"Why, monsieur," said Edouard, "I allowed you to dine on leather breeches; it seems to me that you might in return allow me to breakfast just once on parchment!"
The company laughed heartily, and the Chevalier de Tantignac did not breathe a word during the rest of the meal.
Cornélie was bored at the table, and she requested Robineau to hasten the service, on the pretext that it was not good form to be a long while at dinner; but Monsieur Férulus constantly invented some pretext or found some quotation as an excuse for keeping the dishes which the servants were about to remove. But at last they arrived at the dessert; the ladies, who were burning with the desire to dance, were already suggesting an adjournment to the ball room, when Monsieur Férulus rose and observed in a solemn tone that he had something to sing on a subject which could not fail to interest the company.
Everybody was silent and waited for him to begin; the librarian drank a glass of madeira to give himself courage, and began, to the tune of the lament of the Maréchal de Saxe, a eulogy of Robineau, in which he compared him with Saturn, Sophocles, Cicero and Bayard. The guests glanced furtively at one another, biting their lips. Uncle Mignon alone stuffed himself with biscuits and macaroons, taking advantage of a moment when his nieces left him undisturbed.
As it was plain after the third couplet that Monsieur Férulus did not propose to stop, a faint murmur arose. Robineau, taking that for a sign of approbation, lowered his eyes modestly, and said to Mademoiselle Cornélie:
"He insisted upon singing these couplets. Certainly if I had suspected that he would mention me, I would not have consented."
"Very well, monsieur, then tell him to hold his tongue, and order the coffee at once."
Instead of ordering the coffee, Robineau tried to think how he could demand an encore, as he had promised Férulus to do; but a part of the ladies had already left the table, and the others soon followed their example; the men made haste to drink their coffee, and Monsieur Férulus discovered that he was singing for Uncle Mignon alone; even he was soon called away by his nieces to tie something or other.
"Behold the results of a poor education," said Férulus to himself; "these people put on airs and have no manners! I will go and sing my couplets to Jeannette; she will listen to me or tell me the reason why."