Page:Cerise, a tale of the last century (IA cerisetaleoflast00whytrich).pdf/517

 Malletort walked about from one to the other like the presiding genius of the commotion. For these he had a jest, for those a secret, for all a word of encouragement, a smile of approval; and yet busy as he was, he never took his eye off Florian, watching him as one watches a wild animal caught in a snare too weak to insure its capture, and likely to break with every struggle.

Without appearing to do so, he had counted over the guests and found their number complete.

"Gentlemen," said he, in a loud, open voice, "I have laid out pen and ink in the Cedars, as my poor apartment is loftily entitled. If you will honour me so far, I propose that we now adjourn to that chamber, and there draw out the conditions of our match!"

Every man of them knew he had a halter round his neck, and the majority were long past the flush of youth, yet they scuffled upstairs, and played each other practical jokes, like schoolboys, as they shouldered through the narrow doorway into the room.

Malletort, signing to Captain Bold, and taking Florian's arm, brought up the rear.

"How now, Mrs. Dodge?" he called out, as he crossed the threshold. "I ordered a fire to be lighted. What have you been about?"

"Alice must be sent for! Alice had been told! Alice had forgotten! How careless of Alice!" And Mrs. Dodge, in the presence of such eligible customers, really felt much of the sorrow she expressed for her niece's thoughtlessness.

When Alice did arrive to light the fire, her candle went out, her paper refused to catch, her sticks to burn; altogether, she put off so much time about the job, that, despite her good looks, the meeting lost patience, and resolved to go to business at once; Captain Bold, who had recovered his impudence, remarking that, "If what he heard from London was true, some of them would have warm work enough now before all was done!"

The captain seemed a privileged person: all eyes turned on him anxiously, while several eager voices asked at once—

"What more have you heard?"

Bold looked to the Abbé for permission, and on a sign