Paul de Kock

“ On leaving Violette, Chicotin met Monsieur de Roncherolle on the stairs, going up to his room.
"Ah! are you coming from my room, my boy?" said the gouty gentleman when he recognized his usual messenger.
"No, bourgeois, no; I am coming from the room over yours."
"Over mine? What, are there people perched higher than I am? I thought that I acted as lightning rod for the house."
"Oh, no, monsieur, there's a very pretty young girl, who lives all alone above you."
"Ah! you rascal! I see,—this girl is your mistress!" ”

“ Chicotin listened, shaking his head from time to time like a person who still doubts what he hears, and when his friend had ceased to speak, he cried:
"What does all that prove? That little squint-eyed villain,—and I'll smash him one of these days,—says a lot of nasty things about a girl who won't have anything to do with him! If he blackguards like that all the women who send him about his business, he will have his hands full."
"But that Jéricourt, that fashionable young man,—alas! he is not ugly, and you know very well that he made love to Violette!" ”

“ A man who has been seeking you for so many years so persistently! You must see that he is as furious as ever against you; consequently, I fancy that he would not grieve very bitterly over your death!"
"You are wrong, madame; the count is no longer furious with me; rage doesn't last twenty years; it dies long before that time. It is nothing but the sentiment of honor that impels your husband now; and that sentiment would not stifle the regret that he would feel if he should kill a man whom he once loved with the most sincere affection." ”

“ So the young lover had remained at Nogent, where the day had seemed endless to him; and he hovered about the gate, in order to see the count when he returned, hoping that he might have seen Violette again and would speak of her to him.
Monsieur de Brévanne returned during the afternoon; but his brow was dark, his expression more thoughtful than usual. Without a word he passed his household, who bowed before him; and he shut himself up in his room at once.
"Master no want to talk," said the mulatto to Georget, "him not nod his head and say good-day; him not in good temper." ”

“ Roncherolle is dead?"
"He is dead, madame, and he died asking forgiveness of the friend whom he had so deeply injured."
"Ah! poor Roncherolle! So he is dead! Well, after all, he was wise, for he was in a pitiable plight. And—and—the little flower girl?"
"She is living with the Comte de Brévanne, madame. He has adopted her, and he will never abandon her! Ah! there are few men like the count, and you should be very proud, madame, that you once bore his name!" ”

“ Saint-Arthur shook Roncherolle's hand and left him; Roncherolle continued his walk, but more slowly, like a person too much engrossed to notice what is going on about him.
On the second day thereafter, about five o'clock in the afternoon, Roncherolle, who had taken much pains with his toilet, walked toward the booth of the pretty flower girl of the Château d'Eau.
Violette greeted her neighbor with a pleasant smile, saying:
"Ah! what a pleasure it is to see you like this, monsieur! how well you look! no one would ever suspect that you had been so sick." ”

“ The young actress did what Roncherolle had just shown them, and did it with equal success.
"Bravo! bravo!" cried the host. "Honor to Zizi! You know three ways already, dear love!"
"And I don't propose to stop at that."
"These ladies succeed in whatever they choose to undertake," said Roncherolle.
Jéricourt, with a curl of his lip, muttered:
"Madame Saqui could do no better!"
"Oh! you always look as if you were sneering!" said Zizi; "but you would be hard put to it to do as much. It's easy to criticise, my dear man!" ”

“ And the count hastened away, without answering the last questions of the pretty flower girl, who was more depressed than ever, as she looked after him, saying to herself:
"He wouldn't answer what I asked him about Georget; perhaps he told him not to. To be despised, when one has nothing to blame oneself for! that is horrible! and yet, I feel in the bottom of my heart that the main thing is to have one's conscience clear. I have nothing to reproach myself for, and some day they will reproach themselves for having made me so wretchedly unhappy." ”

