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"Oh!" said Madame Mollot, in order to stop this passage at arms between the old maid and Vinet, who always went to far, "when a woman has had experience of life she knows that a husband of fifty or one of twenty-five is absolutely the same thing if she merely respects him. The important things in marriage are the benefits to be derived from it.
"Ha! ha! do you still dream of unknown heroes, fair lady?" said Vinet. "You are very impertinent; if I chose I could make you dream of me," she retorted. "So this morning when I rose " It may not be useless to say that Madame Mollot was considered a clever woman in Arcis; that is, she expressed herself fluently and abused that advantage.
"How do you know he is fifty?" asked Olivier Vinet, laughing. "How?" replied Madame Mollot. "Why, this morning I was so puzzled that I got out my opera-glass " "Bravo!" cried the superintendent of ponts et chaussees, who was paying court to the mother to obtain the daughter.
Cecile went to talk with Mademoiselle Mollot, one of her good friends, appearing to be seized with redoubled affection for her. Mademoiselle Mollot was the beauty of Arcis, just as Cecile was the heiress. Monsieur Mollot, clerk of the court, lived on the Grande-Place in a house constructed in the same manner as that of Beauvisage on the Place du Pont.
"And so," continued Madame Mollot, "I was able to see him shaving; with such elegant razors! mounted in gold, or silver-gilt!" "Gold! gold, of course!" said Vinet. "When things are unknown they should always be imagined of the finest quality. Consequently I, not having seen this gentleman, am perfectly sure that he is at least a count."
I thought you allowed your friend Simon to be nominated unanimously." "Simon is my friend, but the government is my master, and I expect to do my best to prevent Simon from being elected. And here comes Madame Mollot, who owes me her concurrence as the wife of a man whose functions attach him to the government."
This preliminary discussion on forms had already made Simon extremely uneasy, and had also aroused the attention of the sixty assembled bourgeois. Presently they began to write their ballots, and the wily Pigoult contrived to obtain a majority for Monsieur Mollot, the clerk of the court, and Monsieur Godivet, the registrar.
"Messieurs," said the stout Mollot, smiling, "the debate is beginning; give your attention to the orator; and let him explain himself." "In all transitional epochs, Messieurs," continued Simon, gravely, "and we are now in such an epoch " A roar of laughter came from the whole assembly, who were Champagnards before all else. Simon Giguet folded his arms and waited till the tumult subsided.
"That's a very pretty idea!" cried Olivier Vinet, joining the group of young ladies in order to get away from the partisans of Simon, the idol of the day. "I always knew that Mademoiselle had as much sense as money." "And," continued Ernestine, "she has selected for the hero of her romance " "Oh!" interrupted Madame Mollot, "an old man of fifty! fie!"
Some ladies had already taken the front seats; Madame Marion, aunt of Simon Giguet, the Left centre candidate; Madame and Mademoiselle Mollot, wife and daughter of the clerk of the court, and some others whose names and position I did not catch. Madame and Mademoiselle Beauvisage shone conspicuously, like Brutus and Cassius, by their absence.
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