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It seemed as if she had divined his thought, for she took a path that skirted a road and there, in the narrowest strip of soft, fresh soil, on which the tiny heels of her boots made imprints like kisses upon a cheek, she walked in front of him, the shadows of the small branches dappling her black dress, while Vaudrey, deeply moved, still looked at her, framed as she was by trees with moss-covered trunks and surrounded with brambles, a medley of twisted branches.
"And yesterday, only yesterday, he would have saluted me subserviently!" The windows of the Élysée facing the street were still lighted up and Vaudrey thought that shadows were moving behind the white curtains. "The President has not yet retired! He has probably received Granet! And Warcolier! Warcolier!"
Determined to become his mistress, she desired to fall in the guise of a woman madly in love, and not as an ordinary courtesan. With any other man than Vaudrey, she would, perhaps, have yielded more quickly. But she acted with Vaudrey as formerly she had done with Rosas.
In Monsieur Claretie's romance it is the old Member of Parliament, Collard of Nantes converted late in life to Republicanism, who chose the provincial Vaudrey for his Minister of the Interior; this may, with equal probability be Marshal MacMahon.
It seemed that Marianne was expecting this word money, coarse but eloquent, in order to tell Vaudrey that an old friend, Claire Dujarrier, was on intimate terms with a certain Adolphe Gochard, who upon the endorsement of a responsible person, would certainly advance a hundred thousand francs that he had at this moment lying idle.
What right, after all, had this casual acquaintance to mix himself up in her life affairs? Because, one day, she had been charitable enough to give him her youth and her body! The duty of friendship! The rights of friendship! To protect Vaudrey! To defend Rosas! Words, tiresome words! "And what if I wish to marry him, myself? Would you prevent it?" "Yes, if I could!" he said firmly.
In spite of Jouvenet who knew all, and in spite of so many others who suspected the truth, she desired to be present at that fête at the ministry and to show herself to all. Vaudrey had warned her, however. He had written to her a few hours before, entreating her, nay, almost commanding, her, not to come, and she was there.
At breakfast the following day, Adrienne saw that her husband was more than usually preoccupied. "Are political affairs going badly?" "No on the contrary " "Then why are you melancholy?" "I am a little fatigued." "Then," said Madame Vaudrey, "you will scold me." "Why?"
The blue eyes of Marie Launay always serve as a sparadrap to a fallen minister!" "Was the fat Molina right? To lose the votes of the majority is perhaps the malady of the knee of ministers," said Vaudrey merrily.
You have only to allow me to print in the list of directors: Monsieur Sulpice Vaudrey, former President of the Council." Vaudrey looked the fat man squarely in the face. "Besides you will be in good company!" said the banker as he read over the names of deputies, senators, statesmen, coupled with those of financiers. Sulpice knew most of them. He despised nearly all of them.
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