was
married
,
she
looks
like
a
lumping
German
governess
.
Two
of
her
girl
friends
came
to
breakfast
yesterday
,
of
course
with
their
mothers
,
and
you
should
have
heard
the
idiot
conversation
we
had
!
All
plopped
down
on
the
great
sofa
in
the
big
salon
,
like
a
row
of
dolls
.
The
two
friends
were
simply
gasping
with
excitement
at
the
idea
of
my
having
gone
on
the
Sauterelle
.
They
asked
me
endless
questions
,
and
giggled
,
and
I
did
tell
them
some
things
!
They
asked
also
about
England
,
and
was
it
really
true
that
when
we
went
to
a
ball
we
stayed
with
our
danseurs
till
the
next
dance
?
I
said
I
had
not
been
to
a
ball
yet
,
but
had
always
heard
that
is
what
one
did
.
One
of
the
friends
is
quite
nice-looking
,
but
with
such
dirty
nails
.
It
appears
you
do
n't
wash
much
till
you
are
married
,
it
is
not
considered
bien
vu
,
in
fact
rather
lancé
,
and
you
ca
n't
have
fine
under-clothes
,
it
has
all
got
to
be
as
unattractive
as
possible
,
and
that
shows
you
are
as
good
as
gold
and
will
make
a
nice
wife
.
The
Trouville
Casino
But
it
must
be
a
bother
picking
up
a
taste
for
having
baths
and
things
afterwards
,
if
it
is
n't
from
instinct
,
do
n't
you
think
so
,
Mamma
?
And
I
am
glad
I
am
not
French
.
It
is
even
eccentric
if
you
sleep
with
your
window
open
;
Héloise
screamed
at
me
for
that
.
They
all
assure
me
it
gives
sore
eyes
,
besides
encouraging
an
early
grave
.
I
said
at
last
that
in
England
we
slept
the
whole
summer
in
the
open
air
.
I
was
so
exasperated
,
and
they
would
believe
anything
.
Oh
,
I
wish
we
were
back
on
the
Sauterelle
!
—
which
reminds
me
I
have
never
told
you
anything
about
Trouville
.
The
whole
place
was
full
of
such
beautiful
ladies
,
and
such
nice
clothes
.
They
must
all
have
been
married
,
their
things
were
so
becoming
.
The
Vicomte
seemed
to
know
them
well
,
and
they
all
spoke
of
them
by
their
Christian
names
,
such
as
,
Voilà
Blanche
d'Antin
!
or
Emilie
something
else
,
as
we
passed
them
,
but
none
of
our
party
bowed
to
the
really
pretty
ones
,
which
I
thought
very
queer
if
they
knew
them
well
enough
to
speak
of
them
by
their
Christian
names
.
I
remember
you
always
told
me
never
to
do
that
—
I
mean
to
use
people
's
first
names
in
speaking
of
them
if
you
are
not
acquainted
with
them
—
but
evidently
it
is
different
here
.
The
Tournelles
and
all
the
others
did
stop
to
speak
to
heaps
of
duller
looking
people
,
and
every
one
tried
to
persuade
us
to
stay
and
go
to
the
races
.
We
went
to
the
Casino
in
the
evening
and
saw
a
piece
;
it
was
boring
.
We
had
two
boxes
,
and
they
kept
talking
to
me
all
the
time
,
so
I
really
could
not
pay
much
attention
to
the
acting
.
Down
below
us
was
the
Marquise
de
Vermandoise
's
brother-in-law
,
with
a
rather
dowdy
little
woman
.
They
talked
a
great
deal
about
him
,
and
the
Marquise
said
it
was
just
like
his
economy
to
go
to
Trouville
with
such
"
une
espèce
de
petite
fagottée
bon
marché
.
"
So
I
suppose
it
was
some
poor
relation
he
was
treating
,
but
they
seemed
very
good
friends
,
as
he
held
her
hand
all
the
time
,
quite
forgetting
the
people
up
above
could
see
.
Then
we
played
"
Petits
Chevaux
,
"
and
I
won
every
time
;
I
do
like
it
very
much
.
A
Bathing
Party
We
came
back
to
Vinant
by
the
two
o'clock
train
,
but
first
we
went
to
bathe
.
I
was
really
annoyed
at
having
to
have
a
hired
dress
,
a
frightful
thing
,
and
weighing
a
ton
.
The
Marquise
and
the
others
had
brought
theirs
on
the
chance
of
our
having
time
for
a
dip
.
The
Baronne
's
and
Héloise
's
were
too
sweet
.
The
Baronne
's
cap
had
the
same
kind
of
lovely
little
curls
round
it
that
she
wears
at
night
;
but
she
is
a
great
coward
,
and
hardly
went
in
deeper
than
her
ankles
,
in
spite
of
all
the
entreaties
of
"
Antoine
"
and
the
Vicomte
.
The
Marquise
de
Vermandoise
looks
splendid
in
the
water
,
just
like
a
goddess
,
and
her
bathing-dress
was
thin
enough
red
silk
for
us
to
see
how
beautifully
she
is
made
.
The
splashing
about
seemed
to
make
her
so
gay
,
she
kept
putting
her
tongue
into
the
gap
where
her
tooth
is
gone
,
and
looked
so
wicked
they
would
all
have
swam
anywhere
after
her
.
She
and
de
Tournelle
went
out
a
long
way
to
a
boat
,
and
they
did
seem
to
be
having
a
good
time
.
I
wish
I
could
swim
like
that
.
Héloise
and
"
Antoine
"
made
la
planche
together
;
it
is
simply
floating
,
only
you
have
some
one
to
hold
you
up
in
case
you
float
out
too
far
.
The
Vicomte
wanted
to
teach
me
,
and
as
I
was
getting
rather
tired
of
pretending
to
swim
with
one
leg
down
,
I
tried
,
and
it
feels
lovely
,
and
we
did
laugh
so
over
it
.
At
last
the
Baronne
came
out
quite
up
to
her
knees
to
call
to
us
"
Trémors
,
c'est
défendu
de
faire
des
bêtises
.
"
I
suppose
she
thought
he
would
let
me
drown
.
Jean
and
the
Comtesse
de
Tournelle
watched
us
from
the
plage
.
The
old
Baron
swims
splendidly
,
and
went
quite
out
of
sight
.
Hippolyte
was
waiting
among
the
other
servants
with
our
peignoirs
,
and
presently
he
clapped
his
hands
to
insure
attention
,
and
shouted
,
"
Il
ne
faut
pas
que
Madame
la
Baronne
reste
trop
longtemps
se
mouillant
les
pieds
,
elle
prendrait
froid
,
mieux
vaut
sortir
de
l'eau
!
"
End
of
the
Trip
I
am
glad
my
hair
curls
naturally
,
because
I
laughed
so
at
the
face
of
Hippolyte
,
gesticulating
at
the
Baronne
,
that
I
did
not
pay
attention
to
a
wave
,
and
it
threw
me
over
,
and
I
went
right
under
water
.
