“I see I have made a mistake. I am Madame de Meneval, and I supposed these to be Captain de Meneval’s quarters, but evidently they are not!”
“They are, Madame,” replied the man, very civilly.
“But I say they are not!” replied Léontine, somewhat tartly. “Captain de Meneval never entertains ladies at supper. He leads a most retired life at Melun, while here are preparations made for a gay party.”
“Pardon, Madame; but Monsieur le Capitaine is giving the party to some young ladies from the Pigeon House.”
Léontine’s first impulse was to box the soldier’s ears, but in sweeping another glance round the room she recognized her own picture over the mantel, together with a battered photograph of de Meneval’s chum, Major Fallière, and other things to convince her that Captain de Meneval was really the host of the impending supper party. She retained self-possession enough to say to the man:
“If you have finished you may go.” And he discreetly vanished.
Léontine, throwing her parasol on the sofa, began to march up and down the room in wrath and excitement.
“These are his quiet evenings! He doesn’t know anything about the Pigeon House since he was married! I shouldn’t have minded it if he had told me all about it, but to pretend to such economies, and at the same time be secretly indulging in these extravagances—these shameless orgies—oh, it is too much!”
Léontine had completely forgotten Putzki and Louise and the object of her sudden descent on her husband. While she was walking up and down, becoming every moment more angry and wrought up, the door opened, and in walked Major Fallière. Léontine recognized him at once from his picture—a soldierly looking man, slightly bald, immaculately well dressed, and bearing in his air the reason for his sobriquet, the Pink of Military Propriety. But his eye was not unkind; on the contrary, he was distinctly in the class of men designated by women as dear old things; and as such Léontine felt an instant confidence in him.
The correct Major was not so correct, however, that he hesitated to march up to Léontine, and chucking her playfully under the chin, remarked: