but I serve you with all my heart, and I love your pleasure as
well as my own."
"You plead well for yourself; I am afraid I have spoilt you."
"Shall I do your hair to-morrow?"
"No; you may go out every day till dinner-time."
"I shall be certain to catch it."
"Then I shall send you to the hospital."
"That is a fine prospect, 'por Dios'."
He was impudent, sly, profligate, and a rascally fellow; but also
obedient, devoted, discreet, and faithful, and his good qualities made
me overlook his defects.
Next morning, when Rose brought my chocolate, she told me with a
laugh that my man had sent for a carriage, and after dressing himself in
the height of fashion he had gone off with his sword at his side, to pay
calls, as he said.
"We laughed at him."
"You were quite right, my dear Rose."
As I spoke, Manon came in under some pretext or other. I saw that the
two sisters had an understanding never to be alone with me; I was
displeased, but pretended not to notice anything. I got up, and I had
scarcely put on my dressing-gown when the cousin came in with a
packet under her arm.
"I am delighted to see you, and above all to look at your smiling face,
for I thought you much too serious yesterday."
"That's because M. le Duc is a greater gentleman than you are; I should
not have presumed to laugh in his presence; but I had my reward in
seeing him start off this morning in his gilded coach."
"Did he see you laughing at him?"
"Yes, unless he is blind."
"He will be vexed."
"All the better."
"You are really very charming. What have you got in that parcel?"
"Some goods of our own manufacture. Look; they are embroidered
gloves."
"They are beautiful; the embroidery is exquisitely done. How much for
the lot?"
"Are you a good hand at a bargain."
"Certainly."
"Then we must take that into account."
After some whisperings together the cousin took a pen, put down the
numbers of gloves, added up and said,
"The lot will cost you two hundred and ten francs."
"There are nine louis; give me six francs change."
"But you told us you would make a bargain."
"You were wrong to believe it."
She blushed and gave me the six francs. Rose and Manon shaved me
and did my hair, giving me a kiss with the best grace imaginable; and
when I offered my cheek to the cousin she kissed me on the mouth in a
manner that told me she would be wholly mine on the first opportunity.
"Shall we have the pleasure of waiting on you at the table?" said Rose.
"I wish you would."
"But we should like to know who is coming to dinner first; as if it is
officers from the garrison we dare not come; they make so free."
"My guests are Madame Morin, her husband, and her niece."
"Very good"
The cousin said,
"Mdlle. Roman is the prettiest and the best girl in Grenoble; but she
will find some difficulty in marrying as she has no money."
"She may meet some rich man who will think her goodness and her
beauty worth a million of money."
"There are not many men of that kind."
"No; but there are a few."
Manon and the cousin went out, and I was left alone with Rose, who
stayed to dress me. I attacked her, but she defended herself so
resolutely that I desisted, and promised it should not occur again. When
she had finished I gave her a louis, thanked her, and sent her away.
As soon as I was alone I locked the door, and proceeded to concoct the
horoscope I had promised to Madame Morin. I found it an easy task to
fill eight pages with learned folly; and I confined myself chiefly to
declaring the events which had already happened to the native. I had
deftly extracted some items of information in the course of
conversation, and filling up the rest according to the laws of probability
and dressing up the whole in astrological diction, I was pronounced to
be a seer, and no doubts were cast on my skill. I did not indeed run
much risk, for everything hung from an if, and in the judicious
employment of ifs lies the secret of all astrology.
I carefully re-read the document, and thought it admirable. I felt in the
vein, and the use of the cabala had made me an expert in this sort of
thing.
Just after noon all my guests arrived, and at one we sat down to table. I
have never seen a more sumptuous or more delicate repast. I saw that
the cook was
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