"Oh! I am too weak," she cried; "you abuse my weakness—ah! Dieu! Well, give me your hand and escort me to my apartment. But I won't show it to you, I tell you!"
Albert took the hand that Madame Plays offered him, and, with a bow to her husband, left the room with her by the little door.
Monsieur Plays seemed overjoyed, and whispered in Albert's ear as he passed:
"I know her; I promise you that she'll show it to you."
XVIII
A SECRET PACT.—THE PÂTÉ DES ITALIENS
It was only nine o'clock in the morning, and Célestin de Valnoir was already ringing at Madame Baldimer's door. Rosa, her maid, answered the bell, and smiled at the young man as if she were expecting him.
"This is a very early hour for me to call on your mistress," said Célestin, assuming a presumptuous, self-sufficient air; "but I received a note from Madame Baldimer last evening, in which she informed me of her return to Paris and requested me to call this morning before nine; and I am always prompt at a rendezvous with a lovely woman."
"Yes, monsieur; madame expects you, for she told me to admit you as soon as you came."
"Madame Baldimer is still in bed, I suppose?"
"No, monsieur; madame got up early, because she expected you."