首页 >出版文学> The Lesser Bourgeoisie>第33章
  "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。"