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Updated: May 14, 2025
As soon as the poor woman caught sight of her, she threw herself sobbing upon her neck exclaiming that she was her good angel. She didn't love Malignon, not in the least, she swore it! Gracious heavens! what a foolish affair! It would have killed her there was no doubt of that!
Ten minutes later, when Doctor Bodin made his appearance, she, with superhuman courage, regained her feet, and leaning on him and Monsieur Rambaud, contrived to return home. Jeanne followed, quivering with sobs. "I shall wait," said Doctor Deberle to his brother physician. "Come down and remove our fears." In the garden a lively colloquy ensued. Malignon was of opinion that women had queer ideas.
She had always known her to be devoid of brains, displaying an amiable egotism which seemed a guarantee that she would never commit a foolish action. And over such a fellow as Malignon, too! The scenes in the garden of an afternoon flashed back on her memory she recalled Juliette smiling lovingly as the doctor kissed her hair. Their love for one another had seemed real enough.
Madame Deberle, in particular, displayed a vast amount of affection for Jeanne; she ensconced her in a chair near the stove, and desired that the windows might be closed, for the air she declared was rather sharp for the dear child. Malignon had now left.
"What, don't you see it? Won't it be for Lucien to receive his little guests? So you place him, dressed as a marquis, at the drawing-room door, with a large bouquet of roses on his coat, and he bows to the ladies." "But there will be dozens of marquises at the ball!" objected Juliette. "What does that matter?" replied Malignon coolly. "The more marquises the greater the fun.
Monsieur Rambaud had now become quite intimate with the Deberle family. "Well," said the doctor, "and how are you going to dress, Jeanne?" He got no further, for Malignon burst out: "I've got it! I've got it! Lucien must be a marquis of the time of Louis XV." He waved his cane with a triumphant air; but, as no one of the company hailed his idea with enthusiasm, he appeared astonished.
However, while she had thus been indulging in the cowardly, but pleasing, thought that nothing was absolutely indefensible, Juliette and Pauline had opened the door of the pavilion, and were now dragging Malignon in their train into the garden. And, all at once, Helene heard Henri speaking to her in a low and passionate voice: "I beseech you, Helene! Oh! I beseech you "
Then she stood motionless for a few seconds, still dazed, her eyes glaring at the narrow brass plate which had fallen back again in its place. "It is done," she exclaimed in a whisper. Once more she pictured the rooms hung with pink cretonne. Malignon and Juliette were there together; but all of a sudden the wall was riven open, and the husband entered.
To-morrow we're all going to dine with papa. I could have embraced Malignon for his good news!" With the utmost self-possession Henri had contrived to put some distance between Helene and himself. He also expressed his sense of Malignon's favor, and seemed to share his wife's delight at the prospect of seeing their little sister settled at last.
"What! you have lighted up the place!" she exclaimed. "Why? I thought you hated candles in broad daylight!" Malignon, who had been making ready to clasp her with a passionate gesture that he had been rehearsing, was put somewhat out of countenance by this remark, and hastened to explain that the day was too wretched, and that the windows looked on to waste patches of ground.
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