Page:Pierre.djvu/43

Rh 'Not much, Pierre; the superb fellows! Why, Pierre, they have made an officer of you—look!' and she pointed to two foam-flakes epauletting his shoulders. 'Bravissimo again! I called you my recruit, when you left my window this morning, and here you are promoted.'

'Very prettily conceited, Lucy. But see, you don't admire their coats; they wear nothing but the finest Genoa velvet, Lucy. See! did you ever see such well-groomed horses?'

'Never!'

'Then what say you to have them for my groomsmen, Lucy? Glorious groomsmen they would make, I declare. They should have a hundred ells of white favours all over their manes and tails; and when they drew us to church, they would be still all the time scattering white favours from their mouths, just as they did here on me. Upon my soul, they shall be my groomsmen, Lucy. Stately stags! playful dogs! heroes, Lucy. We shall have no marriage bells; they shall neigh for us, Lucy; we shall be wedded to the martial sound of Job's trumpeters, Lucy. Hark! they are neighing now to think of it.'

'Neighing at your lyrics, Pierre. Come, let us be off. Here, the shawl, the parasol, the basket; what are you looking at them so for?'

'I was thinking, Lucy, of the sad state I am in. Not six months ago, I saw a poor affianced fellow, an old comrade of mine, trudging along with his Lucy Tartan, a hillock of bundles under either arm; and I said to myself—There goes a sumpter, now; poor devil, he's a lover. And now look at me! Well, life's a burden, they say; why not be burdened cheerily? But look ye, Lucy, I am going to enter a formal declaration and protest before matters go further with us. When we are married, I am not to carry any bundles, unless in cases of real need; and what is more, when there are any of