Scaramouche Rafael Sabatini (ebook pdf reader for pc TXT) đ
- Author: Rafael Sabatini
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After M. de Kercadiou came M. de Vilmorin, very pale and self-contained, with tight lips and an overcast brow.
To meet them, there stepped from the carriage a very elegant young gentleman, the Chevalier de Chabrillane, M. de La Tour dâAzyrâs cousin, who whilst awaiting his return had watched with considerable interestâ âhis own presence unsuspectedâ âthe perambulations of AndrĂ©-Louis and mademoiselle.
Perceiving Aline, M. de La Tour dâAzyr detached himself from the others, and lengthening his stride came straight across the terrace to her.
To AndrĂ©-Louis the Marquis inclined his head with that mixture of courtliness and condescension which he used. Socially, the young lawyer stood in a curious position. By virtue of the theory of his birth, he ranked neither as noble nor as simple, but stood somewhere between the two classes, and whilst claimed by neither he was used familiarly by both. Coldly now he returned M. de La Tour dâAzyrâs greeting, and discreetly removed himself to go and join his friend.
The Marquis took the hand that mademoiselle extended to him, and bowing over it, bore it to his lips.
âMademoiselle,â he said, looking into the blue depths of her eyes, that met his gaze smiling and untroubled, âmonsieur your uncle does me the honour to permit that I pay my homage to you. Will you, mademoiselle, do me the honour to receive me when I come tomorrow? I shall have something of great importance for your ear.â
âOf importance, M. le Marquis? You almost frighten me.â But there was no fear on the serene little face in its furred hood. It was not for nothing that she had graduated in the Versailles school of artificialities.
âThat,â said he, âis very far from my design.â
âBut of importance to yourself, monsieur, or to me?â
âTo us both, I hope,â he answered her, a world of meaning in his fine, ardent eyes.
âYou whet my curiosity, monsieur; and, of course, I am a dutiful niece. It follows that I shall be honoured to receive you.â
âNot honoured, mademoiselle; you will confer the honour. Tomorrow at this hour, then, I shall have the felicity to wait upon you.â
He bowed again; and again he bore her fingers to his lips, what time she curtsied. Thereupon, with no more than this formal breaking of the ice, they parted.
She was a little breathless now, a little dazzled by the beauty of the man, his princely air, and the confidence of power he seemed to radiate. Involuntarily almost, she contrasted him with his criticâ âthe lean and impudent AndrĂ©-Louis in his plain brown coat and steel-buckled shoesâ âand she felt guilty of an unpardonable offence in having permitted even one word of that presumptuous criticism. Tomorrow M. le Marquis would come to offer her a great position, a great rank. And already she had derogated from the increase of dignity accruing to her from his very intention to translate her to so great an eminence. Not again would she suffer it; not again would she be so weak and childish as to permit AndrĂ©-Louis to utter his ribald comments upon a man by comparison with whom he was no better than a lackey.
Thus argued vanity and ambition with her better self and to her vast annoyance her better self would not admit entire conviction.
Meanwhile, M. de La Tour dâAzyr was climbing into his carriage. He had spoken a word of farewell to M. de Kercadiou, and he had also had a word for M. de Vilmorin in reply to which M. de Vilmorin had bowed in assenting silence. The carriage rolled away, the powdered footman in blue-and-gold very stiff behind it, M. de La Tour dâAzyr bowing to mademoiselle, who waved to him in answer.
Then M. de Vilmorin put his arm through that of AndrĂ©-Louis, and said to him, âCome, AndrĂ©.â
âBut youâll stay to dine, both of you!â cried the hospitable Lord of Gavrillac. âWeâll drink a certain toast,â he added, winking an eye that strayed towards mademoiselle, who was approaching. He had no subtleties, good soul that he was.
M. de Vilmorin deplored an appointment that prevented him doing himself the honour. He was very stiff and formal.
âAnd you, AndrĂ©?â
âI? Oh, I share the appointment, godfather,â he lied, âand I have a superstition against toasts.â He had no wish to remain. He was angry with Aline for her smiling reception of M. de La Tour dâAzyr and the sordid bargain he saw her set on making. He was suffering from the loss of an illusion.
III The Eloquence of M. de VilmorinAs they walked down the hill together, it was now M. de Vilmorin who was silent and preoccupied, AndrĂ©-Louis who was talkative. He had chosen Woman as a subject for his present discourse. He claimedâ âquite unjustifiablyâ âto have discovered Woman that morning; and the things he had to say of the sex were unflattering, and occasionally almost gross. M. de Vilmorin, having ascertained the subject, did not listen. Singular though it may seem in a young French abbĂ© of his day, M. de Vilmorin was not interested in Woman. Poor Philippe was in several ways exceptional.
Opposite the BrĂ©ton ArmĂ©â âthe inn and posting-house at the entrance of the village of Gavrillacâ âM. de Vilmorin interrupted his companion just as he was soaring to the dizziest heights of caustic invective, and AndrĂ©-Louis, restored thereby to actualities, observed the carriage of M. de La Tour dâAzyr standing before the door of the hostelry.
âI donât believe youâve been listening to me,â said he.
âHad you been less interested in what you were saying, you might have observed it sooner and spared your breath. The fact is, you disappoint me, AndrĂ©. You seem to have forgotten what we went for. I have an appointment here with M. le Marquis. He desires to hear me further in the matter. Up there at Gavrillac I could accomplish nothing. The time was ill-chosen as it happened. But I have hopes of
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