The
Vicomte
pulled
me
up
,
but
there
was
no
need
of
him
to
have
been
so
long
about
it
,
and
I
told
him
so
.
He
apologised
,
and
said
it
was
his
fear
that
I
should
drown
,
but
we
were
only
up
to
our
chests
in
water
,
so
I
do
n't
believe
it
a
bit
.
After
that
we
came
out
,
and
it
is
just
as
well
one
has
a
peignoir
to
put
on
immediately
,
as
the
bathing
gowns
are
so
tight
and
thin
,
when
wet
they
look
quite
odd
.
There
were
hundreds
of
other
people
bathing
too
,
and
some
of
the
dresses
were
so
pretty
.
One
was
all
black
and
very
tight
,
with
red
dragons
running
over
it
,
and
she
had
a
gold
bangle
on
her
ankle
.
I
wish
we
could
have
stayed
longer
,
it
was
so
gay
.
In
the
train
coming
back
we
played
all
sorts
of
games
.
Jean
and
the
old
Baron
went
"
smoking
,
"
and
we
eight
squashed
into
the
same
carriage
,
so
as
not
to
be
separated
.
We
had
to
go
right
up
to
Paris
(
as
the
express
does
not
stop
at
Vinant
)
,
and
then
back
again
.
One
can
just
see
the
high
roof
of
Croixmare
from
the
train
.
Yesterday
those
tiresome
girls
came
to
déjeûner
,
and
to-day
we
go
to
pay
another
visit
of
ceremony
at
the
Tournelles
'
,
to
thank
them
for
our
nice
trip
.
I
shall
be
glad
to
see
them
again
after
looking
at
Godmamma
for
two
whole
days
.
The
evenings
are
awful
.
Although
it
is
so
warm
no
one
thinks
of
walking
in
the
garden
,
or
even
sitting
out
on
the
perron
.
When
we
come
out
from
dinner
,
though
it
is
broad
daylight
,
every
shutter
is
shut
and
curtains
drawn
,
and
there
we
sit
in
the
salon
,
all
arranged
round
in
a
semi-circle
,
and
make
conversation
,
and
sirop
comes
at
nine
,
and
,
thank
goodness
,
we
get
off
to
bed
at
ten
!
But
even
if
you
wanted
to
talk
nicely
to
the
person
sitting
by
you
you
could
n't
,
because
every
one
would
at
once
stop
what
they
were
saying
and
listen
.
There
is
going
to
be
an
entertainment
at
the
Tournelles
'
in
about
a
week
,
a
kind
of
fête
champêtre
.
We
are
to
dine
in
a
pavilion
in
the
garden
,
and
then
have
a
cotillon
.-Good-bye
,
dear
Mamma
,
with
love
from
your
affectionate
daughter
,
Elizabeth
.
Château
de
Croixmare
,
25th
August
.
Croixmare
again
Dearest
Mamma
,
—
The
longer
I
stay
,
here
the
more
glad
I
am
that
I
am
not
French
!
Victorine
is
going
to
be
shown
to
her
future
fiancé
to-day
,
but
I
must
first
tell
you
how
it
came
about
.
We
went
to
Château
de
Tournelle
yesterday
to
pay
our
visit
,
Godmamma
,
Victorine
,
and
I
in
the
victoria
,
and
Jean
and
Héloise
in
the
phaeton
.
They
were
in
the
garden
playing
tennis
with
a
party
of
friends
from
Versailles
,
and
among
them
,
of
course
,
the
Vicomte
and
"
Antoine
.
"
They
were
all
so
glad
to
see
me
,
and
the
Baronne
called
me
her
"
chère
petite
,
"
and
kissed
me
on
both
cheeks
,
as
if
we
had
been
parted
for
months
.
The
Vicomte
—
when
he
had
done
putting
his
heels
together
and
bowing
to
Victorine
and
me
,
and
kissing
Héloise
's
and
Godmamma
's
hands
—
managed
to
get
in
,
in
a
lower
voice
,
that
his
ride
from
Versailles
now
seemed
to
him
to
have
been
very
short
.
Upon
which
Victorine
at
once
said
,
"
Comment
?
"
with
the
expression
of
a
terrier
whose
ears
are
suddenly
cocked
up
on
the
alert
.
He
bowed
more
deeply
than
ever
,
and
said
that
he
was
saying
it
was
a
long
ride
from
Versailles
!
So
you
see
that
Frenchmen
are
not
truthful
,
Mamma
!
Well
—
then
we
were
sent
to
look
at
the
gardens
,
accompanied
by
Jean
and
the
Curé
.
An
Untruthful
Frenchman
The
Comtesse
"
adores
"
le
tennis
,
and
plays
very
well
,
it
quite
animates
her
.
The
Baronne
plays
too
,
but
she
does
n't
hit
the
ball
much
,
and
screams
most
of
the
time
;
she
was
in
the
middle
of
a
game
when
we
arrived
,
and
only
stopped
to
pay
all
kinds
of
civilities
to
our
party
.
Her
pretty
feet
show
when
she
runs
about
,
but
she
wears
a
large
black
tulle
hat
with
fluffy
strings
,
and
it
does
not
seem
very
suitable
for
tennis
.
I
had
to
walk
with
the
old
Curé
when
the
path
was
not
wide
enough
to
trot
all
together
.
The
gardens
really
are
lovely
,
with
all
kinds
of
strange
shrubs
and
trees
,
and
fontaines
and
bosquets
,
and
nooks
,
but
I
do
n't
see
the
least
use
in
them
if
one
has
always
to
walk
three
in
a
row
,
if
not
more
,
do
you
,
Mamma
?
The
Curé
was
a
charming
old
fellow
,
and
explained
all
the
plants
to
me
.
We
had
no
sooner
got
back
to
the
tennis
ground
than
one
felt
something
momentous
was
taking
place
between
Godmamma
and
the
Baronne
.
She
had
finished
her
tennis
,
and
they
were
sitting
away
from
the
others
,
nodding
their
heads
together
.
Victorine
at
once
put
on
a
conscious
air
,
and
minced
more
than
usual
.
"
Antoine
"
and
Héloise
seemed
speaking
seriously
,
while
she
examined
his
new
racket
.
The
Vicomte
had
begun
a
game
,
so
could
not
talk
to
us
,
but
some
more
officers
were
introduced
,
and
,
after
the
usual
bowing
,
we
began
to
talk
.
"
Vous
aimez
le
tennis
,
mademoiselle
?
"
"
Oui
,
monsieur
,
"
from
Victorine
.
"
Moi
,
je
le
déteste
,
"
from
me
.
"
Pas
possible
!
"
from
every
one
.
"
Je
vous
assure
on
ne
joue
que
le
croquet
chez
nous
.
"
"
Le
croquet
,
"
from
Victorine
,
"
un
jeu
de
Couvent
!
"
"
Le
croquet
!
Et
les
anglais
qui
n'aiment
que
l'exercice
!
"
from
the
officers
,
etc.
,
etc.
Very
interesting
,
you
see
,
one
's
conversations
here
!
