And he went on thus to the end of the tirade, which had a false ring about it. She did not interrupt him; she was standing up and again scanning the pages of the ledger. Then, when he had finished, she replied:
“I know all that—I have already heard it before. But I thought you were more sensible than the others, Monsieur Octave. You grieve me, really you do, for I had counted upon you. However, all young men are foolish. We need a great deal of order in such a house as this, and you begin by desiring things which would disturb us from morning to night. I am not a woman here, I have too much to occupy me. Come, you who are so well organized, how is it you did not comprehend that it could never be, because in the first place it is stupid, in the second useless, and, moreover, luckily for me, I do not care the least about it!”
He would have preferred her to have been indignantly angry, displaying grand sentiments. Her calm tone of voice, her quiet reasoning of a practical woman, sure of herself, disconcerted him. He felt himself becoming ridiculous.
“Have pity, madame,” stammered he, before losing all hope. “See how I suffer.”
“No, you do not suffer. Anyhow, you will get over it. Hark! there is some one knocking, you would do better to open the door.”
Then he had to draw the bolt. It was Mademoiselle Gasparine, who wished to know if any lace-trimmed chemises were expected. The bolted door had surprised her. But she knew Madame Hédouin too well; and, when she saw her with her cold air standing in front of Octave, who was full of uneasiness, a slight mocking smile played about her lips as she looked at him. It exasperated him, and in his own mind he accused her of having been the cause of his ill-success.
“Madame,” declared he, abruptly, when Gasparine had withdrawn, “I leave your employment this evening.”
This was a surprise for Madame Hédouin. She looked at him.
“Why so? I do not discharge you. Oh! it will not make any difference; I have no fear.”
These words decided him. He would leave at once; he would not endure his martyrdom a minute longer.