Page:The Count of Monte-Cristo (1887 Volume 1).djvu/90

70 "Make yourself quite easy on that point," answered Villefort, with one of his sweetest smiles; "you and I will always consult upon our verdicts."

"My love," said the marquise, "attend to your humming-birds, your lap-dogs, and embroidery; let your husband mind his business. Nowadays the military profession has rest; the long robe is in credit. There is a Latin proverb about it, very profound."

Cedant arma togæ, said Villefort, with a bow.

"I would not dare to speak Latin," replied the marquise.

"Well," said Renée, "I cannot help regretting you were not a physician. Do you know I always felt a shudder at the idea of even a destroying angel, angel though he be?"

"Dear, good, Renée!" whispered Villefort, as he gazed with tender ness on the speaker.

"Let us hope, my child," cried the marquis, "That M. de Villefort may prove the moral and political physician of this province; if so, he will have achieved a noble work."

"And one which will go far to efface the recollection of his father's conduct," added the incorrigible marquise.

"Madame," replied Villefort, with a mournful smile, "I have already had the honor to observe that my father has—at least I hope so—abjured his past errors, and that he is, at the present moment, a firm and zealous friend to religion and order—a better royalist, possibly, than his son; for he is one, with repentance; I, only with passion."

Having made this well-turned speech, Villefort looked carefully round to mark the effect of his oratory, much as he would have done in the court after a like phrase.

"Do you know, my dear Villefort," cried the Count de Salvieux, "that is as nearly as possible what I myself said the other day at the Tuileries, when questioned by his majesty's principal chamberlain touching the singularity of an alliance between the son of a Girondin and the daughter of an officer of the Duke de Condé. He understood it thoroughly. This system of fusion is that of Louis XVIII. Then the king, who, without our suspecting it, had overheard our conversation, interrupted us by saying, 'Villefort,'—observe that the king did not pronounce the word Noirtier, but, on the contrary, placed considerable emphasis on that of Villefort—'Villefort,' said his majesty, 'is a young man of discretion, who will make a figure; I like him much, and it gave me great pleasure to hear that he was about to become the son-in-law of M, le Marquis and Madame la Marquise de Saint-Méran. I should myself have recommended the match, had not the noble marquis anticipated my wishes by requesting my consent to it.'"

"The king said that, Count?" asked the enraptured Villefort.