“Good! that’s very nourishing; give him some prunes for dessert; they’re an emollient.”
The girl left us. We enjoyed the truffles, the chicken, and the crabs, whose claws Agathe wanted to send to Raymond. We did not forget the coup de milieu; my companion thought a great deal of that, and so did I. With his dinner de bonne fortune, that philandering Raymond had put the devil into us; he evidently thought truffles a necessity in his parties fines! But, by sending me to take his place with Agathe, he had allotted me a terrific task!
“Avenge yourself,” she kept saying to me, “avenge yourself, Eugène; you know that Raymond is responsible for our having seen your little vestal leave your rooms; you know, too, that he used to make remarks to the people in the house when I came to see you; you know that by his inquisitiveness and chattering he has made trouble between you and several women. Avenge yourself; still avenge yourself!”
What terrible creatures women are when it is a question of vengeance! Agathe still urged me, and yet my spleen was rapidly vanishing. Luckily, the girl brought the dessert. Champagne, fromage à la vanille, biscuits à la rose, gelée au marasquin, and Madame Amphoux’s liqueur des Iles. I was lost! Raymond was determined to have my life!
“I would like to know what he’s doing now,” said Agathe; “just go and speak to him.”
I left the room, and she held the door ajar to listen; I coughed gently at Raymond’s door, which he instantly opened.
“Well! how far have you got?” he asked.
“Oh! everything is going along nicely, very nicely! we are eating dessert.”
“And Gerville?”
“Oh! he’s forgotten everything!”