"Sister,"saidMadameThuillier,withdignity,"Itookthesacramentthismorning,andtherearesomethingsIcannotlistento。"
"There’sacantinghypocriteforyou!"criedBrigitte;"playingthesaint,andbringingtroubleintofamilies!Andyouthinktosucceed,doyou?WaittillThuilliercomeshome,andhe’llshakethisoutofyou。"
Bycallinginthemaritalauthorityinsupportofherown,Brigitteshowedweaknessbeforetheunexpectedresistancethusmadetoherinveteratetyranny。MadameThuillier’scalmwords,whichbecameeverymomentmoreresolute,baffledhercompletely,andshefoundnoresourcebutinsolence。
"Adrone!"shecried;"ahelplessgood—for—nothing!whocan’tevenpickupherownhandkerchief!thatthingwantstobemistressofthishouse!"
"Iwishsolittletobeitsmistress,"saidMadameThuillier,"thatlastnightIallowedyoutosilencemeafterthefirstwordsIsaidinbehalfofCeleste。ButIammistressofmyownproperty,andasI
believethatCelestewillbewretchedinthismarriage,Ikeepittouseasmayseembesttome。"
"Yourproperty,indeed!"saidBrigitte,withasneer。
"Yes,thatwhichIreceivedfrommyfatherandmymother,andwhichI
broughtasmy’dot’toMonsieurThuillier。"
"Andpraywhoinvestedit,thisproperty,andmadeitgiveyoutwelvethousandfrancsayear?"
"Ihaveneveraskedyouforanyaccountofit,"saidMadameThuillier,gently。"Ifithadbeenlostintheusesyoumadeofit,youwouldneverhaveheardasinglewordfromme;butithasprospered,anditisjustthatIshouldhavethebenefit。ItisnotformyselfthatI
reserveit。"
"Perhapsnot;ifthisisthecourseyoutake,itisnotatallsurethatyouandIwillgooutofthesamedoorlong。"
"DoyoumeanthatMonsieurThuillierwillsendmeaway?Hemusthavereasonsfordoingthat,and,thankGod!Ihavebeenawifeabovereproach。"
"Viper!hypocrite!heartlesscreature!"criedBrigitte,comingtoanendofherarguments。
"Sister,"saidMadameThuillier,"youareinmyapartment——"
"AmI,youimbecile?"criedtheoldmaid,inaparoxysmofanger。"IfIdidn’trestrainmyself——"
Andshemadeagesturebothinsultingandthreatening。
MadameThuillierrosetoleavetheroom。
"No!youshallnotgoout,"criedBrigitte,pushingherdownintoherchair;"andtillThuilliercomeshomeanddecideswhathewilldowithyouyou’llstaylockeduphere。"
JustasBrigitte,herfaceonfire,returnedtotheroomwhereshehadleftMadameColleville,herbrothercamein。Hewasradiant。
"Mydear,"hesaidtotheMegaera,notobservingherfury,"everythingisgoingonfinely;theconspiracyofsilenceisbroken;twopapers,the’National’andaCarlistjournal,havecopiedarticlesfromus,andthere’salittleattackinaministerialpaper。"
"Well,allisnotgoingonfinelyhere,"saidBrigitte,"andifitcontinues,Ishallleavethebarrack。"
"Whomareyouangrywithnow?"askedThuillier。
"Withyourinsolentwife,whohasmademeascene;Iamtremblingallover。"
"Celestemakeyouascene!"saidThuillier;"thenitistheveryfirsttimeinherlife。"
"There’sabeginningtoeverything,andifyoudon’tbringhertoorder——"
"Butwhatwasitabout——thisscene?"
