"No, not Henry either. He understands perfectly well that, with what he has, he cannot marry Bijou."
"Why, no one at all--that is, no one in particular."
"You spoke, on the contrary, as though you were affirming something that was quite settled. You said: _In two months' time she will be married, or nearly so_. What did you mean by that? Why don't you want to tell me? You have been told not to? It is a secret?"
"No, it is merely a supposition, I assure you, that is all."
"And this supposition you will not tell me?"
After a short silence Madame de Rueille began again:
"I showed grandmamma the doctor's letter; she is very sorry about our going away. She adores the children, and then, too, she likes to have the house full at Bracieux."
"And she let herself be gulled with this story about Marcel's nervous condition? I am surprised at that; she is so sharp!"
"If she was not _gulled_, as you call it, she allowed me to think that she was. I shall see you again presently: I must get ready for breakfast."
M. de Rueille went up to his wife, and asked, in a half-timid way:
"I? why should I be angry about what you cannot help? You are in the same situation as Jean, M. Giraud, Henry, the accompaniment professor, Pierrot, and others that we don't know of, not to speak of the abbé, who, at present, is always to be found somewhere round about where Bijou is."
"It's perfectly true; the only thing is that, as far as he is concerned, he is unconscious of it. Without understanding the why and wherefore, he, too, is captivated by Bijou's charms just the same as all the others who come near her. I am quite sure that he, too, will be unhappy about going away from here; but he will not be able to explain to himself even the cause of his unhappiness. Ah! there's the bell; I shall never be ready; you had better go on down."
"Pierrot," said the marchioness, after breakfast, when everyone had assembled in the morning-room, "you did not give me my book yesterday?"
Pierrot, who was talking to Bijou, turned round, somewhat taken aback.
"Ah, yes; I could not think what book you meant!"
"Oh, why--he always has everything one wants!"
"Well, he hadn't got that; and, what was better still, he didn't seem to know the book at all!"