“ THE CONCIERGE-NURSE
In a hasty, violent, nervous disposition, wrath is quick to come; it bursts out violently, but it does not last long; the heart that feels the most profoundly the wounds that it receives, is also the most sensitive to the tears that it sees shed, and it very speedily repents of the pain it has inflicted.
The Comte de Brévanne, who had only a few hours before acquired the certainty that his wife had had a child by Roncherolle, had been unable to control his wrath and his jealousy when their child appeared before him ”

“ During the day, Roncherolle ascended the single flight of stairs which separated him from the flower girl. He found the door open, and entered the room of the sick girl, who was then alone, the concierge having just gone down because she had heard Mirontaine bark.
Roncherolle approached the bed softly; Violette was not asleep and the return of health could already be read in her eyes. At nineteen, sickness often disappears as rapidly as it comes; it is simply the storm which disturbs the tranquillity of a beautiful day, but leaves no traces behind. ”

“ Everything hasn't come to an end! You must be a man, you must show that you are no longer a little brat! As if a man should pass his life whining about a girl who has deceived him! Why, if we should cry every time a woman plays tricks on us, men would have red noses all the time, and that wouldn't be pretty. And then, after all, the girl never made you any promise, you told me so yourself; she was free to give her heart where she chose! ”

“ I dared not confess that to you; one does not like to blush before those who show affection for one; but you, Violette, tell me, in pity's name, do you know nothing about your parents? Have you nothing of theirs, no token which might identify you?"
"Excuse me, monsieur; if I have not spoken to you about it before, it is because Monsieur Malberg forbade me to do so; but to-day he said to me: 'Have no more secrets from Monsieur de Roncherolle;' so I can tell you everything." ”

“ The count pressed the young girl to his heart, saying:
"Poor child! the woman who gave you life is unworthy of your love, of your caresses; but if you have not found your mother, be comforted; I will take the place of your family, and I will never abandon you."
The count had been trying to comfort Violette but a few moments, when the door of his apartment was violently thrown open, and Georget appeared, out of breath, drenched with perspiration, and with joy gleaming in his eyes. ”

“ Roncherolle limped to the causeuse, saying to himself:
"Bigre! how old she is! what a ruin!"
While the baroness thought:
"How he has changed! how ugly he has grown! I should never have known him!"
"Tell me, my dear friend," said Roncherolle, making himself comfortable on the causeuse, "didn't you expect a visit from me? Didn't you receive my bouquets?"
"I beg pardon; indeed I expected you, and most impatiently, I assure you; but the fact is——"
"That I am devilishly changed, eh? What can you expect? time spares no one; and then the gout—that makes one suffer, it wears one out!" ”

“ The carriage reached the wood and they saw Jéricourt, Saint-Arthur and little Astianax at once alight from it.
"Saperlotte! the seconds are not big fellows," cried Chicotin; "I know 'em; both of 'em together wouldn't make one decent man. I could eat half a dozen of them without difficulty!"
Roncherolle imposed silence upon Chicotin with a glance. Jéricourt came forward with his two friends; Saint-Arthur acted as if he had a pain in his stomach, and little Astianax looked in both directions at once. ”

“ Roncherolle dissembled his agony and tried to smile at Violette, as he said to her:
"How good you are, my child! how kind to a person whom you hardly know, and who has no claim upon your interest!"
"No claim! well, upon my word! when I was sick, didn't you come to see me? And you didn't know me at all! I should be very ungrateful if I did not do for you what you did for me."
"But such a difference; in the first place, you were hardly sick at all; and then it is always a pleasure to make oneself useful to a young lady; whereas a sick old man is not an agreeable object." ”

“ Would it not be equivalent to an admission that he was still thinking of Violette, that he could not succeed in forgetting her, that, in short, he would give ten years of his life to see her for an instant? At eighteen, years seem such a trifle; if a lover's wishes could always be gratified, he would often squander in a few days the best part of his youth.
Monsieur de Merval had kept the promise he had given to the Comte de Brévanne, and had gone to Nogent to pass a day. ”