"Aboutmadame’snotchoosingthatlaPeyradeshouldmarryhergoddaughter;andoutofspite,topreventthemarriage,sherefusedtogiveanythinginthecontract。"
"Come,becalm,"saidThuillier,notdisturbedhimself,theadmissionofthe"Echo"intothepolemicmakinganotherPanglossofhim。"I’llsettleallthat。"
"You,Flavie,"saidBrigitte,whenThuillierhaddepartedtohiswife,"youwilldomethepleasuretogodowntoyourownapartment,andtellMademoiselleCelestethatIdon’tchoosetoseehernow,becauseifshemademeanyirritatinganswerImightboxherears。You’lltellherthatIdon’tlikeconspiracies;thatshewasleftatlibertytochooseMonsieurPhellionjuniorifshewantedhim,andshedidnotwanthim;thatthematterisnowallarranged,andthatifshedoesnotwishtoseeher’dot’reducedtowhatyouareabletogiveher,whichisn’tasmuchasabank—messengercouldcarryinhiswaistcoatpocket——"
"But,mydearBrigitte,"interruptedFlavie,turninguponheratthisimpertinence,"youmaydispensewithremindingusinthisharshwayofourpoverty;for,afterall,wehaveneveraskedyouforanything,andwepayourrentpunctually;andasforthe’dot,’MonsieurFelixPhellionisquitereadytotakeCelestewithnomorethanabank—
messengercouldcarryinhisBAG。"
Andsheemphasizedthelastwordbyherwayofpronouncingit。
"Ha!soyoutooaregoingtomeddleinthis,areyou?"criedBrigitte。
"Verygood;goandfetchhim,yourFelix。Iknow,mylittlewoman,thatthismarriagehasneversuitedyou;itISdisagreeabletobenothingmorethanamothertoyourson—in—law。"
Flaviehadrecoveredthecoolnessshehadlostforaninstant,andwithoutreplyingtothisspeechshemerelyshruggedhershoulders。
AtthismomentThuillierreturned;hisairofbeatitudehaddesertedhim。
"MydearBrigitte,"hesaidtohissister,"youhaveamostexcellentheart,butattimesyouaresoviolent——"
"Ho!"saidtheoldmaid,"amItobearraignedonthissidetoo?"
"Icertainlydonotblameyouforthecauseofthetrouble,andIhavejustrebukedCelesteforherassumption;butthereareproperformsthatmustbekept。"
"Forms!whatareyoutalkingabout?WhatformshaveIneglected?"
"But,mydearfriend,toraiseyourhandagainstyoursister!"
"I,raisemyhandagainstthatimbecile?Whatnonsenseyoutalk!"
"Andbesides,"continuedThuillier,"awomanofCeleste’sagecan’tbekeptinprison。"
"Yourwife!——haveIputherinprison?"
"Youcan’tdenyit,forIfoundthedoorofherroomdouble—locked。"
"Parbleu!allthisbecauseinmyangerattheinfamousthingsshewasspittingatmeImayhaveturnedthekeyofthedoorwithoutintendingit。"
"Come,come,"saidThuillier,"thesearenotproperactionsforpeopleofourclass。"
"Oh!soitisIwhoamtoblame,isit?Well,mylad,somedayyou’llrememberthis,andweshallseehowyourhouseholdwillgetalongwhenIhavestoppedtakingcareofit。"
"You’llalwaystakecareofit,"saidThuillier。"Housekeepingisyourverylife;youwillbethefirsttogetoverthisaffair。"
"We’llseeaboutthat,"saidBrigitte;"aftertwentyyearsofdevotion,tobetreatedlikethelowestofthelow!"
Andrushingtothedoor,whichsheslammedafterherwithviolence,shewentaway。
Thuillierwasnotdisturbedbythisexit。
"Wereyouthere,Flavie,"heasked,"whenthescenetookplace?"
"No,ithappenedinCeleste’sroom。Whatdidshedotoher?"
"WhatIsaid,——raisedherhandtoherandlockedherinlikeachild。
Celestemaycertainlyberatherdull—minded,buttherearelimitsthatmustnotbepassed。"
"Sheisnotalwayspleasant,thatgoodBrigitte,"saidFlavie;"sheandIhavejusthadalittleset—to。"
"Oh,well,"saidThuillier,"itwillallpassoff。Iwanttotellyou,mydearFlavie,whatfinesuccesswehavehadthismorning。The’National’quotestwowholeparagraphsofanarticleinwhichtherewereseveralsentencesofmine。"
Thuillierwasagaininterruptedinthetaleofhisgreatpoliticalandliterarysuccess,——thistimebytheentranceofJosephinethecook。
"Canmonsieurtellmewheretofindthekeyofthegreattrunk?"shesaid。
"Whatdoyouwantwithit?"askedThuillier。
"Mademoiselletoldmetotakeittoherroom。"
"Whatfor?"
