"Oh! monsieur le baron grasps it all very quickly," replied Madame Chambertin, in a voice upon which the smoke seemed to have had a serious effect.
"Look out! there goes the bouquet!"
The bouquet exploded amid applause and shouts of bravo! The company returned to the house, enchanted by the display, and Madame Chambertin came out of the summer-house with monsieur le baron.
"The bouquet was fine," said Chambertin, rubbing his hands.
"I am still a little dazed by it," said madame, tremulously.
"It was worthy of the lord of this domain," added Dubourg.
"Upon my word," said Chambertin, "I believe I am almost that."
"You are altogether, my dear friend; it is I who say it."
"When a man of your eminence assures me of it, monsieur le baron, I can no longer doubt it."
But it was after eleven o'clock, and that is unduly late in the country. Those of the guests who lived at some distance entered their carriages; those who lived in the village ordered their servants to light their lanterns; they took leave of Monsieur and Madame Chambertin, congratulating them on the magnificence of their party; they bowed deferentially to monsieur le baron, and departed to their respective abodes. Thereupon Monsieur Chambertin, thinking that his illustrious friend must long for repose, and seeing that the learned Ménard had fallen asleep in the salon, ordered the servants to escort those gentlemen to their rooms.