"Well, we will see; I think that—speak to my father."
"But you, ravishing Cornélie?"
"I—I—ah! Mon Dieu! there goes the bouquet, and we are not there!"
The company had in fact arrived only in time to see the bouquet fired, and to receive a few rocket sticks in their faces; but, by way of compensation, Mademoiselle Cheval, Jeannette, Cunette, Vincent, and the scullions had had the best places, and had seen the whole display.
"This will teach them to go away when I am singing!" said Monsieur Férulus to himself, rubbing his hands.
"We should have done as well not to have stopped dancing," remarked the young ladies.
"It seems that these fireworks were discharged for the servants," said Monsieur Berlingue.
Monsieur le Marquis de la Pincerie, who appeared with his brother Mignon just as everybody else was returning, refused to believe that the fireworks had been discharged in his absence; to convince him, Mignon was forced to go out and pick up the sticks, the remains of the cartridges, and bring them to him. The guests returned to the château to resume their dancing, but when they reached the ball room they looked in vain for the orchestra. At the noise of the bombs and rockets, the blind man had fled and his two colleagues had disappeared with him. It is difficult to dance without music, so that the fête came to an end much earlier than had been expected.
Each family took its place in the carriage which had brought it. As Monsieur de Tantignac’s horse had not returned to fetch his master, the chevalier asked permission to make a tenth in the paper manufacturer’s carriage. The chariot of Monsieur de la Pincerie received once more the noble family. Madame de Hautmont entered it in a very bad temper because Edouard had not offered her his hand, which she expected him to do, in order to obtain an opportunity to ask permission to see her again. But Robineau had almost carried Mademoiselle Cornélie to the carriage in his arms, whispering in her ear:
"Prepare your father to listen to me."