A
Marriage
Arranged
All
this
time
the
Baronne
and
Godmamma
were
nodding
their
heads
,
and
when
Jean
and
Héloise
joined
them
,
they
looked
like
those
sets
of
mandarins
that
used
to
be
on
Uncle
Charles
's
mantelpiece
,
and
as
we
said
Good-bye
,
the
Baronne
said
to
Godmamma
,
"
Bien
,
chère
madame
,
c'est
entendu
alors
c'est
pour
demain
.
"
All
the
way
home
in
the
carriage
,
Victorine
simpered
.
I
felt
I
could
have
slapped
her
.
In
the
evening
there
was
an
air
of
mystery
about
them
all
,
and
,
quite
unlike
her
usual
custom
,
Héloise
came
into
my
room
to
chat
when
I
was
going
to
bed
.
Of
course
Agnès
stayed
as
long
as
she
could
,
but
no
sooner
had
we
got
rid
of
her
,
than
Héloise
told
me
what
it
was
all
about
.
It
appears
the
Baronne
has
a
nephew
,
who
has
made
a
heap
of
debts
;
he
is
a
Marquis
,
and
he
wants
to
"
redorer
le
blason
.
"
It
is
necessary
for
him
to
secure
a
large
dot
,
but
he
is
"
si
terriblement
volage
,
"
that
the
extreme
plainness
of
Victorine
may
put
him
off
.
The
Baronne
has
been
arranging
it
,
and
he
is
to
be
brought
with
his
parent
to
breakfast
,
to
sample
her
!
They
have
not
seen
one
another
yet
,
and
it
has
been
difficult
to
get
him
to
face
the
situation
seriously
.
Victorine
has
been
dragging
on
so
,
that
the
family
will
be
delighted
to
let
her
go
,
even
to
a
less
fortune
than
she
has
.
"
Ils
devraient
être
joliment
contents
,
un
gros
paquet
comme
ça
!
"
as
Hippolyte
,
who
knows
every
one
's
business
,
said
to
the
Baronne
's
maid
—
Héloise
told
me
—
and
that
explains
it
;
she
said
it
would
be
such
a
mercy
if
he
will
settle
the
affair
at
once
.
She
had
come
to
ask
me
a
favour
.
I
did
wonder
what
it
was
!
And
you
will
laugh
,
Mamma
,
when
you
hear
!
Victorine
is
sure
to
be
nervous
,
Héloise
said
,
and
in
that
case
her
face
gets
red
,
and
it
would
be
a
pity
to
distract
his
attention
in
any
way
,
and
in
short
would
I
mind
putting
on
my
most
unbecoming
dress
,
and
not
speaking
while
the
Marquis
is
here
?
The
Fiancé
Appears
So
here
I
am
,
Mamma
,
writing
to
you
up
in
my
room
,
dressed
in
that
horrid
beige
linen
that
we
chose
at
night
,
and
I
sha
n't
go
down
till
déjeûner
is
ready
,
pouf
!
I
can
hear
a
carriage
coming
,
I
must
go
to
the
window
.
Yes
,
it
is
the
fiancé
,
accompanied
by
his
mother
and
aunt
.
He
is
nice-looking
,
except
that
he
has
got
a
silly
fair
beard
.
I
can
hear
them
arriving
in
the
hall
;
such
a
lot
of
talking
!
Héloise
and
Victorine
have
just
been
here
.
Héloise
even
has
got
an
ugly
dress
on
,
and
Victorine
has
scrubbed
her
face
with
soap
—
I
suppose
to
get
that
greasy
look
off
—
until
it
shines
like
an
apple
,
her
nose
is
crimson
,
and
her
eyes
look
like
two
beads
.
They
have
gone
downstairs
.
More
talking
—
I
am
sure
he
is
putting
his
heels
together
.
I
'll
finish
this
after
they
have
gone
,
so
as
to
tell
you
what
happens
.
Evening
.
—
Such
a
day
!
After
I
had
heard
mumbling
talking
for
quite
a
while
—
the
windows
were
all
open
,
and
the
salon
is
under
me
—
suddenly
the
piano
began
.
Victorine
plays
really
well
generally
—
that
is
,
she
has
brilliant
execution
—
but
you
should
have
heard
the
jumble
!
hardly
a
note
right
,
and
in
the
middle
of
it
up
rushed
Héloise
to
me
and
sank
into
a
chair
.
It
was
going
as
badly
as
it
possibly
could
,
she
said
.
Victorine
was
so
nervous
that
her
voice
was
like
a
file
,
and
her
face
so
crimson
that
the
Marquis
must
think
she
has
erysipelas
!
And
then
,
to
complete
matters
,
when
she
is
told
by
Godmamma
to
show
her
accomplishments
,
to
think
that
she
should
play
like
this
!
Especially
as
the
Marquis
is
very
musical
!
Héloise
said
she
could
see
he
was
quite
"
dégoûté
,
"
and
the
only
thing
for
it
now
,
was
for
me
to
change
my
frock
instantly
,
and
to
put
on
a
becoming
one
,
and
to
go
down
and
talk
.
Then
he
would
go
away
having
enjoyed
his
visit
,
he
wo
n't
reason
why
,
and
will
come
again
;
and
then
when
I
am
gone
,
he
can
be
pushed
into
the
marriage
with
Victorine
!
She
rang
for
Agnès
while
she
spoke
,
and
I
was
simply
pitched
into
the
blue
batiste
,
and
hustled
downstairs
.
Such
a
scene
in
the
salon
!
The
Baronne
seated
on
the
large
sofa
with
Jean
;
Godmamma
and
the
mother
of
the
young
man
in
two
of
the
armchairs
;
while
Victorine
fumbled
with
some
music
on
the
piano
with
the
dame
de
compagnie
,
whom
Héloise
calls
"
le
Remorqueur
,
"
because
she
looks
like
a
teeny
tug
pulling
along
a
coal
barge
(
Victorine
)
.
The
Marquis
was
standing
up
by
himself
—
with
his
hat
and
gloves
in
his
hand
—
first
on
one
foot
,
then
on
the
other
;
and
Marie
and
Yolande
were
making
horrid
,
shuffling
,
squeaking
noises
,
sliding
on
the
parquet
by
the
window
.
Wandering
Glances
When
I
was
introduced
and
had
made
a
reverence
to
the
old
ladies
,
the
Marquis
was
presented
,
and
when
we
had
done
bowing
,
he
said
:
"
Vous
êtes
anglaise
,
mademoiselle
?
"
and
,
even
for
that
,
Victorine
's
eyes
shot
two
yellow
flames
at
me
!
Héloise
nipped
my
arm
to
tell
me
to
talk
,
so
of
course
everything
went
out
of
my
head
,
and
I
could
only
think
of
"
Oui
,
monsieur
.
"
Just
then
breakfast
was
announced
,
and
we
all
went
in
arm-in-arm
,
Godmamma
and
the
Marquis
together
.
It
is
a
huge
round
table
,
and
I
had
done
the
flowers
,
because
they
wanted
to
be
shown
how
we
have
tables
in
England
.
I
was
next
but
one
to
the
Marquis
,
with
Héloise
between
.
