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Royal。



〃Hey! dear du Bousquier;〃 said he; in a jaunty tone; so sure was he of

success; 〃Monsieur de Troisville and the Abbe de Sponde are examining

your house like appraisers。〃



〃Faith!〃 said du Bousquier; 〃if the Vicomte de Troisville wants it; it

it is his for forty thousand francs。 It is useless to me now。 If

mademoiselle will permitit must soon be known Mademoiselle; may I

tell it? Yes! Well; then; be the first; MY DEAR CHEVALIER; to hear〃

'Mademoiselle Cormon dropped her eyes' 〃of the honor that mademoiselle

has done me; the secret of which I have kept for some months。 We shall

be married in a few days; the contract is already drawn; and we shall

sign it to…morrow。 You see; therefore; that my house in the rue du

Cygne is useless to me。 I have been privately looking for a purchaser

for some time; and the Abbe de Sponde; who knew that fact; has

naturally taken Monsieur de Troisville to see the house。〃



This falsehood bore such an appearance of truth that the chevalier was

taken in by it。 That 〃my dear chevalier〃 was like the revenge taken by

Peter the Great on Charles XII。 at Pultawa for all his past defeats。

Du Bousquier revenged himself deliciously for the thousand little

shafts he had long borne in silence; but in his triumph he made a

lively youthful gesture by running his hands through his hair; and in

so doing heknocked aside his false front。



〃I congratulate you both;〃 said the chevalier; with an agreeable air;

〃and I wish that the marriage may end like a fairy tale: THEY WERE

HAPPY EVER AFTER; AND HADMANYCHILDREN!〃 So saying; he took a pinch

of snuff。 〃But; monsieur;〃 he added satirically; 〃you forgetthat you

are wearing a false front。〃



Du Bousquier blushed。 The false front was hanging half a dozen inches

from his skull。 Mademoiselle Cormon raised her eyes; saw that skull in

all its nudity; and lowered them; abashed。 Du Bousquier cast upon the

chevalier the most venomous look that toad ever darted on its prey。



〃Dogs of aristocrats who despise me;〃 thought he; 〃I'll crush you some

day。〃



The chevalier thought he had recovered his advantage。 But Mademoiselle

Cormon was not a woman to understand the connection which the

chevalier intimated between his congratulatory wish and the false

front。 Besides; even if she had comprehended it; her word was passed;

her hand given。 Monsieur de Valois saw at once that all was lost。 The

innocent woman; with the two now silent men before her; wished; true

to her sense of duty; to amuse them。



〃Why not play a game of piquet together?〃 she said artlessly; without

the slightest malice。



Du Bousquier smiled; and went; as the future master of the house; to

fetch the piquet table。 Whether the Chevalier de Valois lost his head;

or whether he wanted to stay and study the causes of his disaster and

remedy it; certain it is that he allowed himself to be led like a lamb

to the slaughter。 He had received the most violent knock…down blow

that ever struck a man; any nobleman would have lost his senses for

less。



The Abbe de Sponde and the Vicomte de Troisville soon returned。

Mademoiselle Cormon instantly rose; hurried into the antechamber; and

took her uncle apart to tell him her resolution。 Learning that the

house in the rue du Cygne exactly suited the viscount; she begged her

future husband to do her the kindness to tell him that her uncle knew

it was for sale。 She dared not confide that lie to the abbe; fearing

his absent…mindedness。 The lie; however; prospered better than if it

had been a virtuous action。 In the course of that evening all Alencon

heard the news。 For the last four days the town had had as much to

think of as during the fatal days of 1814 and 1815。 Some laughed;

others admitted the marriage。 These blamed it; those approved it。 The

middle classes of Alencon rejoiced; they regarded it as a victory。 The

next day; among friends; the Chevalier de Valois said a cruel thing:



