"That's fine! That's beautiful! Beautiful!" while his sister instinctively pressed close to him, gratefully. After the symphony he applauded loudly by way of protest against the ironic indifference of the rest of the audience. When it came to the great fiasco, he was beside himself: he stood up, shouted that Christophe was right, abused the booers, and offered to fight them: it was impossible to recognize the timid Olivier. His voice was drowned in the uproar: he was told to shut up: he was called a "snotty little kid," and told to go to bed. Antoinette saw the futility of standing up to them, and took his arm and said:
"Stop! Stop! I implore you! Stop!"
He sat down in despair, and went on muttering:
"It's shameful! Shameful! The swine!…"
She said nothing and bore her suffering in silence: he thought she was insensible to the music, and said:
"Antoinette, don't you think it beautiful?"
She nodded. She was frozen, and could not recover herself. But when the orchestra began another piece, she suddenly got up, and whispered to her brother in a tone of savage hatred:
"Come, come! I can't bear the sight of these people!"
They hurried out. They walked along arm-in-arm, and Olivier went on talking excitedly. Antoinette said nothing.
* * * * *