Page:Georges Eekhoud - Escal Vigor, a novel.djvu/53

Rh "Do you know he has already preached against you?" said Claudie.

"Indeed? he does me too much honour."

"He did not attack you directly and took care not to name you," the Burgomaster continued, "but all those present understood that he referred to your lordship, when he denounced "those fine gentlemen come from the capital, who proclaim infidel opinions, and who, wanting in all their duties, set a bad example to poor parishioners, in making light, with their dissolute manners, of the holy sacrament of marriage!" And so on and so forth! It appears he gave them a good quarter of an hour of it, at least, according to what my devotees of sisters tell us, for neither I nor mine set foot in his church!"

On hearing this allusion to his irregular establishment, the Count had slightly changed colour, and his nostrils even showed a nervous contraction of anger, which did not escape Claudie.

"Shall we not have the honour of paying our respects to Madame—or, shall I rather say, Mademoiselle …?" inquired the peasant girl, with affected hesitation.

A further expression of suppressed