At this, Madame Josserand at once became very sour again. What! Berthe knew it! Why of course she knew it, every one knew it. Her husband alone, whom she pointed out conducting an old lady to the refreshment bar, was still ignorant of the story. She even intended to get some one to tell him everything, for it made him appear too stupid to be always behind every one else, and never to know anything.
“And I, who have been slaving to hide the catastrophe” said Madame Josserand, beside herself. “Ah, well! I shall not put myself out any more, it must be put a stop to. I will not tolerate their making you ridiculous.”
Every one did indeed know it. Only, so as not to cast a gloom over the ball, it was not talked about.
“She is better,” Campardon, who had taken another peep, hastened to say. “One can go in.”
A few male friends ventured to enter. Valerie was still lying down, only the attack was passing off; and, out of decency, they had covered her bosom with a napkin, found lying on a sideboard. Madame Juzeur and Madame Duveyrier were standing before the window listening to Doctor Juillerat, who was explaining that the attacks sometimes yielded to hot water applications to the neck.
But the invalid, having seen Octave enter with Campardon, called him to her by a sign, and spoke a few incoherent words to him in a final hallucination. He had to sit down beside her, at the doctor’s express order, who was desirous above all not to thwart her; and thus the young man listened to her disclosures, he who, during the evening, had already heard the husband’s. She trembled with fright, she took him for her lover, and implored him to hide her. Then she recognized him, and burst into tears, thanking him for his lie of the morning during mass. Octave thought of that other attack, of which he had wished to take advantage, with the greedy desire of a school-boy. Now, he was her friend, and she would tell him everything, perhaps it would be better.
At this moment, Théophile, who had continued to wander up and down before the door, wished to enter. Other men were there, so he could very well be there himself. But his appearance created a regular panic. On hearing his voice, Valérie was again seized with a fit of trembling, every one thought she was about to have another attack. He, imploring, and struggling amongst the ladies, whose arms thrust him back, kept obstinately repeating:
“I only ask her for the name. Let her tell me the name.”
Then, Madame Josserand, arriving, gave vent to her wrath. She drew Théophile into the little room, to hide the scandal; and said to him furiously:
“Look here! will you shut up? Ever since this morning you have been badgering us with your stupidities. You have no tact, sir; yes, you have absolutely no tact at all! One should not harp on such things on a wedding day.”