Jacqueline | Page 6

hide
their confusion.
The principal object of interest in this scandalous gossip was a valuable
diamond bracelet, one of those priceless bits of jewelry seldom seen
except in show-windows on the Rue de la Paix, intended to be bought
only for presentation to princesses--of some sort or kind. Well, by an
extraordinary, chance the Marquise de Versannes--aye, the lovely
Georgine de Versannes herself--had picked up this bracelet in the
street--by chance, as it were.
"It so happened," said the Colonel, "that I was at her mother-in-law's,
where she was going to dine. She came in looking as innocent as you
please, with her hand in her pocket. 'Oh, see what I have found!' she
cried. 'I stepped upon it almost at your door.' And the bracelet was
placed under a lamp, where the diamonds shot out sparkles fit to blind
the old Marquise, and make that old fool of a Versannes see a thousand
lights. He has long known better than to take all his wife says for
gospel--but he tries hard to pretend that he believes her. 'My dear,' he
said, 'you must take that to the police.'--'I'll send it to-morrow morning,'
says the charming Georgine, 'but I wished to show you my good luck.'
Of course nobody came forward to claim the bracelet, and a month later
Madame de Versannes appeared at the Cranfords' ball with a brilliant
diamond bracelet, worn like the Queen of Sheba's, high up on her arm,
near the shoulder, to hide the lack of sleeve. This piece of finery, which
drew everybody's attention to the wearer, was the famous bracelet
picked up in the street. Clever of her!--wasn't it, now?"
"Horrid! Unlikely! Impossible.... What do you mean us to understand
about it, Colonel? Could she have....?"
Then the Colonel went on to demonstrate, with many coarse
insinuations, that that good Georgine, as he familiarly called her, had
done many more things than people gave her credit for. And he went on

to add: "Surely, you must have heard of the row about her between
Givrac and the Homme- Volant at the Cirque?"
"What, the man that wears stockinet all covered with gold scales? Do
tell us, Colonel!"
But here Madame de Nailles gave a dry little cough which was meant
to impose silence on the subject. She was not a prude, but she
disapproved of anything that was bad form at her receptions. The
Colonel's revelations had to be made in a lower tone, while his hostess
endeavored to bring back the conversation to the charming reply made
by M. Renan to the somewhat insipid address of a member of the
Academie.
"We sha'n't hear anything more now," said Colette, with a sigh. "Did
you understand it, Jacqueline?"
"Understand--what?"
"Why, that story about the bracelet?"
"No--not all. The Colonel seemed to imply that she had not picked it up,
and indeed I don't see how any one could have dropped in the street, in
broad daylight, a bracelet meant only to be worn at night--a bracelet
worn near the shoulder."
"But if she did not pick it up--she must have stolen it."
"Stolen it?" cried Belle. "Stolen it! What! The Marquise de Versannes?
Why, she inherited the finest diamonds in Paris!"
"How do you know?"
"Because mamma sometimes takes me to the Opera, and her
subscription day is the same as that of the Marquise. People say a good
deal of harm of her--in whispers. They say she is barely received now
in society, that people turn their backs on her, and so forth, and so on.
However, that did not hinder her from being superb the other evening at

'Polyeucte'."
"So you only go to see 'Polyeucte'?" said Jacqueline, making a little
face as if she despised that opera.
"Yes, I have seen it twice. Mamma lets me go to 'Polyeucte' and
'Guillaume Tell', and to the 'Prophete', but she won't take me to see
'Faust'--and it is just 'Faust' that I want to see. Isn't it provoking that one
can't see everything, hear everything, understand everything? You see,
we could not half understand that story which seemed to amuse the
people so much in the other room. Why did they send back the bracelet
from the Prefecture to Madame de Versannes if it was not hers?"
"Yes--why?" said all the little girls, much puzzled.
Meantime, as the hour for closing the exhibition at the neighboring
hippodrome had arrived, visitors came pouring into Madame de
Nailles's reception--tall, graceful women, dressed with taste and
elegance, as befitted ladies who were interested in horsemanship. The
tone of the conversation changed. Nothing was talked about but superb
horses, leaps over ribbons and other obstacles. The young girls
interested themselves in the spring toilettes, which they either praised
or criticised as they passed before their eyes.
"Oh! there