"Well, what happened when the opera was over?" Eugenie inquired, forcing herself to hide her emotion.
"They went away together! I saw them—I was watching them from behind a column. What a scandal!"
"And your conclusion on all this, Monsieur Desvanneaux?"
"It is that the General is deceiving you, dear Mademoiselle."
"With that young girl?"
"A bold hussy, I tell you! A Messalina! Ah, I pity you sincerely in my turn! And should a devoted consoler, a discreet avenger, be able to make you forget this outrage to your charms, behold me at your feet, devoting to you my prayers, awaiting only a word from you to become the most fortunate among the elect—"
A loud knock at the outer door spared Mademoiselle Gontier the trouble of repelling her ridiculous adorer, who promptly scrambled to his feet at the sound.
"A visitor!" he murmured, turning pale. "Decidedly, I have no luck—"
"Monsieur le Marquis de Prerolles is in the drawing-room," a domestic announced.
"Beg him to wait," said Eugenie, reassured by this visit, which was earlier than the usual hour. "You see that you are badly informed, Monsieur Desvanneaux," she added.