We
had
scarcely
sat
down
,
when
he
began
.
How
beautiful
the
table
looked
,
and
what
taste
in
the
flowers
!
Upon
which
Héloise
said
,
that
they
were
lovely
,
and
were
the
arrangement
of
her
"
chère
petite
belle-soeur
!
"
and
she
smiled
angelically
at
Victorine
,
who
looked
down
with
conscious
pride
.
Then
Héloise
said
that
it
was
a
great
joy
in
life
to
have
the
absorbing
love
of
flowers
as
Victorine
had
!
and
I
could
not
help
laughing
,
because
Victorine
does
n't
know
one
from
another
,
and
would
not
even
help
me
this
morning
.
The
Marquis
looked
and
looked
at
me
when
I
laughed
,
and
then
lifting
his
glass
of
vin
ordinaire
,
he
said
:
"
Les
belles
dents
rendent
gai
.
"
Was
n't
it
nice
of
him
?
I
think
it
is
hard
he
should
be
tied
to
Victorine
.
He
talked
to
me
all
the
time
after
that
,
across
Héloise
,
and
considering
she
told
me
to
be
agreeable
to
him
,
I
do
n't
see
why
she
should
have
been
annoyed
.
After
breakfast
—
which
we
left
as
usual
arm-in-arm
—
we
sat
in
the
salon
,
while
the
Marquis
and
Jean
went
back
to
smoke
.
It
was
appalling
!
If
Victorine
had
been
a
four-legged
cat
,
she
would
have
spit
at
me
,
but
fortunately
the
two-legged
ones
ca
n't
spit
in
drawing-rooms
,
so
I
escaped
.
The
Baronne
,
after
a
good
deal
of
manoeuvring
,
got
by
me
near
the
window
,
and
then
said
in
a
distinct
voice
,
"
Ma
petite
chérie
j'ai
trop
chaud
,
donnez-moi
votre
bras
un
instant
;
"
and
so
we
got
outside
on
the
terrace
,
where
the
huge
orange
trees
in
pots
stand
.
A
Lecture
on
Duty
As
soon
as
we
were
out
of
earshot
,
she
began
to
scold
me
.
Why
had
I
attracted
the
Marquis
?
how
naughty
of
me
,
when
it
was
essential
his
debts
should
be
paid
,
etc.
,
etc.
If
she
had
not
been
so
nice
,
I
should
have
been
furious
,
and
you
can
see
,
Mamma
,
how
impossible
to
understand
them
it
is
;
to
be
told
one
moment
to
be
nice
,
and
then
,
when
one
Is
,
to
be
scolded
!
I
just
said
as
respectfully
as
I
could
,
that
I
had
done
nothing
,
and
that
Héloise
had
told
me
to
do
it
,
and
the
reason
why
.
That
made
the
Baronne
think
a
little
.
I
am
sure
she
wished
for
the
advice
of
Hippolyte
;
but
the
end
of
it
was
,
that
she
asked
me
how
much
dot
you
were
going
to
allow
me
!
I
said
I
did
not
know
,
and
that
seemed
to
stump
her
.
At
last
she
said
she
supposed
,
as
we
were
people
of
consideration
,
and
that
I
was
the
only
child
,
it
would
be
something
considerable
.
I
do
believe
,
Mamma
,
she
was
thinking
that
I
might
do
for
the
Marquis
!
It
was
only
a
question
of
having
his
debts
paid
—
any
one
who
could
do
that
would
answer
.
It
did
make
me
cross
,
just
as
if
I
would
dream
of
marrying
into
a
nation
that
eats
badly
,
and
does
n't
have
a
bath
except
to
be
smart
.
Think
of
always
having
to
shout
across
the
table
,
day
after
day
,
and
never
to
be
able
to
do
anything
except
by
rules
and
regulations
;
and
the
stuffy
rooms
and
the
eight
armchairs
!
I
saw
myself
!
and
probably
ending
up
with
a
moustache
,
or
an
embonpoint
,
or
something
like
that
.
The
Baronne
at
last
patted
my
hand
,
and
said
:
Well
,
well
,
she
supposed
I
had
not
meant
anything
,
but
that
I
must
leave
the
Marquis
alone
,
and
turn
my
attention
to
"
Gaston
"
(
the
Vicomte
)
,
who
was
really
in
love
with
me
.
Then
if
I
made
him
sufficiently
miserable
,
he
would
be
willing
to
fall
in
with
another
plan
of
hers
,
when
I
was
gone
,
through
sheer
désoeuvrement
.
So
you
see
,
Mamma
,
they
look
upon
me
as
a
regular
catspaw
,
and
I
wo
n't
put
up
with
it
.
I
shall
just
talk
to
the
Marquis
or
"
Gaston
"
whenever
I
like
,
I
was
quite
polite
to
the
Baronne
,
because
she
is
such
a
dear
;
but
I
am
afraid
,
if
Godmamma
had
said
it
all
,
I
should
have
been
impudent
.
An
Alternative
Plan
By
this
time
the
others
had
joined
us
on
the
terrace
.
They
had
all
been
up
to
fix
their
hats
on
,
because
even
if
you
have
been
out
,
and
are
running
out
again
just
after
,
you
always
have
to
take
your
hat
off
,
and
make
a
toilette
for
déjeûner
;
it
does
seem
waste
of
time
.
The
Baronne
is
considered
quite
eccentric
because
she
keeps
hers
on
sometimes
.
I
had
not
even
a
parasol
.
Godmamma
looked
as
if
she
thought
it
almost
indecent
.
Presently
Jean
and
the
Marquis
came
out
of
the
smoking-room
and
joined
us
.
The
Marquis
at
once
began
to
pay
compliments
about
the
sun
on
my
hair
,
and
was
really
so
clever
in
getting
in
little
things
,
while
he
was
talking
to
Godmamma
,
that
I
quite
took
to
him
.
Victorine
had
to
converse
with
her
future
belle-mère
all
the
time
,
and
finally
the
carriage
came
round
,
and
they
went
.
They
were
no
sooner
out
of
sight
,
than
Godmamma
said
,
with
a
long
rigmarole
,
that
she
felt
it
her
duty
to
you
to
look
after
me
,
and
she
must
tell
me
that
it
was
inconvenant
for
a
young
girl
to
smile
or
speak
to
a
man
as
much
as
I
had
done
to
the
Marquis
.
I
was
so
furious
at
that
,
that
I
said
,
as
I
found
it
impossible
to
understand
their
ways
,
I
would
ask
Agnès
to
pack
my
things
at
once
,
if
she
would
kindly
spare
a
servant
to
go
with
a
telegram
to
you
,
to
say
I
was
coming
home
immediately
.
She
was
petrified
at
my
answering
her
!
It
appears
no
one
else
ever
dares
to
;
and
she
at
once
tried
to
smooth
me
down
,
especially
when
I
said
I
should
just
like
time
to
write
and
tell
the
Baronne
why
I
was
leaving
,
as
she
had
been
so
kind
to
me
.
