The Complete Works: Short Stories, Novels, Plays, Poetry, Memoirs and more. Guy de Maupassant
Christiane turned toward Paul: “What do you think of it, Monsieur Bretigny?”
She called him at one time Monsieur Bretigny, and at another time Bretigny only.
He, always fascinated by the things in which he imagined he saw an element of greatness, by unequal matches which seemed to him to exhibit generosity, by all the sentimental parade in which the human heart masks itself, replied: “For my part I think he is right in this. If he likes her, let him marry her; he could not find better.”
But, the Marquis and Andermatt having returned, they had to talk about other subjects; and the two young men went to the Casino to see whether the gaming-room was still open.
From that day forth Christiane and Paul appeared to favor Gontran’s open courtship of Charlotte.
The young girl was more frequently invited to the hotel by Christiane, and was treated in fact as if she were already a member of the family. She saw all this clearly, understood it, and was quite delighted at it. Her little head throbbed like a drum, and went building fantastic castles in Spain. Gontran, in the meantime had said nothing definite to her; but his demeanor, all his words, the tone that he assumed with her, his more serious air of gallantry, the caress of his glance seemed every day to keep repeating to her: “I have chosen you; you are to be my wife.”
And the tone of sweet affection, of discreet selfsurrender, of chaste reserve which she now adopted toward him, seemed to give this answer: “I know it, and I’ll say ‘yes’ whenever you ask for my hand.”
In the young girl’s family, the matter was discussed in confidential whispers. Louise scarcely opened her lips now except to annoy her with hurtful allusions, with sharp and sarcastic remarks. Père Oriol and Jacques appeared to be content.
She did not ask herself, all the same, whether she loved this good-looking suitor, whose wife she was, no doubt, destined to become. She liked him, she was constantly thinking about him; she considered him handsome, witty, elegant — she was speculating, above all, on what she would do when she was married to him.
In Enval people had forgotten the malignant rivalries of the physicians and the proprietors of springs, the theories as to the supposed attachment of the Duchess de Ramas for her doctor, all the scandals that flow along with the waters of thermal stations, in order to occupy their minds entirely with this extraordinary circumstance — that Count Gontran de Ravenel was going to marry the younger of the Oriol girls.
When Gontran thought the moment had arrived, taking Andermatt by the arm, one morning, as they were rising from the breakfast-table, he said to him: “My dear fellow, strike while the iron is hot! Here is the exact state of affairs: The little one is waiting for me to propose, without my having committed myself at all; but, you may be quite certain she will not refuse me. It is necessary to sound her father about it in such a way as to promote, at the same time, your interests and mine.”
Andermatt replied: “Make your mind easy. I’ll take that on myself. I am going to sound him this very day without compromising you and without thrusting you forward; and when the situation is perfectly clear, I’ll talk about it.”
“Capital!”
Then, after a few moments’ silence, Gontran added: “Hold on! This is perhaps my last day of bachelorhood. I am going on to Royat, where I saw some acquaintances of mine the other day. I’ll be back tonight, and I’ll tap at your door to know the result.”
He saddled his horse, and proceeded along by the mountain, inhaling the pure, genial air, and sometimes starting into a gallop to feel the keen caress of the breeze brushing the fresh skin of his cheek and tickling his mustache.
The evening-party at Royat was a jolly affair. He met some of his friends there who had brought girls along with them. They lingered a long time at supper; he returned home at a very late hour. Everyone had gone to bed in the hotel of Mont Oriol when Gontran went to tap at Andermatt’s door. There was no answer at first; then, as the knocking became much louder, a hoarse voice, the voice of one disturbed while asleep, grunted from within: “Who’s there?”
“’Tis I, Gontran.”
“Wait — I’m opening the door.”
Andermatt appeared in his nightshirt, with puffed-up face, bristling chin, and a silk handkerchief tied round his head. Then he got back into bed, sat down in it, and with his hands stretched over the sheets:
“Well, my dear fellow, this won’t do me. Here is how matters stand: I have sounded this old fox Oriol, without mentioning you, referring merely to a certain friend of mine — I have perhaps allowed him to suppose that the person I meant was Paul Bretigny — as a suitable match for one of his daughters, and I asked what dowry he would give her. He answered me by asking in his turn what were the young man’s means; and I fixed the amount at three hundred thousand francs with expectations.”
“But I have nothing,” muttered Gontran.
“I am lending you the money, my dear fellow. If we work this business between us, your lands would yield me enough to reimburse me.”
Gontran sneered: “All right. I’ll have the woman and you the money.”
But Andermatt got quite annoyed. “If I am to interest myself in your affairs in order that you might insult me, there’s an end of it — let us say no more about it!”
Gontran apologized: “Don’t get vexed, my dear fellow, and excuse me! I know that you are a very honest man of irreproachable loyalty in matters of business. I would not ask you for the price of a drink if I were your coachman; but I would intrust my fortune to you if I were a millionaire.”
William, less excited, rejoined: “We’ll return presently to that subject. Let us first dispose of the principal question. The old man was not taken in by my wiles, and said to me in reply: ‘It depends on which of them is the girl you’re talking about. If ’tis Louise, the elder one, here’s her dowry.’ And he enumerated for me all the lands that are around the establishment, those which are between the baths and the hotel and between the hotel and the Casino, all those, in short, which are indispensable to us, those which have for me an inestimable value. He gives, on the contrary, to the younger girl the other side of the mountain, which will be worth as much money later on, no doubt, but which is worth nothing to me. I tried in every possible way to make him modify their partition and invert the lots. I was only knocking my head against the obstinacy of a mule. He will not change; he has fixed his resolution. Reflect — what do you think of it?”
Gontran, much troubled, much perplexed, replied: “What do you think of it yourself? Do you believe that he was thinking of me in thus distributing the shares in the land?”
“I haven’t a doubt of it. The clown said to himself: ‘As he likes the younger one, let us take care of the bag.’ He hopes to give you his daughter while keeping his best lands. And again perhaps his object is to give the advantage to the elder girl. He prefers her — who knows? — she is more like himself — she is more cunning — more artful — more practical. I believe she is a strapping lass, this one — for my part, if I were in your place, I would change my stick from one shoulder to the other.”
But Gontran, stunned, began muttering: “The devil! the devil! the devil! And Charlotte’s lands — you don’t want them?”
Andermatt exclaimed: “I — no — a thousand times, no! I want those which are close to my baths, my hotel, and my Casino. It is very simple, I wouldn’t give anything for the others, which could only be sold, at a later period, in small lots to private individuals.”
Gontran kept still repeating: “The devil! the devil! the devil! here’s a plaguy business! So then you advise me?”
“I don’t advise you at all. I think you would do well to reflect before deciding between the two sisters.”
“Yes — yes — that’s true — I will reflect — I am going to sleep first — that brings counsel.”