Ah! there I recognized my saucy grisette. She was quite capable of insisting on dancing all night with me; and I was not at all certain that she would not demand something else. But I would not accept her invitation, I would not go to her wedding feast. I would be more sensible than she was. I would not swear that, later on, I might not do myself the pleasure of buying a sponge of her. Meanwhile, I wished Monsieur Freluchon all happiness, and I was convinced beforehand that it would be his.
One evening, when I went home, Pomponne said to me, rubbing his hands gleefully:
"Monsieur had another visitor to-day. Mon Dieu! monsieur had only just gone out, when Madame Dauberny came."
"Madame Dauberny? Oh! how sorry I am that I didn't see her!"
"She came in; in fact, she waited for monsieur quite a long time, talking with your seamstress."
"What do you mean by my seamstress? In heaven's name, can't you say Madame Landernoy?"
"As that lady sews for monsieur, I thought she was his seamstress."
"No matter! what did Frédérique say when she went away? Will she come again to-morrow?"
"Oh! no, monsieur; she won't come again to-morrow nor any other day; for she said to me when she went away: 'You will tell your master that I shan't come again.'"
"She said that she wouldn't come again! That's impossible, Pomponne; you are mistaken; Frédérique could not have said that."