The voice of Monsieur Peyrade disturbed the triumph of his son; mine host, who had been very much surprised at not finding him superintending the getting-up of the new carriage, was now still more so at seeing him all in a perspiration, with a racket in his hand. Monsieur Alphonse, however, in haste ran to the house, washed his face and hands, put on his new coat, and his polished shoes, and in ten minutes we were in full trot, on the road to Puygarey. All the Illian tennis-players and a great many of the spectators followed us with cries of joy; and scarcely could the vigorous horses which drew us keep ahead of these intrepid Catalonians.
We arrived at Puygarey, and the marriage train were on the point of proceeding to the town-hall, when Monsieur Alphonse, striking his forehead, said to me in a low voice:
'What a blunder! I have forgotten my ring! It is on the finger of the Venus; devil take her! However, say nothing to my mother; perhaps she will not notice it.'
'Could you not send some one back for it?' said I.
'Bah! my servant remained at Ille; and I cannot trust these fellows. Twelve hundred francs' worth of diamonds; 't would be too great a temptation. And beside, what would they think of my forgetfulness? They would run their jokes upon me, and call me the husband of the statue. If it is not stolen——Luckily, however, these rascals are afraid of the statue, and dare not come within arm's length of her. Bah! 't is no matter; this other ring will do.'
The two ceremonies, religious and civil, were performed with suitable pomp; and Mademoiselle de Puygarey received the ring of a Parisian milliner, without suspecting that the bridegroom had made for her the sacrifice of a pledge of love. The party then seated themselves at table, where they ate, drank, and even sang by turns. I pitied the bride, for the coarse and vulgar jests to which she was exposed. She, however, made the best of her situation, and her embarrassment was neither that of awkwardness nor affectation. Possibly courage comes with difficult situations.
At length breakfast terminated, and it was now nearly four o'clock: the men walked out into the park, which was a magnificent one, where they amused themselves with looking at the peasant girls of Puygarey in holyday attire, dancing on the greensward of the chateau. In this manner we whiled away some hours. In the mean time the women crowded around the bride to admire her wedding presents. Afterward, she changed her apparel, and I noticed that she covered her beautiful tresses with a cap, and hat, and feathers, for married women usually lose no time in assuming the dress which custom forbids them to wear as maidens.
It was nearly eight o'clock when all were in readiness to set off on our return to Ille. And then a pathetic scene took place. The aunt of Mademoiselle de Puygarey, who had supplied to her the place of a mother, a very aged and pious lady, was not able to accompany us to the city. At the leave-taking, she made to her niece a long and touching speech on the duties of a wife, which produced a torrent of tears, and kisses, and embracings without end. Monsieur Peyrade compared this separation to the rape of the Sabines. We at length got away, and during the journey, every one attempted to divert the bride, and make her smile, but in vain.
At Ille, supper was waiting for us, and such a supper! If the coarse jollification of the morning had shocked me, still more so now, did the vulgar jests and rude jokes of which the bride and groom were especially the subjects. The bridegroom, who had disappeared for a few moments before seating himself at table, looked pale and haggard. He drank freely every few moments, of the old wine of Collioure, which was almost as strong as brandy. As I was seated by his side, I thought proper to caution him.
'Be careful!' said I; 'they say that wine'——I hardly know what foolish speech, in accordance with the tone of the company, I was about making, when he touched my knee, and in an under tone, whispered: