Uncle Mignon, on the contrary, had taken a seat modestly behind his niece Cornélie and was arranging the upper part of her sleeves, which had become a little rumpled in the carriage. The other guests stood about in groups or watched the preparations for the fête from the windows. Monsieur Berlingue strolled about the salon, scrutinizing everybody with a sly expression, listening to what was said, and trying to guess what was not said. The Chevalier de Tantignac, who was the last to enter the salon, contrived to catch his spurs in a lady’s dress, so that he might secure for himself the pleasure of exclaiming:
"How careless I am! I forgot to take off my spurs. Oh! I beg you to excuse me, madame, but I am so accustomed to being in the saddle."
"What have you done with your steed, pray?" said Monsieur Berlingue; "I didn’t see him when you came into the courtyard."
"I dismounted a few yards from the gate to avoid accidents, because my horse has a horrible trick of rearing; then I did as I always do, I struck him twice across the flank, and he at once trotted back alone to his stable. He is trained to do that, he is a pupil of Franconi.—But I must make haste to relieve myself of this equestrian apparatus!"
"Please pull my belt up a little, uncle. That’s right; now put a pin in there.—These carriages disarrange one’s dress terribly."
As she said this, Mademoiselle Cornélie glanced at Alfred, and seemed to demand the compliment which what she had just said invited; but it did not occur to Alfred to bestow it upon her. In his stead, Robineau picked up the gauntlet, crying:
"The carriage might do its worst, it could not prevent you from being charming!"
Mademoiselle Cornélie, after smiling at Robineau, looked after Alfred who had gone to speak to some other ladies.
"It is certain," said Madame de Hautmont, playing with her bouquet, "that someone ought to invent a different method of transportation from these carriages. A lady cannot alight from one of them without being jarred from head to foot. Uncle Mignon, give me a stool to put my feet on."
Uncle Mignon dropped his niece Cornélie’s sleeves to find a stool for his niece Eudoxie, while Monsieur de la Pincerie exclaimed angrily: