'Oh, surely you like a débutante?' she said carelessly. 'It always amuses people so much, something quite new, and I believe this girl is beautiful; does not Othmar say so?'
But by this time her hostess was on her guard, and her expression wholly under control.
'I think I know whom you mean now,' she replied indifferently. 'But as to a début here—that is quite in the future. I am not fond of untried artists as I say: one does not take out unbroken horses to drive in a crowd. Genius is admirable, but I think like wine it wants time and a seal set upon it before one offers it at one's table.'
Blanche de Laon was perplexed.
'Does she know all about her, or nothing about her?' she wondered. 'I want to know more myself before I go on with it.'
Some other people approached them at that moment; the conversation turned on the règne animal ball; Blanchette, disappointed, rose and went and drank deux doigts de liqueur, and ate a caviare biscuit, in another room, where Loris Loswa was drawing some caricatures of mutual acquaintances, as the beasts of Cuvier, on his visiting cards, and distributing them amongst some ladies of fashion.
'Meet me on Saturday at eleven at the Rond point,' she murmured to him as she took from him a sketch of her brother-in-law the Duc d'Yprès as a wild boar in top boots, over which she condescended to shriek her shrillest laughter and approval.
When her rooms were all quite emptied, and she was left alone in them, Nadine remained leaning back amongst the cushions motionless and with a cold contemptuous anger on her face.
'To think that I should accept such a part as that!' she thought. 'He must be mad and the whole world with him!'