"Mademoisellemustbegoingtomakeajourney。Sheisgettingherlinenoutofthedrawers,andhergownsareonthebed。"
"Anotherpieceofnonsense!"saidThuillier。"Flavie,goandseewhatshehasinherhead。"
"NotI,"saidMadameColleville;"goyourself。Inherpresentstateofexasperationshemightbeatme。"
"Andmystupidwife,whomustneedsraiseafussaboutthecontract!"
criedThuillier。"ShereallymusthavesaidsomethingprettysharptoturnBrigitteoffherhingeslikethis。"
"Monsieurhasnottoldmewheretofindthekey,"persistedJosephine。
"Idon’tknowanythingaboutit,"saidThuillier,crossly;"goandlookforit,orelsetellheritislost。"
"Oh,yes!"saidJosephine,"itislikelyI’ddaretogoandtellherthat。"
Justthentheouterdoor—bellrang。
"Nodoubtthat’slaPeyrade,"saidThuillier,inatoneofsatisfaction。
TheProvencalappearedamomentlater。
"Faith,mydearfriend,"criedThuillier,"itishightimeyoucame;
thehouseisinrevolution,allaboutyou,anditneedsyoursilverytonguetobringitbacktopeaceandquietness。"
Thenherelatedtohisassistanteditorthecircumstancesofthecivilwarwhichhadbrokenout。
LaPeyradeturnedtoMadameColleville。
"Ithink,"hesaid,"thatunderthecircumstancesinwhichwenowstandthereisnoimproprietyinmyaskingforaninterviewofafewmomentswithMademoiselleColleville。"
InthistheProvencalshowedhisusualshrewdability;hesawthatinthemissionofpacificationthusgiventohimCelesteCollevillewasthekeyofthesituation。
"Iwillsendforher,andwewillleaveyoualonetogether,"saidFlavie。
"MydearThuillier,"saidlaPeyrade,"youmust,withoutanyviolence,letMademoiselleCelesteknowthatherconsentmustbegivenwithoutfurtherdelay;makeherthinkthatthiswasthepurposeforwhichyouhavesentforher;thenleaveus;Iwilldotherest。"
Theman—servantwassentdowntotheentresolwithorderstotellCelestethathergodfatherwishedtospeaktoher。Assoonassheappeared,Thuilliersaid,tocarryouttheprogrammewhichhadbeendictatedtohim:——
"Mydear,yourmotherhastoldusthingsthatastonishus。Canitbetruethatwithyourcontractalmostsigned,youhavenotyetdecidedtoacceptthemarriagewehavearrangedforyou?"
"Godfather,"saidCeleste,rathersurprisedatthisabruptsummons,"I
thinkIdidnotsaythattomamma。"
"Didyounotjustnow,"saidFlavie,"praiseMonsieurFelixPhelliontomeinthemostextravagantmanner?"
"IspokeofMonsieurPhellionasalltheworldisspeakingofhim。"
"Come,come,"saidThuillier,withauthority,"letushavenoequivocation;doyourefuse,yesorno,tomarryMonsieurdelaPeyrade?"
"Dear,goodfriend,"saidlaPeyrade,intervening,"yourwayofputtingthequestionisrathertooabrupt,and,inmypresence,especially,itseemstomeoutofplace。Inmypositionasthemostinterestedperson,willyouallowmetohaveaninterviewwithmademoiselle,which,indeed,hasnowbecomenecessary?ThisfavorIamsurewillnotberefusedbyMadameColleville。Underpresentcircumstances,therecansurelybenothinginmyrequesttoalarmhermaternalprudence。"
"Iwouldcertainlyyieldtoit,"saidFlavie,"ifIdidnotfearthatthesediscussionsmightseemtoopenaquestionwhichisirrevocablydecided。"
"But,mydearmadame,IhavethestrongestdesirethatMademoiselleCelesteshallremain,untiltheverylastmoment,themistressofherownchoice。Ibegyou,therefore,tograntmyrequest。"
"Sobeit!"saidMadameColleville;"youthinkyourselfveryclever,butifyouletthatgirltwistyouroundherfinger,somuchtheworseforyou。Come,Thuillier,sinceweare’detrop’here。"
Assoonasthepairwerealonetogether,laPeyradedrewupachairforCeleste,andtookonehimself,saying:——
"Youwill,Iventuretobelieve,domethejusticetosaythatuntilto—dayIhaveneverannoyedyouwiththeexpressionofmysentiments。
Iwasawareoftheinclinationsofyourheart,andalsoofthewarningsofyourconscience。Ihoped,afteratime,tomakemyselfacceptableasarefugefromthosetwocurrentsoffeeling;but,atthepointwhichwehavenowreached,Ithinkitisnoteitherindiscreetorimpatienttoaskyoutoletmeknowplainlywhatcourseyouhavedecidedupon。"
"Monsieur,"repliedCeleste,"asyouspeaktomesokindlyandfrankly,Iwilltellyou,whatindeedyouknowalready,that,broughtupasIwaswithMonsieurFelixPhellion,knowinghimfarlongerthanIhaveknownyou,theideaofmarryingalarmedmelessinregardtohimthanitwouldinregardtoothers。"
"Atonetime,Ibelieve,"remarkedlaPeyrade,"youwerepermittedtochoosehimifyouwished。"
"Yes,butatthattimedifficultiesgrewupbetweenusonreligiousideas。"
"Andto—daythosedifficultieshavedisappeared?"
"Nearly,"repliedCeleste。"Iamaccustomedtosubmittothejudgmentofthosewhoarewiserthanmyself,monsieur,andyouheardyesterdaythemannerinwhichtheAbbeGondrinspokeofMonsieurPhellion。"
"Godforbid,"saidlaPeyrade,"thatIshouldseektoinvalidatethejudgmentofsoexcellentaman;butIventuretosaytoyou,mademoiselle,thattherearegreatdifferencesamongtheclergy;somearethoughttoostern,somefartooindulgent;moreover,theAbbeGondrinismoreofapreacherthanacasuist。"
"But,MonsieurFelix,"saidCeleste,eagerly,"seemstowishtofulfilMonsieurl’abbe’shopesofhim,forIknowthathewenttoseehimthismorning。"
"Ah!"saidlaPeyrade,withatouchofirony,"sohereallydecidedtogotoPereAnselme!But,admittingthatonthereligioussideMonsieurPhellionmaynowbecomeallthatyouexpectofhim,haveyoureflected,mademoiselle,onthegreateventwhichhasjusttakenplaceinhislife?"
"Undoubtedly;andthatisnotareasontothinklessofhim。"
"No,butitisareasonwhyheshouldthinkmoreofhimself。Forthemodestywhichwasoncethechiefcharmofhisnature,heislikelytosubstitutegreatassumption,andyoumustremember,mademoiselle,thathewhohasdiscoveredoneworldwillwanttodiscovertwo;youwillhavethewholefirmamentforrival;inshort,couldyoueverbehappywithamansoentirelydevotedtoscience?"
"Youpleadyourcausewithsuchadroitness,"saidCeleste,smiling,"thatIthinkyoumightbeasalawyermoredisquietingthananastronomer。"
"Mademoiselle,"saidlaPeyrade,"letusspeakseriously;thereisanotherandfarmoreseriousaspecttothesituation。Doyouknowthat,atthismoment,inthishouse,andwithout,Iamsure,desiringit,youarethecauseofmostdistressingandregrettablescenes?"
"I,monsieur!"saidCeleste,inatoneofsurprisethatwasmingledwithfear。
"Yes,concerningyourgodmother。Throughtheextremeaffectionthatshehasforyousheseemstohavebecomeanotherwoman;forthefirsttimeinherlifeshehasshownamindofherown。Withanenergyofwillwhichcomesattimestothosewhohaveneverexpendedany,shedeclaresthatshewillnotmakeherproposedliberalgifttoyouinthecontract;andIneednottellyouwhoisthepersonaimedatinthisunexpectedrefusal。"
"But,monsieur,IentreatyoutobelievethatIknewnothingofthisideaofmygodmother。"
"Iknowthat,"saidlaPeyrade,"andthematteritselfwouldbeofsmallimportanceifMademoiselleBrigittehadnottakenthisattitudeofyourgodmother,whomshehasalwaysfoundsuppletoherwill,asapersonalinsulttoherself。Verypainfulexplanations,approachingatlasttoviolence,havetakenplace。Thuillier,placedbetweenthehammerandtheanvil,hasbeenunabletostoptheaffair;onthecontrary,hehas,withoutintendingit,mademattersworse,tilltheyhavenowarrivedatsuchapointthatMademoiselleBrigitteispackinghertrunkstoleavethehouse。"
"Monsieur!whatareyoutellingme?"criedCeleste,horrified。
"Thetruth;andtheservantswillconfirmittoyou——forIfeelthatmyrevelationsarescarcelybelievable。"
"Butitisimpossible!impossible!"saidthepoorchild,whoseagitationincreasedwitheverywordoftheadroitProvencal。"Icannotbethecauseofsuchdreadfulharm。"
"Thatis,youdidnotintendtobe,fortheharmisdone;andIprayHeavenitmaynotbeirremediable。"
"ButwhatamItodo,goodGod!"criedCeleste,wringingherhands。
"Ishouldanswer,withouthesitation,sacrificeyourself,mademoiselle,ifitwerenotthatIshouldthenbeforcedtoplaythepainfulpartofvictimizer。"
"Monsieur,"saidCeleste,"youinterpretilltheresistancethatI
