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Updated: May 27, 2025
We were interrupted by Varvilliers' arrival. He also had dined at the palace, and was in full dress. "How gay my little house is to-night," drawled Coralie, as she rang the bell and ordered, in exactly the same manner, the descent of Madame Briande and the ascent of supper. Both orders were promptly obeyed, and we were left alone.
He had refused to consider it a gift, but was, and became every day more, incapable of repaying it. We were at luncheon at her villa one day, we three, and with us, of course, Madame Briande, an exceedingly well-informed and tactful little woman. The rest had chattered on many subjects. Suddenly she spoke.
"Then we come to this: which is better, a king under the table or a politician at it?" She burst out laughing. Madame Briande had fled to a remote corner. Wetter was in the throes of excitement. A strange coolness and recklessness now possessed me. I was insensible of everything at this moment except the impulse of rivalry and the desire for victory.
Vohrenlorf opened the door of the inner room and I entered, the rest following. Madame Briande sat in a straight-backed chair at the table; she had a book before her, but her restless anxious air made me doubt whether she had read much of it. I looked round for Coralie.
"But you think there could not?" "I can't call such a thing to mind, mademoiselle." "Ah, you can't call it to mind! No, you can't call it to mind. It seems to me that there is a difference, then, between politicians and kings." Madame Briande was moving about the room in evident discomfort. Wetter was sitting with his hand clenched on the table and his eyes downcast.
I took her hand and kissed it with much and even affected gallantry. Then I went and paid a like attention to Madame Briande. As the little woman made her curtsey she turned alarmed and troubled eyes up to me. "Oh, mon Dieu!" she murmured. "Till to-night," smiled Coralie. I was reading the other day the memoirs of an eminent English man of letters, now dead.
"It has been very amusing," she said, with a little yawn that ended in a rather weary smile. "For my part I can conceive only one thing that could increase the entertainment." "What's that, Coralie?" asked Madame Briande. Coralie waved her right hand toward me and her left toward Wetter.
Near him was a group of young men laughing and talking with Madame Briande; he seemed to pay little heed to their chatter. Varvilliers followed me, and William Adolphus sat down by Coralie. But I had not been talking to Wetter more than two minutes when the lady rose, left my brother-in-law, and came to join our group. She took her stand close by me.
"As you will," said she with a shrug. "Whomever we add they would see nothing but two gentlemen getting under the table, oh, so quickly!" Madame Briande became visibly distressed. "Is it not so?" drawled Coralie in lazy enjoyment of her excursion. "Why," said I, "I should most certainly invoke the shelter of your tablecloth, mademoiselle. A king must avoid being misunderstood."
"I thought so," said she with a long look at me. "And you, monsieur?" she added, turning to Wetter. "I should not get under the table," said he. He strove to render his tone light, but his voice quivered with suppressed passion. "You wouldn't?" she asked. "You'd sit here before them all?" "Yes," said he. Madame Briande rose. Her evident intention was to break up the party.
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