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Flavie, seeing the manner in which la Peyrade put forth his seductions, was reminded of the pains he had formerly taken to fascinate herself. "The monster!" she said, beneath her breath.
"Josephine," she cried, "go at once to Madame Colleville, and ask her to come over and speak to me." Fifteen minutes later Flavie entered the salon, where Brigitte was walking up and down, in a state of extreme agitation. "My dear," she cried on seeing Flavie, "you can do me a great service, which concerns our dear Celeste.
"I would certainly yield to it," said Flavie, "if I did not fear that these discussions might seem to open a question which is irrevocably decided." "But, my dear madame, I have the strongest desire that Mademoiselle Celeste shall remain, until the very last moment, the mistress of her own choice. I beg you, therefore, to grant my request."
In fact, about the year 1827 this young man became the first clarionet when Colleville resigned his position. The usual comment on Flavie was, "That little slip of a coquette, Madame Colleville." The eldest of the Colleville children, born in 1816, was the living image of Colleville himself.
The evening of the day on which Flavie had communicated to Celeste the sovereign orders of Thuillier, the Phellions called to spend the evening with Brigitte, and a very sharp engagement took place between the two young people.
"He ought to be shot for this, if for nothing else," he muttered through his set teeth. "To let his wife die of starvation here!" For it was M. de Coralth's wife who kept this shop. Chupin, who had seen her years before, recognized her now as she sat behind her counter, although she was cruelly changed. "That's her," he murmured. "That's certainly Mademoiselle Flavie."
"I think she and Madame Thuillier went to see the Abbe Gondrin this morning, and she has been attacking me about Felix Phellion, and talks of him as if he were a god; from that to refusing to marry la Peyrade is but a step." "Those cursed skull-caps!" said Brigitte; "they meddle in everything! I didn't want to invite him, but you would insist." "Yes," said Flavie, "it was proper." "Proper!
He found Flavie rather pensive. She hesitated about coming, but Thuillier overcame her indecision. "My old and ever young friend," he said, taking her round the waist, for she was alone in her little salon, "I won't have any secret from you. A great affair is in the wind for me. I can't tell you more than that, but I can ask you to be particularly charming to a certain young man " "Who is it?"
"I love you with an unlimited affection; you are far above the mass of petty considerations in which silly women entangle themselves. Let us understand each other." Flavie was bewildered; she was, however, awake to the extreme frankness of such language, and she said to herself, "He is not a secret manoeuvrer, certainly."
But at times he would rush into the garden with Colleville or Flavie, to laugh and lay off his mask, and rest himself; or get fresh strength by giving way before his future mother-in-law to fits of nervous passion which either terrified or deeply touched her.
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