“Paul,” she said, in the tone of an inquisitor, “stop those shocking demonstrations toward that person and explain your conduct to me.”
“My dear Céleste,” replied Papa Bouchard, in a faint voice and almost weeping, “if you could induce this lady to stop her demonstrations I should be the happiest man on earth. And there’s no explanation to give. I’m the helpless victim of a designing woman.”
At which Madame Vernet screamed and said, trying to kiss him:
“But I will forgive you, my own Paul. I know you don’t mean what you say.”
And Élise added to Monsieur Bouchard’s anguish, and to Mademoiselle Bouchard’s horror by crying out, “Mademoiselle, he isn’t trying to get rid of her. He is tickling her and pinching her—I see him myself!”
Monsieur Bouchard thought he should have died of horror at this awful and baseless charge.
Apparently Madame Vernet was master of the situation, but Major Fallière, the cool, the resolute Fallière, came to the rescue. Going up quietly to Madame Vernet, he deliberately raised her face so he could look her squarely in the eye.
“Madame Vernet,” he said, “you seem to have lost sight of that little incident of representing my friend, Captain de Meneval, as your brother and a dangerous lunatic, and the trick you played on Dr. Delcasse. Now, I happen to know that Dr. Delcasse is determined to punish you, if he can find you, and unless you immediately leave these quarters and leave Melun I shall inform Dr. Delcasse of your whereabouts, and you will have a visit from the police.”
Madame Vernet, seeing she had met her match, disengaged herself from Monsieur Bouchard, to that gentleman’s great joy. Assuming an attitude and air of great innocence, she said:
“I don’t really understand what you mean, or even who you are. But being naturally a very diffident and retiring person, I cannot stand the least unfavorable criticism, and I shall certainly leave this censorious and unsympathetic company.”