After
that
they
all
tried
to
cajole
me
,
except
Victorine
,
who
left
the
room
and
slammed
the
door
.
And
so
I
have
consented
to
stay
,
and
here
I
am
finishing
my
letter
to
you
.
—
With
best
love
,
from
your
affectionate
daughter
,
Elizabeth
.
CHAMPS
ELYSÉES
Champs
Elysées
,
Friday
,
26th
August
.
A
Visit
to
the
Dentist
Dearest
Mamma
,
—
You
will
be
surprised
to
see
this
address
,
but
Héloise
and
I
are
only
staying
here
for
the
night
,
and
go
back
to
Croixmare
to-morrow
.
Early
this
morning
she
had
bad
toothache
,
and
said
she
must
go
to
Paris
to
see
her
dentist
Godmamma
and
Jean
made
as
much
fuss
about
it
as
if
the
poor
thing
had
suggested
something
quite
unheard
of
;
and
one
could
see
how
she
was
suffering
,
by
the
way
she
kept
her
handkerchief
up
to
her
face
.
Godmamma
said
she
could
not
possibly
accompany
her
,
as
she
had
to
pay
some
important
calls
;
and
Jean
had
promised
to
be
at
St.
Germain
to
see
some
horses
with
the
Vicomte
,
so
Héloise
suggested
I
should
go
with
her
;
and
that
we
should
stay
the
night
at
the
appartement
in
the
Champs
Elysées
,
so
that
she
could
have
two
appointments
with
M
.
Adam
,
the
dentist
.
She
has
such
beautiful
teeth
,
it
seems
hard
that
they
should
ache
,
and
I
felt
very
sorry
for
her
.
After
a
lot
of
talking
it
was
arranged
that
we
should
go
up
by
the
11
o'clock
train
,
and
accordingly
we
started
with
as
much
fuss
as
if
we
had
been
departing
for
a
month
.
We
had
no
sooner
got
to
Paris
than
Héloise
felt
better
.
She
left
me
to
go
on
with
the
maids
and
luggage
to
the
Champs
Elysées
,
while
she
went
to
see
M
.
Adam
.
Paris
looked
out-of-seasonish
and
full
of
Americans
as
we
drove
through
.
I
am
sitting
in
the
little
salon
now
,
waiting
for
her
to
come
in
,
and
I
have
got
awfully
tired
just
looking
out
of
the
window
.
Everything
is
covered
up
with
brown
holland
,
but
I
dare
say
it
is
nice
when
they
are
here
.
The
tapestries
are
beautiful
,
so
is
the
furniture
,
judging
by
the
piece
I
have
lifted
the
coverings
from
.
If
she
does
not
come
in
soon
I
shall
go
for
a
walk
with
Agnès
.
Paris
in
August
9
p.m.
—
Héloise
came
in
just
as
I
was
writing
this
morning
,
and
we
had
a
scrappy
kind
of
déjeûner
on
the
corner
of
the
dining-room
table
.
Then
she
said
we
had
better
go
to
her
couturier
in
the
Rue
de
la
Paix
.
She
seemed
all
right
now
,
and
said
M
.
Adam
had
not
hurt
her
much
,
and
that
she
was
to
go
to
him
again
to-morrow
morning
.
I
always
like
Paris
even
out
of
the
season
,
do
n't
you
,
Mamma
?
it
is
so
gay
.
We
had
a
little
victoria
and
rushed
along
,
not
minding
who
we
ran
into
,
as
is
always
the
way
with
French
cabs
.
When
we
got
to
Paquin
's
there
were
nobody
but
Americans
there
,
and
every
one
looked
tired
.
Héloise
tried
on
her
things
,
and
we
went
to
Caroline
's
for
some
hats
.
They
were
too
lovely
,
and
Héloise
gave
me
a
dream
;
it
's
an
owl
lighting
on
a
cornfield
,
which
perhaps
is
a
little
incongruous
as
they
only
come
out
at
night
,
but
the
effect
is
good
.
After
that
she
said
she
felt
she
should
like
to
go
and
see
her
confesseur
at
the
Madeleine
,
and
we
started
there
on
the
chance
of
finding
him
.
She
kept
looking
at
her
watch
,
so
I
suppose
she
was
afraid
he
would
be
gone
.
We
stopped
at
the
bottom
of
the
big
steps
,
and
she
said
if
I
would
not
mind
waiting
a
minute
she
would
go
in
and
see
.
I
always
thought
one
only
confessed
in
the
morning
,
but
she
seemed
so
anxious
about
it
that
perhaps
if
you
have
anything
particular
on
your
mind
you
can
get
it
off
in
the
afternoon
;
it
might
have
been
the
stories
she
told
about
Victorine
's
liking
flowers
.
I
thought
she
would
never
come
back
,
she
was
such
a
time
,
quite
three-quarters
of
an
hour
;
and
it
was
horrid
sitting
there
alone
,
with
every
creature
staring
as
they
passed
.
Directly
after
she
went
in
I
caught
a
glimpse
of
"
Antoine
"
in
a
coupé
,
going
at
a
great
pace
,
but
I
could
not
make
him
see
me
before
he
had
turned
down
the
street
that
goes
to
the
back
of
the
Madeleine
.
I
wish
he
had
seen
me
,
for
,
although
I
never
like
him
very
much
,
he
would
have
been
better
than
nobody
to
talk
to
.
I
believe
I
should
have
even
been
glad
to
see
Lord
Valmond
.
At
last
I
got
so
cross
,
what
with
the
people
staring
,
and
the
heat
and
the
smells
,
that
I
jumped
out
and
went
to
look
for
Héloise
in
the
church
.
She
was
nowhere
to
be
seen
,
and
I
did
not
like
to
peer
into
every
box
I
came
to
,
so
at
last
I
was
going
back
to
the
cab
again
,
when
from
the
end
door
that
leads
out
into
the
other
street
at
the
back
,
the
rue
Tronchet
,
she
came
tearing
along
completely
essoufflée
.
So
I
suppose
there
must
be
some
confessing
place
beyond
.
She
seemed
quite
cross
with
me
for
having
come
to
find
her
,
and
said
it
was
not
at
all
proper
to
walk
about
a
church
alone
,
which
does
seem
odd
,
does
n't
it
,
Mamma
?
As
one
would
have
thought
if
there
was
any
place
really
respectable
to
stroll
in
,
it
would
have
been
a
church
.
Church
Etiquette
I
told
her
how
bored
I
was
,
and
about
"
Antoine
"
passing
,
and
how
I
had
tried
to
make
him
see
.
She
seemed
more
annoyed
than
ever
,
and
said
I
must
have
made
some
mistake
,
as
"
Antoine
"
was
not
in
Paris
.
She
was
awfully
shocked
at
the
idea
of
my
wanting
to
speak
to
him
in
the
street
anyway
,
and
said
I
surely
must
know
it
was
the
custom
here
for
the
men
to
bow
first
.
She
was
altogether
so
cross
and
excited
and
different
that
I
felt
sure
her
confesseur
must
have
given
her
some
disagreeable
penance
.
