"You are joking, monsieur! I tell you finger-nail scratches are not to be trifled with.--Do you use snuff?"

"Thanks."

"I know all about it, and I'll tell you why: my wife has a----"

Having no curiosity to hear Monin's story, Dalville followed the ladies, who had returned to the garden. Athalie's presence aroused in the young man a desire to be agreeable. He had not expected to find any other lady than the mistress of the house, who was well enough, but with whom he no longer took pains to be agreeable. Why? Was it because he was no longer in love with her, or because he was sure of pleasing her, or--On my word, you ask me too much.

Madame de la Thoma.s.siniere's vivacity and unconventionality harmonized perfectly with Auguste's lively humor and free-and-easy manners; and as greater liberty is authorized in the country, after a very short time he and the pet.i.te-maitresse were laughing and joking together as if they had known each other for years.

Madame Destival did not share their gayety; she was sulky, said little, and contented herself with darting eloquent glances at the young man from time to time; the more intimate her two companions became, the more her ill-humor seemed to increase. Meanwhile they were strolling about the garden; they sat down; then Madame de la Thoma.s.siniere went to look at a pretty view, or pluck a flower, or chase a b.u.t.terfly, and as she sauntered back showed Auguste a double row of lovely teeth, and seemed to say:

"Why don't you come with me?"

But Madame Destival did not leave her, and although visibly annoyed, she too ran after the b.u.t.terflies.

"What on earth is the matter with you, my dear love?" said Athalie, good-humoredly; "you don't seem very hilarious."

"I beg pardon, I am satisfied; but a severe headache has just come on."

"Go in the house and lie down for a moment."

"No, my child, oh, no! I prefer to stay with you."

"You shouldn't stand on ceremony in the country. Besides, monsieur will bear me company. We will catch b.u.t.terflies together."

"I will catch whatever you please, madame," said Auguste, with a smile which was instantly succeeded by a wry face, because Madame Destival pinched his arm as she replied:

"No, the air will do me good. But I thought that you intended to have some music?"

"Oh! we shall have time enough this evening, as I am to pa.s.s the night here. Is monsieur to remain?"

"If madame will kindly allow me to do so?" said Auguste, glancing at his hostess, who replied angrily:

"As you please, monsieur."

After walking for some time longer, they stopped beside a swing, and the sprightly Athalie sprang to a seat on the narrow plank, held in place by two cords only, saying to Auguste:

"Oh! do give me a push, please. I am wild over swinging; I have nearly killed myself a dozen times, but it makes no difference, I always come back to it. Not too high, monsieur, do you understand?"

"As high or as low as you choose, madame."

Auguste stood near the swing and pushed gently, while Madame Destival seated herself at a little distance, with her handkerchief at her eyes.

The young man was distraught; he looked at Athalie and Madame Destival in turn; the former's petulant ways attracted him, the other's grief seemed to cause him pain.

"Oh! what fun! how lovely it is!" cried the pet.i.te-maitresse. "Keep on, monsieur, harder! Look out, you are jerking me.--Ah! my dear, you can't imagine how I like this!"

Madame de la Thoma.s.siniere gave no sign of being tired of swinging; but Madame Destival, who was not at all amused, resorted to the device of fainting, and fell back in her chair with a hollow groan. Thereupon Auguste left the swing and ran to Emilie, exclaiming:

"What is the matter, madame?"

"Leave me; you are a monster!" replied Madame Destival, her eyes still closed.

"What have I done, pray?"

"Do you think that I have not noticed your conduct?"

"My conduct has been perfectly natural, I should say----"

"Not content with coming here from--from I don't know where, monsieur presumes, in my presence, to make love to that flirt, who behaves in the most indecent way! I should have hoped that you would at least respect my house, monsieur!"

"Really, madame, I cannot in the least understand your anger. I am courteous, polite--nothing more."

"Do you think that I have no eyes? It is far too evident. The least that you can do is to show some little self-restraint!"

"But----"

"Hush!"

"Well!" said Athalie, noticing that the swing moved more slowly, "what are you doing, monsieur? You are not pushing, you are letting me stop; and I don't want that. Are you tired already? Fie! a young man too!"

At that moment appeared Monsieur Monin, who, seeing that his host was determined to practise the manual until dinner, and feeling that he had not the strength to continue, had dropped his spade and bent his steps toward the garden, where, as he wiped his forehead, he sought to freshen up his ideas by resorting to his snuff-box.

"You have come in the nick of time, Monsieur Monin," said Madame Destival; "madame is sorely in need of somebody to swing her. Do her that service, she will be overjoyed."

As she said this, Emilie rose, took Auguste's arm and led him to another part of the garden, leaving Monin agape with amazement at the task a.s.signed him, and Athalie still in the swing. Having her back to the others, she had not noticed their departure and was still ignorant of the fact that she had changed swingers.

"Well! push me, monsieur!" she said, wriggling about in the swing to make herself go.

Monin fortified himself with a pinch of snuff and walked toward the swing; but, having miscalculated the s.p.a.ce that it covered in swinging back, the seat came down upon him as he was turning up his sleeves in order to push harder, and the young woman's plump figure struck him in the face.

Dazed by the blow, Monin fell on the turf a step or two away; while Madame de la Thoma.s.siniere gave a little shriek because his nose had almost unseated her.

"How awkward you are!" she cried; "if I hadn't held on tight, I should have fallen. Come and stop me, and help me to get down.--Well, monsieur, do you propose to leave me here?"

Monin was not quick to rise, and he was looking for his cap, which the swing had knocked off, muttering:

"I am at your service in a minute, madame. You see, if I should go home without my cap, my wife would make a row."

Really vexed, Athalie turned her head and saw Monin trying to climb a tree to reach his cap, which the swing had sent flying to a high branch.

The young woman laughed heartily, then jumped down from the swing and walked away, seeking Auguste and Madame Destival in every thicket.

After scouring the garden to no purpose, she returned to the place where she had left Monin; he was still at the foot of the tree, which he had tried vainly to climb, gazing despairingly at his cap, lodged on a branch, which he could not reach, and seeking in his snuff-box some inspiration as to the means of recovering it.

"Which way did they go, monsieur?" asked Athalie, stopping beside him.

He looked stupidly about and said:

"Who, madame?"

"Monsieur Dalville and Madame Destival."