〃The Cormons end as they began; there's only a hand's breadth between

a steward and a purveyor。〃







CHAPTER VII



OTHER RESULTS



The news of Mademoiselle Cormon's choice stabbed poor Athanase Granson

to the heart; but he showed no outward sign of the terrible agitation

within him。 When he first heard of the marriage he was at the house of

the chief…justice; du Ronceret; where his mother was playing boston。

Madame Granson looked at her son in a mirror; and thought him pale;

but he had been so all day; for a vague rumor of the matter had

already reached him。



Mademoiselle Cormon was the card on which Athanase had staked his

life; and the cold presentiment of a catastrophe was already upon him。

When the soul and the imagination have magnified a misfortune and made

it too heavy for the shoulders and the brain to bear; when a hope long

cherished; the realization of which would pacify the vulture feeding

on the heart; is balked; and the man has faith neither in himself;

despite his powers; nor in the future; despite of the Divine power;

then that man is lost。 Athanase was a fruit of the Imperial system of

education。 Fatality; the Emperor's religion; had filtered down from

the throne to the lowest ranks of the army and the benches of the

lyceums。 Athanase sat still; with his eyes fixed on Madame du

Ronceret's cards; in a stupor that might so well pass for indifference

that Madame Granson herself was deceived about his feelings。 This

apparent unconcern explained her son's refusal to make a sacrifice for

this marriage of his LIBERAL opinions;the term 〃liberal〃 having

lately been created for the Emperor Alexander by; I think; Madame de

Stael; through the lips of Benjamin Constant。



After that fatal evening the young man took to rambling among the

picturesque regions of the Sarthe; the banks of which are much

frequented by sketchers who come to Alencon for points of view。

Windmills are there; and the river is gay in the meadows。 The shores

of the Sarthe are bordered with beautiful trees; well grouped。 Though

the landscape is flat; it is not without those modest graces which

distinguish France; where the eye is never wearied by the brilliancy

of Oriental skies; nor saddened by constant fog。 The place is

solitary。 In the provinces no one pays much attention to a fine view;

either because provincials are blases on the beauty around them; or

because they have no poesy in their souls。 If there exists in the

provinces a mall; a promenade; a vantage…ground from which a fine view

can be obtained; that is the point to which no one goes。 Athanase was

fond of this solitude; enlivened by the sparkling water; where the

fields were the first to green under the earliest smiling of the

springtide sun。 Those persons who saw him sitting beneath a poplar;

and who noticed the vacant eye which he turned to them; would say to

Madame Granson:



〃Something is the matter with your son。〃



〃I know what it is;〃 the mother would reply; hinting that he was

meditating over some great work。



Athanase no longer took part in politics: he ceased to have opinions;

but he appeared at times quite gay;gay with the satire of those who

think to insult a whole world with their own individual scorn。 This

young man; outside of all the ideas and all the pleasures of the

provinces; interested few persons; he was not even an object of

curiosity。 If persons spoke of him to his mother; it was for her sake;

not his。 There was not a single soul in Alencon that sympathized with

his; not a woman; not a friend came near to dry his tears; they

dropped into the Sarthe。 If the gorgeous Suzanne had happened that

way; how many young miseries might have been born of the meeting! for

the two would surely have loved each other。



She did come; however。 Suzanne's ambition was early excited by the

tale of a strange adventure which had happened at the tavern of the

More;a tale which had taken possession of her childish brain。 A

Parisian woman; beautiful as the angels; was sent by Fouche to

entangle the Marquis de Montauran; otherwise called 〃The Gars;〃 in a

love…affair (see 〃The Chouans〃)。 She met him at the tavern of the More

on his return from an expedition to Mortagne; she cajoled him; made

him love her; and then betrayed him。 That fantastic powerthe power

of beauty over mankind; in fact; the whole story of Marie de Verneuil

and the Garsdazzled Suzanne; she longed to grow up in order to play

upon men。 Some months after her hasty departure she passed through her

native town with an artist on his way to Brittany。 She wanted to see

Fougeres; where the adventure of the Marquis de Montauran culminated;

and to stand upon the scene of that picturesque war; the tragedies of

which; still so little known; had filled her childish mind。 Besides

this; she had a fancy to pass through Alencon so elegantly equipped

that no one could recognize her; to put her mother above the reach of

necessity; and also to send to poor Athanase; in a deli

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