We
went
for
a
drive
in
the
Bois
after
that
,
and
Héloise
recovered
,
and
was
nice
to
me
.
We
met
the
Marquise
de
Vermandoise
and
a
young
man
walking
in
one
of
the
side
allées
,
and
when
I
wanted
to
wave
to
them
Héloise
pinched
me
,
and
made
me
look
the
other
way
;
and
when
I
asked
why
,
she
said
it
was
not
very
good
form
to
"
see
"
people
in
Paris
out
of
the
Season
—
that
one
never
was
sure
what
they
were
there
for
—
and
that
I
was
certainly
not
to
mention
it
either
at
Tournelle
or
Croixmare
!
Is
n't
this
a
queer
country
,
Mamma
?
Morals
and
Manners
We
drove
until
quite
late
,
and
just
as
we
were
arriving
at
the
door
,
who
should
pass
but
the
Marquis
?
He
stopped
at
once
and
helped
us
out
.
Héloise
told
him
directly
that
we
were
only
up
seeing
the
dentist
,
and
seemed
in
a
great
hurry
to
get
into
the
porte
cocher
;
but
he
was
not
to
be
shaken
off
,
and
stopped
talking
to
us
for
about
five
minutes
.
He
is
quite
amusing
;
he
looked
at
me
all
the
time
he
was
talking
to
Héloise
.
I
am
sure
,
Mamma
,
from
what
the
people
at
Nazeby
talked
about
,
he
would
have
asked
us
to
dine
and
go
to
a
play
if
he
had
been
an
Englishman
,
and
I
told
Héloise
so
.
She
said
no
Frenchman
would
dream
of
such
a
thing
—
us
two
alone
—
it
was
unheard
of
!
and
she
only
hoped
no
one
had
seen
us
talking
to
him
in
the
street
as
it
was
!
I
said
I
liked
the
English
way
best
,
as
in
that
case
we
should
be
going
out
and
enjoying
ourselves
,
instead
of
eating
a
snatchy
meal
alone
.
It
is
now
nine
o'clock
,
and
all
the
evening
we
have
had
to
put
up
with
just
sitting
on
the
balcony
.
It
has
been
dull
,
and
I
am
off
to
bed
,
so
good-night
,
dear
Mamma
.
I
sha
n't
come
up
to
Paris
with
French
people
again
in
a
hurry
!
--Your
affectionate
daughter
,
Elizabeth
.
CHÂTEAU
DE
CROIXMARE
Château
de
Croixmare
,
Monday
,
29th
August
.
The
Sights
of
the
Foire
Dearest
Mamma
,
—
Oh
,
we
had
such
fun
yesterday
!
After
Mass
the
Baronne
sent
over
to
ask
if
Jean
,
Héloise
,
and
I
would
go
with
them
to
the
Foire
at
Lavonnière
,
a
village
about
ten
miles
off
.
It
is
a
very
celebrated
Foire
,
and
in
the
last
century
every
one
went
from
Versailles
,
and
even
now
lots
of
people
who
spend
the
summer
there
attend
.
You
go
in
the
evening
after
dinner
,
and
there
are
no
horrid
cows
and
things
with
horns
rushing
about
,
or
tipsy
people
.
Godmamma
looked
awfully
severe
when
she
heard
of
the
invitation
;
but
since
the
row
,
when
they
had
to
cajole
me
,
she
has
been
more
civil
,
so
she
said
I
might
go
if
Héloise
would
really
look
after
me
,
although
if
I
was
Victorine
she
would
not
have
permitted
it
for
a
moment
.
On
a
Motor
Car
We
left
here
about
six
,
and
then
picked
up
the
party
at
Tournelle
.
They
all
went
—
the
old
Baron
,
and
every
one
,
except
the
Marquis
's
mother
.
We
dropped
the
brougham
there
,
and
went
on
with
them
in
a
huge
motor
car
(
that
is
another
fad
of
the
Baron
's
)
.
It
is
lovely
motor-carring
;
you
get
quite
used
to
the
noise
and
smell
,
and
you
fly
along
so
,
it
takes
your
breath
away
;
even
with
your
hat
tied
on
with
a
big
veil
,
you
have
rather
the
feeling
you
have
got
to
screw
up
your
eyebrows
to
keep
it
from
blowing
away
.
We
seemed
to
be
no
time
doing
the
ten
miles
.
The
Baronne
and
Héloise
hate
it
,
and
never
go
in
it
except
under
protest
.
The
Foire
is
just
one
very
long
street
,
with
booths
and
merry-go-rounds
,
and
Montagnes
Russes
,
and
all
sorts
of
amusing
things
down
each
side
.
There
are
rows
of
poplar
trees
behind
them
,
and
evidently
on
ordinary
occasions
it
is
just
the
usual
French
road
,
but
with
all
the
lights
and
people
it
was
gay
.
We
stopped
at
the
village
inn
,
the
"
Toison
d'Or
"
which
is
famous
for
its
restaurant
and
its
landlady
.
In
the
season
the
Duc
de
Cressy
's
coach
comes
here
from
Paris
every
Thursday
.
Hippolyte
was
there
already
;
he
had
been
sent
on
to
secure
a
table
for
us
.
We
had
no
sooner
sat
down
under
the
awning
than
the
Vicomte
and
"
Antoine
"
and
two
other
officers
turned
up
.
They
had
ridden
from
Versailles
,
which
is
near
.
Such
extraordinary
people
sat
at
some
of
the
tables
!
Families
of
almost
peasants
at
one
,
and
then
at
the
next
perhaps
two
or
three
lovely
ladies
,
with
very
smart
dresses
and
big
hats
,
and
lots
of
pearls
,
and
some
young
men
in
evening
dress
.
And
then
some
respectable
bourgeois
,
and
so
on
.
I
could
hardly
pay
attention
to
what
the
Marquis
,
who
sat
next
me
,
was
saying
,
the
sight
was
so
new
and
entertaining
.
The
tables
had
cloths
without
any
starch
in
them
,
and
the
longest
bread
rolls
I
have
ever
seen
.
One
of
the
beautiful
ladies
with
the
pearls
used
hers
to
beat
the
man
next
to
her
before
they
had
finished
dinner
.
We
did
not
have
fresh
forks
and
knives
for
everything
,
but
the
famous
dish
of
the
place
made
up
for
it
.
It
is
composed
of
poussins
—
that
is
,
very
baby
chickens
—
raw
oysters
,
and
cream
and
truffles
.
You
get
a
hot
bit
of
chicken
into
your
mouth
and
think
it
is
all
right
,
and
then
your
tongue
comes
against
an
iced
oyster
,
and
the
mixture
is
so
exciting
you
are
stimulated
all
the
time
;
and
you
drink
a
very
fine
old
Burgundy
with
it
,
which
is
also
a
feature
of
the
place
.
I
am
sure
it
ought
to
poison
us
,
as
oysters
are
n't
in
for
another
month
,
but
it
is
awfully
good
.
