He was a young man with a fine brown beard; rapidly he turned out an admiring sentence, as pointed and pretty as a candy cone.
M. Raindal thanked him with a bow, and made a sign to Mme. Raindal and Thérèse, who rose at the same time.
“You are not going already?” Mme. Chambannes asked, exaggerating her regret.
M. Raindal mumbled some excuse and they all walked together towards the hall.
A wave of relief passed over the guests. It was not one old maid but three who were disappearing through that door! A feeling of frolic was in the air; they all felt a need to let out foolish remarks and to fall back into their habits. Yet they still held themselves in hand, out of the respect which notoriety inspires in the minds of uncultured people.
When Mme. Chambannes returned, she found them all silent.
“Well, you are not very gay here,” she exclaimed, and added after a pause:
“What do you think of him?”
“Oh, your little friend is charming!” said Gerald, in the midst of an explosion of laughter.
Pums encouraged by this success tried also to say something very funny, but Jean Bunel declared in commanding tones: