“Monsieur Dalville will be here as soon as I am.”
“But you seem to have got here before him; did he leave you on the way?”
“Yes, monsieur.”
“Does he know anyone in the neighborhood?”
“It would seem so, monsieur.”
“At all events, he is really coming; that’s the main point.”
Destival ran back to inform the ladies that his friend Dalville would soon be there; that he had stopped to see a friend, but that he could not be long.
“Why, I didn’t know that he knew anyone in this vicinity,” said Madame Destival in surprise.
“Mon Dieu! this gentleman keeps us on the anxious seat a long while,” said the vivacious Athalie, leaving the table; while La Thomassinière, annoyed that a thought should be given to anybody but himself, paced the floor a few moments, then stamped violently, and put his hand to his forehead.
“Bless my soul!” he cried, “I had almost forgotten. What time is it? Not one yet? Is there a post office[A] anywhere near?”