Chevaux
au
Galop
One
of
the
strange
officers
is
so
amusing
;
he
looks
exactly
like
the
young
man
the
Marquise
de
Vermandoise
was
walking
in
the
Bois
with
,
but
it
could
not
be
he
,
as
she
seemed
so
surprised
to
see
him
at
the
Foire
,
and
said
they
had
not
met
for
ages
.
The
Comte
sat
on
my
other
side
;
he
said
I
would
be
greatly
amused
at
the
booths
presently
,
and
was
I
afraid
of
Montagnes
Russes
?
That
is
only
an
ordinary
switchback
,
Mamma
,
so
of
course
I
am
not
afraid
.
There
were
Tziganes
playing
while
we
dined
,
and
it
was
all
more
amusing
than
anything
I
have
done
here
yet
.
When
we
had
drunk
our
coffee
we
started
down
the
Foire
.
There
were
hundreds
of
people
of
every
class
,
but
not
one
drunk
or
rude
or
horrid
.
The
first
entertainment
was
the
Chevaux
au
Galop
,
a
delightful
merry-go-round
with
the
most
fiery
prancing
horses
,
three
abreast
,
and
all
jumping
at
different
moments
.
The
Marquis
helped
me
up
,
and
Jean
got
on
the
other
side
;
we
all
rode
except
the
Comtesse
and
the
old
Baron
.
It
was
too
lovely
;
you
are
bounced
up
and
down
,
and
you
have
to
hold
on
so
tight
,
and
every
one
screams
,
and
the
band
plays
;
and
I
wish
you
could
do
it
,
Mamma
.
I
am
sure
the
thorough
shaking
would
frighten
your
neuralgia
away
.
I
could
have
gone
on
for
an
hour
,
but
there
was
such
a
lot
to
see
,
we
could
not
spare
the
time
for
more
than
one
turn
.
The
Marquis
whispered
when
he
helped
me
off
that
his
walk
down
the
Champs
Elysées
had
indeed
been
fortunate
,
as
he
had
seen
me
,
and
that
it
was
he
who
had
suggested
to
the
Baronne
to
come
to
the
Foire
.
So
of
course
I
felt
grateful
to
him
.
We
walked
all
together
more
or
less
,
but
Jean
kept
glued
to
my
side
,
which
was
rather
a
bore
,
only
the
Marquis
or
the
Vicomte
were
always
at
the
other
side
.
The
Ennui
of
the
Lions
The
next
place
we
came
to
was
a
huge
menagerie
of
clever
animals
,
with
their
Dompteurs
—
cages
of
lions
,
bears
,
tigers
,
etc.
There
were
sets
of
seats
before
the
cages
where
anything
interesting
was
going
on
,
and
the
audience
moved
up
as
each
new
Dompteur
came
in
to
the
animals
.
We
sat
down
at
first
in
front
of
the
tigers
'
cage
,
the
Baronne
next
to
me
this
time
.
The
creatures
went
through
astonishing
tricks
,
and
looked
such
lazy
great
beautiful
cats
.
The
Dompteur
was
a
handsome
man
,
just
the
type
they
always
are
,
with
a
wide
receding
forehead
and
flashing
eyes
.
They
positively
blazed
at
the
brutes
if
they
did
not
obey
him
instantly
.
I
wonder
why
all
"
tamers
"
have
this
shape
of
head
?
I
asked
the
Vicomte
,
but
he
did
not
know
.
The
bears
came
next
,
horrid
cunning
white
things
,
and
turning
in
their
toes
like
that
does
give
them
such
a
frumpish
look
.
The
attraction
of
the
show
was
to
see
the
great
Dompteur
,
Pezon
.
He
had
been
almost
eaten
by
his
lions
a
few
months
ago
,
and
was
to
make
his
reappearance
accompanied
by
a
beautiful
songstress
who
would
charm
the
beasts
to
sleep
.
Pezon
was
just
like
the
other
Dompteurs
,
only
older
and
fatter
,
and
the
beautiful
lady
was
such
a
pet
!
Enormously
stout
,
in
pink
satin
,
with
quite
bare
neck
and
arms
;
the
Vicomte
said
that
the
lions
had
to
be
surfeited
with
food
beforehand
,
to
keep
them
from
taking
their
dessert
off
this
tempting
morsel
.
She
began
to
sing
through
her
nose
about
"
l'amour
,
"
etc.
,
and
those
lions
did
look
so
bored
;
the
eldest
one
simply
groaned
with
ennui
.
His
face
said
as
plainly
as
if
he
could
speak
,
"
At
it
again
to-night
!
"
and
"
Oh
!
que
cela
m'embête
.
"
When
the
song
was
finished
,
the
Belle
Chanteuse
stretched
herself
on
two
chairs
,
making
herself
into
a
sort
of
bridge
for
the
animals
to
jump
over
.
From
our
position
we
could
only
see
mountains
of
pink
satin
embonpoint
,
and
the
soles
of
her
feet
.
The
lions
had
the
greatest
difficulty
in
jumping
not
to
kick
her
.
What
a
life
,
Mamma
!
Then
Pezon
put
his
head
right
into
the
old
lion
's
mouth
,
and
so
ended
the
performance
.
Inspecting
the
Machinery
When
we
got
outside
,
a
man
was
ringing
a
bell
opposite
,
to
invite
every
one
in
to
see
a
woman
with
only
a
head
;
she
could
speak
,
he
said
,
but
had
no
body
.
The
Baronne
insisted
upon
going
in
.
It
was
a
tiny
cell
of
a
place
and
crammed
full
.
Presently
a
head
appeared
on
a
pedestal
and
spoke
in
a
subdued
voice
.
All
the
others
said
it
was
a
fraud
,
but
I
thought
it
wonderful
.
"
Antoine
"
wanted
to
go
beyond
the
barrier
and
touch
it
,
which
was
mean
of
him
,
I
think
.
Presently
a
villainous-looking
old
hag
,
who
was
exhibiting
the
creature
,
came
over
,
and
whispered
in
"
Antoine
's
"
ear
.
I
only
caught
"
cinq
francs
,
"
but
his
face
looked
interested
at
once
,
and
he
and
Jean
disappeared
behind
the
curtain
and
the
head
disappeared
too
,
so
we
went
outside
,
and
bought
"
farings
"
at
the
next
booth
.
There
they
joined
us
.
"
Alors
,
mes
amis
?
"
demanded
every
one
.
"
Pas
la
peine
,
très
mal
faite
,
"
said
"
Antoine
"
;
so
I
suppose
it
was
the
machinery
they
had
been
examining
.
The
next
thing
we
came
to
was
a
sort
of
swing
with
flying
boats
,
but
no
one
was
brave
enough
to
try
it
except
the
Marquise
and
me
,
though
all
the
men
wanted
to
come
with
us
.
You
sit
opposite
one
another
,
and
they
are
much
higher
than
the
ones
in
England
.
Jean
would
come
with
me
,
though
I
wanted
the
Vicomte
—
so
I
was
glad
it
made
him
look
quite
green
.