havemade,though,infact,Ihavescarcelyexpressedit。Ihavecertainlyhadapreference,butIhaveneverconsideredmyselfinthelightofavictim;andwhateveritisnecessarytodotorestorepeaceinthishousetowhichIhavebroughttrouble,Ishalldoitwithoutrepugnance,andevenwillingly。"
"Thatwouldbeforme,"saidlaPeyrade,humbly,"morethanIcoulddareaskformyself;but,fortheresultwhichwebothseek,Imusttellyoufranklythatsomethingmoreisneeded。MadameThuillierhasnotchangedhernaturetoinstantlychangebackagainonthemereassurancebyothersofyourcompliance。Itisnecessarythatsheshouldhearfromyourownlipsthatyouaccedetomysuit,andthatyoudosowitheagerness,——assumed,indeed,butsufficientlywellassumedtoinducehertobelieveinit。"
"Sobeit,"saidCeleste。"Ishallknowhowtoseemsmilingandhappy。
Mygodmother,monsieur,hasbeenamothertome;andforsuchamother,whatistherethatIwouldnotendure?"
Thepositionwassuch,andCelestebetrayedsoartlesslythedepthand,atthesametime,theabsolutedeterminationofhersacrifice,thatwithanyheartatalllaPeyradewouldhaveloathedtheparthewasplaying;butCeleste,tohim,wasameansofascent,andprovidedtheladdercanholdyouandhoistyou,whowouldeveraskifitcaredtoornot?ItwasthereforedecidedthatCelesteshouldgotohergodmotherandconvinceherofthemistakeshehadmadeinsupposinganobjectiontolaPeyradewhichCelestehadneverintendedtomake。
MadameThuillier’soppositionovercome,allwasoncemoreeasy。LaPeyradetookuponhimselfthedutyofmakingpeacebetweenthetwosisters—in—law,andwecanwellimaginethathewasnotatalossforfinephraseswithwhichtoassuretheartlessgirlofthedevotionandlovewhichwouldtakefromherallregretforthemoralcompulsionshehadnowundergone。
WhenCelestewenttohergodmothershefoundherbynomeansasdifficulttoconvinceasshehadexpected。TogotothepointofrebellionwhichMadameThuillierhadactuallyreached,thepoorwoman,whowasactingagainstherinstinctsandagainsthernature,hadneededatensionofwillthat,inher,wasalmostsuperhuman。Nosoonerhadshereceivedthefalseconfidencesofhergoddaughterthanthereactionsetin;thestrengthfailedhertocontinueinthepathshehadtaken。ShewasthereforeeasilythedupeofthecomedywhichCeleste’stenderheartwasmadetoplayforlaPeyrade’sbenefit。
Thetempestcalmedonthisside,thebarristerfoundnodifficultyinmakingBrigitteunderstandthatinquellingtherebellionagainstherauthorityshehadgonealittlefartherthanwasproper。Thisauthoritybeingnolongerindanger,Brigitteceasedtobeincensedwiththesister—in—lawshehadbeenonthepointofbeating,andthequarrelwassettledwithafewkindwordsandakiss,poorCelestepayingthecostsofwar。
Afterdinner,whichwasonlyafamilymeal,thenotary,towhoseofficetheyweretogoonthefollowingdaytosignthecontract(itbeingimpossibletogiveasecondeditionoftheabortiveparty),madehisappearance。Hecame,hesaid,tosubmitthecontracttothepartiesinterestedbeforeengrossingit。Thisattentionwasnotsurprisinginamanwhowasjustenteringintobusinessrelationswithsoimportantapersonasthemunicipalcouncillor,whomitwashisinteresttofirmlysecureforaclient。
