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"My dear sir, I shall shock you, perhaps; but if I had to choose, I should like better to do an immoral thing than a cruel one." A young man, tall, thin, dark, with a long moustache, entered, and bowed with brusque suppleness. "Monsieur Vence, I think that you know Monsieur Le Menil." They had met before at Madame Martin's, and saw each other often at the Fencing Club.
I was much surprised to meet him at Florence at the moment of his departure." She looked at Dechartre, who affected not to listen. "I know that gentleman," said Miss Bell. "It is Monsieur Le Menil. I dined with him twice at Madame Martin's, and he talked to me very well. He said he liked football; that he introduced the game in France, and that now football is quite the fashion.
The day before they had met at Madame Meillan's. "Madame Meillan's there's a house where one is bored," said Paul Vence. "Yet Academicians go there," said M. Robert Le Menil. "I do not exaggerate their value, but they are the elite." Madame Martin smiled. "We know, Monsieur Le Menil, that at Madame Meillan's you are preoccupied by the women more than by the Academicians.
Mistrusting Madame Marmet, she slipped into her pocket the letter to Le Menil, counting on chance to throw it into a post-box. Almost at the same time Dechartre came to accompany the three friends in a walk through the city. As he was waiting he saw the letters on the tray.
And she thought of leaving her at Fiesole and visiting the churches alone. Employing a word that Le Menil had taught her, she said to herself: "I will 'plant' Madame Marmet." A lithe old man came into the parlor. His waxed moustache and his white imperial made him look like an old soldier; but his glance betrayed, under his glasses, the fine softness of eyes worn by science and voluptuousness.
He said, also, there was nothing so beautiful as the forest in winter. He talked about wolves. That refreshed me." The General, who did not like young men, said he had met Le Menil the day before in the forest, galloping, with vast space between himself and his saddle. He declared that old cavaliers alone retained the traditions of good horsemanship; that people in society now rode like jockeys.
His apartment was small, narrow, insufficient for his wife and his five daughters. He had been forced to put his workshop under the roof. He made long complaints, and consented to go only after Madame Martin had promised that she would speak to her husband. "Monsieur Le Menil," asked Miss Bell, "shall you go yachting next year?" Le Menil thought not. He did not intend to keep the Rosebud.
But in the solitude of the Avenue MacMahon, the shadow which she had seen at the corner of the Rue Galilee came near her with a directness that was unmistakable. She recognized Robert Le Menil, who, having followed her from the quay, was stopping her at the most quiet and secure place. His air, his attitude, expressed the simplicity of motive which had formerly pleased Therese.
He said, also, there was nothing so beautiful as the forest in winter. He talked about wolves. That refreshed me." The General, who did not like young men, said he had met Le Menil the day before in the forest, galloping, with vast space between himself and his saddle. He declared that old cavaliers alone retained the traditions of good horsemanship; that people in society now rode like jockeys.
He asked her whether she had had a good season at Joinville. He would have liked to go in the hunting time, but could not. He had gone to the Mediterranean, then he had hunted at Semanville. "Oh, Monsieur Le Menil," said Miss Bell, "you have wandered on the blue sea. Have you seen sirens?" No, he had not seen sirens, but for three days a dolphin had swum in the yacht's wake.
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