The company left the table to go to the salon. Férulus alone did not go thither; he went off to bed, saying to himself:
"They needn’t expect me to play whist. I won’t open my door."
But a whist table was made up without the librarian; there was also a game of piquet and one of chess; in fact, the evening passed very quietly, and one might have thought that the host and hostess had been married twenty years.
But Robineau, who had obtained leave not to play, left the salon several times; he still seemed restless and distraught, although, as he looked at his wife, he kept repeating:
"She has never seemed to me so fascinating as she does to-night! My love is becoming more and more passionate."
In one of his excursions from the salon, Robineau went to his apartment, which his wife was to occupy with him thenceforth. It was quite cold, but no fire had been built in the nuptial chamber, and the groom said to himself:
"I am terribly afraid of being cold to-night with my wife; not that—but still, this room should have been warmed."
He left the room and happened to meet Jeannette; thereupon he recalled the stout maiden’s functions; an idea occurred to him, he struck his forehead joyfully and called the servant.
"Jeannette, you will warm the marriage-bed to-night, do you hear?"
"Oh! monsieur wants his bed warmed?"