Page:Cerise, a tale of the last century (IA cerisetaleoflast00whytrich).pdf/367

 which close reasoning is but labour thrown away. I think that woman wise who is careful never to weary her husband. The little god thrives well on smiles, and is seldom stronger than when in tears. While he frowns and sets his teeth, he is capable of a lion's efforts and a mule's endurance, but when he begins to yawn, he is but like other children, and soon falls fast asleep.

Cerise hated George to speak to her in that grave tone. It grated on the poor girl's nerves, and frightened her besides, which was indeed unreasonable, for he had never said a harsh word to her in his life. She looked timidly in his face, and answered meekly enough—

"Every place is dull to me, George, without you. I wish I could be always with you—to help you with the tenants, to dine with you at the court-house, to sit behind you on Emerald when you go for a gallop across the moor. Why could I not ride with you this morning?"

He laughed good-humouredly, and stroked the hands clasped on his wrist.

"It would have been the very thing, Cerise!" said he. "I think I see you assisting at a cock-fight, placing the fowls, picking them up, and counting them out! I think I can see Sir Marmaduke's face when you walked into the pit. I think I can hear the charitable remarks of all our county ladies, who are not disposed to let you off more easily, my dear, because you are so much better-looking and better dressed than anything they ever saw north of the Trent. Yes, my darling, come to the next cock-fight by all means. Il ne manquerait que ça!"

The little French sentence was music to her ears. It was the language in which he had wooed her; and though she spoke his language now assiduously, and spoke it well, the other was her mother-tongue. She laughed, too.

"Perhaps I shall take you at your word," said she, "though it is a cruel, horrid, wicked amusement. Did you win, George?"

"Fifty gold pieces!" was his answer; "and the same on a return match next week, which I am equally sure of. They will get you two new dresses from Paris."

"I want no dresses from Paris," said she, drawing him