LaPeyradewasfartooshrewdtomakeanyobjectionstothetermsofthecontract,whichwasnowread。AfewchangesrequestedbyBrigitte,whichgavethenewnotaryahighideaoftheoldmaid’sbusinesscapacity,showedlaPeyradeplainlythatmoreprecautionswerebeingtakenagainsthimthanwerealtogetherbecoming;buthewasanxiousnottoraisedifficulties,andheknewthatthemeshesofacontractareneversoclosethatadeterminedandclevermancannotgetthroughthem。Theappointmentwasthenmadeforthesigningofthecontractthenextday,attwoo’clock,inthenotary’soffice,thefamilyonlybeingpresent。
Duringtherestoftheevening,takingadvantageofCeleste’spledgetoseemsmilingandhappy,laPeyradeplayed,asitwere,uponthepoorchild,forcedher,byaspeciousexhibitionofgratitudeandlove,torespondtohimonakeythatwasfar,indeed,fromthetruestateofaheartnowwhollyfilledbyFelix。Flavie,seeingthemannerinwhichlaPeyradeputforthhisseductions,wasremindedofthepainshehadformerlytakentofascinateherself。"Themonster!"shesaid,beneathherbreath。Butshewasforcedtobearthetorturewithagoodgrace;laPeyradewasevidentlyapprovedbyall,andinthecourseoftheeveningacircumstancecametolight,showingapastservicedonebyhimtothehouseofThuillier,whichbroughthisinfluenceandhiscredittothehighestpoint。
Minardwasannounced。
"Mydearfriends,"hesaid,"Ihavecometomakealittlerevelationwhichwillgreatlysurpriseyou,andwill,Ithink,provealessontoallofuswhenaquestionarisesastoreceivingforeignersinourhomes。"
"Whatisit?"criedBrigitte,withcuriosity。
"ThatHungarianwomanyouweresodelightedwith,thatMadameTorna,ComtessedeGodollo——"
"Well?"exclaimedtheoldmaid。
"Well,"continuedMinard,"shewasnobetterthansheshouldbe;youwerepettinginyourhousefortwomonthsthemostimpudentofkeptwomen。"
"Whotoldyouthattale?"askedBrigitte,notwillingtoadmitthatshehadfallenintosuchasnare。
"Oh,itisn’tatale,"saidthemayor,eagerly。"Iknowthethingmyself,’devisu。’"
"Dearme!doyoufrequentsuchwomen?"saidBrigitte,resumingtheoffensive。"That’saprettything!whatwouldZeliesayifsheknewit?"
"Inthedischargeofmyduties,"saidMinard,stiffly,provokedatthisreceptionofhisnews,"IhaveseenYOURFRIEND,MadamedeGodollo,incompanywithothersofherclass。"
"Howdoyouknowitwassheifyouonlysawher?"demandedBrigitte。
ThewilyProvencalwasnotthemantoloseanoccasionthatfelltohimready—made。
"Monsieurlemaireisnotmistaken,"hesaid,withdecision。
"Tiens!soyouknowher,too,"saidBrigitte;"andyouletusconsortwithsuchvermin?"
"No,"saidlaPeyrade,"onthecontrary。Withoutscandal,withoutsayingawordtoanyone,Iremovedherfromyourhouse。Yourememberhowsuddenlythewomanleftit?ItwasIwhocompelledhertodoso;
havingdiscoveredwhatshewas,Igavehertwodaystoleavethepremises;threateningher,incaseshehesitated,totellyouall。"
"MydearTheodose,"saidThuillier,pressinghishand,"youactedwithasmuchprudenceasdecision。Thisisonemoreobligationthatweowetoyou。"
"Yousee,mademoiselle,"saidlaPeyrade,addressingCeleste,"thestrangeprotectresswhomafriendofyoursselected。"
"ThankGod,"saidMadameThuillier。"FelixPhellionisabovesuchvilethings。"
"Ahca!papaMinard,we’llkeepquietaboutallthis;silenceistheword。Willyoutakeacupoftea?"
"Willingly,"repliedMinard。
"Celeste,"saidtheoldmaid,"ringforHenri,andtellhimtoputthelargekettleonthefire。"
Thoughthevisittothenotarywasnottobemadetilltwointheafternoon,BrigittebeganearlyinthemorningofthenextdaywhatThuilliercalledherRAMPAGE,apopulartermwhichexpressesthatturbulent,nagging,irritatingactivitywhichLaFontainehasdescribedsowellinhisfableof"TheOldWomanandherServants。"