"Who, pray?"
"Mon Dieu! you know well enough: your dancing damsel—your Rosette."
"Oh! my Rosette!"
"Dame! I think that I may fairly say your Rosette, for she must surely have become yours since the day—— To be sure, she may be others' also, and in that case the possessive pronoun would be of doubtful propriety."
"Call her what you will, Frédérique; I attach little importance to that. But I am surprised to find that my liaison with that girl displeases you. Why is it so? I can't understand. You are too intelligent to believe that such amourettes can impair the pure friendship I have sworn to you."
Frédérique put her hand over her eyes and turned her face away.
"But you are mistaken!" she exclaimed. "It is not true! Your liaison with this grisette doesn't displease me at all. Upon my word! why should it, pray?—But I would have liked you to know five or six at the same time; that would be more amusing; I should enjoy that immensely."
At that moment I heard voices outside, and recognized Pomponne's.
"Monsieur is having a consultation with someone," he said.
"I don't care a hang for his consultation; I can go in any time, I can!" was the reply.