“You have two more chances—we will give you three opportunities all together.”
Toni said not a word in reply. He only wondered dumbly, how much of life that meant for him.
CHAPTER XX
On the afternoon of the day when they returned to Beaupré Paul Verney ordered Toni to report to him at the Château Bernard for a message. Paul and Lucie were having tea together at a little table on the terrace when Toni arrived. Anything more brilliant and sparkling than Lucie’s face could not be imagined. She smiled charmingly on Toni, inquired after Denise and sent word to her to come to the château. Paul looked as cheerful and composed as ever, and said to Lucie in quite a matter-of-fact, husbandlike manner:
“I have some business to attend to, so I must ask you to excuse me.”
Lucie had found out this early in her married life, that when Paul had business to attend to she must vanish, which she did promptly. Then Paul, lighting his cigar gaily, said to Toni, standing at attention, the picture of dejection:
“Well, Toni, I think I have settled those two fellows. I had a talk with the colonel about them to-day and he says that while we were away on the practice march some of their doings came to light, and that we would be able to send them to Algiers as disciplinaires. There is a batch going off next week, and we shall try to send our friends along with them.”
“How long will they be away?” asked Toni.