“ I can think no more of the vengeance which I was determined to wreak upon him; heaven has undertaken that duty; and besides, I should not have the courage to deprive Violette of her father; I do not know whether men will blame me, but something tells me that the time has come to forgive."
Roncherolle moved in his sleep, and the count instantly left the room and joined the two young sweet-hearts, who had not found the time long.
"Well, monsieur, you have seen him," said Violette; "is he really the man whom you used to know?" ”

“ After a few moments, Violette was ushered into the presence of Madame de Grangeville, who was seated before her mirror, completing her morning toilet, and who smiled at the young girl, saying to her:
"Ah! here is my pretty little flower girl. It is a long while since you came last, little one; I am neglected nowadays; Monsieur de Merval is less attentive to me."
"I don't know, madame——"
"Let me see your bouquet; it is very pretty, but I saw finer ones at the ball last night. Sit down, my girl, and let us talk a bit. Why! how you are dressed up to-day! where are you going this morning, pray?" ”

“ The maid left the room, and in a moment Roncherolle was ushered into his old friend's presence.
Madame de Grangeville was seated on a causeuse, dressed in a pretty morning gown, with a charming cap on her head, beneath which great clusters of hair, curled à la neige, served as a frame to a face which unfortunately could not be arranged like the hair. The days of privation had left accursed traces which refused to disappear, despite cosmetics and inventions of the perfumer. Wrinkles are most persistent acquaintances; when they once visit us, they never go away. ”

“ I thought that Monsieur Malberg used to send you there now and then?"
"Yes, Monsieur Georget, master he send me to Paris when him have errands for me.—Oh! see little red flower over there hold his little head straight! Do you see, great coward, the little one stands better than you!"
"And you have no errands in Paris just now?"
"No, Monsieur Georget, and me very glad to stay here, where it's cool, not get tired travelling; though master, him always want me to take the carriage; but me not like the carriage; too crowded, dirty folks, not polite, make faces at Pongo! ”

“ The driver whipped up his horse and the count said to himself:
"Here is an opportunity to see this girl who is so pretty, and who has turned my poor Georget's head; I will wager that he is within a few steps of the flower girl's booth, and that he can't make up his mind to go away. A boy loves so earnestly at eighteen! and this poor fellow's heart is too soft; he will be unhappy for a long while if I do not succeed in curing him. But how? First of all, I must find out whether this girl is really a bad girl." ”

“ But, you know, between women such secrets should be transparent. Come, my girl—why, she is really very pretty indeed!—who sends you? For of course you did not come here of your own motion."
"Madame, it was a gentleman who came to me at my place, at my booth."
"Ah! so you are——"
"A flower girl, madame."
"And where is your booth? on Rue de la Paix?"
"No, madame, on Boulevard Saint-Martin, near the Château d'Eau; I sell out of doors."
"Poor girl! an open air flower girl! what a pity, with that pretty face!—But to return to our subject: a gentleman came to you and told you to bring this bouquet?" ”

“ Let us not be surprised at the vast number of conquests that pretty women make, for their number is very, very small.
The count walked on, not surprised at not seeing Georget, as there seemed to be no fascinating flower girls. But as he drew near the Château d'Eau, a lovely face instantly attracted his eyes. It belonged to a flower girl, and she was probably the one he sought. Georget was not there, however; but the girl was so lovely that it was impossible that there could be another among the dealers in flowers that could be compared with her. ”

“ You make me sick!"
"And so do you me, you beast!"
"Par la mordieu! and you're a beast yourself!" cried Roncherolle, sitting up in his chair and grasping his cane again and hammering on the partition and on the floor. "Ah! you have the effrontery to keep on with your parrot lessons! Dare to begin again, and I will twist your pupil's neck, and throw his master out of the window! What a house! What service they have! Here I've been pounding and ringing for an hour, and no one comes! I say there! waiter! chambermaid!"
Again Saint-Arthur and his parrot held their peace. ”