It
chanced
that
"
Antoine
"
was
beside
me
as
we
walked
to
the
pistol
booth
,
so
I
asked
him
if
he
had
been
in
Paris
on
Friday
,
and
he
looked
so
hard
at
me
,
you
would
have
thought
I
was
asking
a
State
secret
;
but
he
said
that
alas
!
no
,
he
had
been
detained
at
Versailles
.
So
it
could
not
have
been
him
after
all
;
there
must
be
a
lot
of
French
people
exactly
alike
,
I
never
keep
making
these
mistakes
in
England
.
Have
you
ever
fired
off
a
pistol
,
Mamma
?
it
is
simply
horrid
.
The
pistol
booth
was
next
after
the
"
farings
"
shop
,
and
the
prizes
were
china
monsters
and
lanterns
,
etc.
The
Comtesse
is
a
splendid
shot
,
and
hit
the
flying
ball
almost
each
time
;
she
is
such
a
quiet
little
thing
,
one
would
not
expect
it
of
her
.
The
Baronne
made
a
lot
of
fuss
,
and
said
she
knew
it
would
kill
her
,
until
Hippolyte
,
who
was
behind
the
party
with
her
cloak
,
said
:
"
Madame
la
Baronne
doit
essayer
c'est
nécessaire
que
toutes
les
belles
jeunes
dames
sachent
comment
se
défendre
.
"
And
she
fired
off
the
pistol
at
last
with
her
eyes
shut
,
and
it
was
a
mercy
it
did
not
kill
the
attendant
,
the
ball
lodged
in
the
wall
just
beside
him
,
so
we
thought
we
had
better
leave
after
that
!
The
Montagnes
Russes
Next
came
the
Montagnes
Russes
.
How
I
love
a
switchback
,
Mamma
!
If
I
were
the
Queen
I
would
have
a
private
one
for
myself
,
and
my
particular
friends
,
round
Windsor
Castle
;
I
could
go
on
all
day
.
The
Marquis
and
the
Vicomte
kept
so
close
to
me
that
Jean
could
not
take
the
seat
beside
me
,
as
I
saw
he
intended
to
,
and
then
the
other
two
made
quite
a
shuffle
,
but
the
Vicomte
won
.
The
person
who
sits
next
you
is
obliged
to
hold
your
arm
to
prevent
your
tumbling
out
.
I
looked
round
to
see
,
and
every
one
was
having
her
arm
held
,
but
I
do
n't
believe
the
Vicomte
need
have
gripped
mine
quite
so
tight
as
he
did
.
We
had
three
turns
;
next
time
the
Marquis
was
beside
me
,
and
he
was
more
violent
than
the
Vicomte
.
So
when
it
came
to
the
last
,
and
Jean
scrambled
in
,
and
began
to
hold
tighter
than
either
of
the
others
,
I
just
said
my
arm
would
be
black
and
blue
,
and
I
would
rather
chance
the
danger
of
falling
out
,
in
a
seat
by
myself
,
than
put
up
with
it
.
That
made
him
sit
up
quite
straight
.
I
ca
n't
see
why
people
want
to
pinch
one
;
can
you
,
Mamma
?
I
call
it
vulgar
,
and
I
am
sure
no
Englishman
would
do
it
.
It
seems
that
Frenchmen
are
awfully
respectful
,
and
full
of
ceremony
and
politeness
,
and
then
every
now
and
then
—
directly
they
get
the
opportunity
—
they
do
these
horrid
little
tricks
.
The
next
entertainment
was
really
very
curious
.
It
was
a
marble
woman
down
to
her
waist
,
and
as
you
looked
,
the
marble
turned
into
flesh
,
her
eyes
opened
,
and
she
spoke
;
then
her
colour
faded
,
and
she
turned
into
marble
again
,
and
was
handed
round
the
audience
;
was
n't
it
wonderful
,
Mamma
?
I
ca
n't
think
how
it
was
done
,
and
as
"
Antoine
"
and
Jean
did
not
go
behind
the
curtain
to
examine
the
machinery
,
I
suppose
we
shall
never
know
.
The
Fun
of
the
Fair
After
that
there
were
endless
shows
—
performing
dogs
,
fortune-telling
,
circuses
,
etc.
—
but
the
nicest
of
all
was
another
merry-go-round
,
with
seats
which
went
up
and
down
like
a
boat
in
a
very
rough
sea
.
Hardly
one
of
them
would
venture
,
but
I
made
the
Vicomte
come
with
me
for
two
turns
;
he
looked
so
pale
at
the
end
of
it
,
and
when
I
wanted
to
go
a
third
time
,
he
said
we
must
be
getting
on
,
and
no
one
else
offered
to
come
.
Was
n't
it
stupid
of
them
,
as
it
was
by
far
the
most
exciting
part
of
the
Foire
?
It
was
half-past
twelve
before
we
got
back
to
the
"
Toison
d'Or
,
"
and
there
had
supper
,
with
"
Punch
à
l'Américaine
.
"
It
is
good
,
and
you
do
feel
so
gay
after
it
.
One
of
the
ladies
with
the
pearls
,
who
was
also
supping
,
was
so
friendly
to
the
man
next
her
;
Pezon
was
of
their
party
,
and
he
did
look
common
in
clothes
,
while
he
was
quite
handsome
in
spangled
tights
.
We
were
obliged
to
go
slowly
in
the
motor
car
returning
,
there
were
such
heaps
of
people
and
carts
and
things
on
the
road
,
but
we
got
back
to
Croixmare
about
two
;
and
I
have
slept
so
late
this
morning
,
so
now
,
good-bye
,
dear
Mamma
.
—
Your
affectionate
daughter
,
Elizabeth
.
Château
de
Croixmare
,
Wednesday
,
August
31st
.
Back
at
Croixmare
Dearest
Mamma
,
—
To-day
is
the
dinner
and
cotillon
at
the
de
Tournelles
'
.
The
Marquis
and
the
Vicomte
and
"
Antoine
"
and
every
one
will
be
there
,
and
I
am
sure
it
will
be
fun
.
The
Vicomte
ca
n't
get
leave
for
the
night
,
so
the
Baronne
—
who
was
here
yesterday
on
her
bicycle
—
told
us
.
He
will
have
to
ride
back
to
Versailles
,
as
there
are
no
trains
at
that
time
,
to
be
there
for
some
duty
at
six
in
the
morning
.
I
ca
n't
tell
you
how
many
miles
it
is
;
he
will
be
tired
,
poor
thing
.
These
last
two
days
have
been
just
alike
,
that
is
why
I
have
not
written
—
the
same
tiresome
ceremony
about
everything
,
and
the
same
ghastly
evenings
.
We
went
for
a
drive
on
Monday
,
and
Godmamma
did
nothing
but
question
me
as
to
what
we
had
done
every
minute
of
the
time
while
we
were
in
Paris
.
This
is
the
first
chance
she
has
had
with
me
alone
.
So
I
would
not
tell
her
a
scrap
,
even
a
simple
thing
like
Héloise
going
to
the
Madeleine
.
She
thinks
I
am
fearfully
stupid
,
I
can
see
.
I
forgot
to
tell
you
about
the
morning
we
left
Paris
;
Héloise
went
to
see
Adam
again
,
