Previous - next
could not escape the influence of feelings which flowed towards him,
as it were, and inundated him. He gave Eugenie a bright, caressing
look full of kindness,--a look which seemed itself a smile. He
perceived, as his eyes lingered upon her, the exquisite harmony of
features in the pure face, the grace of her innocent attitude, the
magic clearness of the eyes, where young love sparkled and desire
shone unconsciously.
"Ah! my dear cousin, if you were in full dress at the Opera, I assure
you my aunt's words would come true,--you would make the men commit
the mortal sin of envy, and the women the sin of jealousy."
The compliment went to Eugenie's heart and set it beating, though she
did not understand its meaning.
"Oh! cousin," she said, "you are laughing at a poor little country
girl."
"If you knew me, my cousin, you would know that I abhor ridicule; it
withers the heart and jars upon all my feelings." Here he swallowed
his buttered sippet very gracefully. "No, I really have not enough
mind to make fun of others; and doubtless it is a great defect. In
Paris, when they want to disparage a man, they say: 'He has a good
heart.' The phrase means: 'The poor fellow is as stupid as a
rhinoceros.' But as I am rich, and known to hit the bull's-eye at
thirty paces with any kind of pistol, and even in the open fields,
ridicule respects me."
"My dear nephew, that bespeaks a good heart."
"You have a very pretty ring," said Eugenie; "is there any harm in
asking to see it?"
Charles held out his hand after loosening the ring, and Eugenie
blushed as she touched the pink nails of her cousin with the tips of
her fingers.
"See, mamma, what beautiful workmanship."
"My! there's a lot of gold!" said Nanon, bringing in the coffee.
"What is that?" exclaimed Charles, laughing, as he pointed to an
oblong pot of brown earthenware, glazed on the inside, and edged with
a fringe of ashes, from the bottom of which the coffee-grounds were
bubbling up and falling in the boiling liquid.
"It is boiled coffee," said Nanon.
"Ah! my dear aunt, I shall at least leave one beneficent trace of my
visit here. You are indeed behind the age! I must teach you to make
good coffee in a Chaptal coffee-pot."
He tried to explain the process of a Chaptal coffee-pot.
"Gracious! if there are so many things as all that to do," said Nanon,
"we may as well give up our lives to it. I shall never make coffee
that way; I know that! Pray, who is to get the fodder for the cow
while I make the coffee?"
"I will make it," said Eugenie.
"Child!" said Madame Grandet, looking at her daughter.
The word recalled to their minds the sorrow that was about to fall
upon the unfortunate young man; the three women were silent, and
looked at him with an air of commiseration that caught his attention.
"Is anything the matter, my cousin?" he said.
"Hush!" said Madame Grandet to Eugenie, who was about to answer; "you
Previous - next
