Jacqueline -- Volume 2

interests were concerned, lent herself with the best possible grace to everything that might amuse and distract Jacqueline, of whom she had by this time grown afraid. Not that she n

struck Madame de Nailles was the suddenness of this transformation. Jacqueline evidently took no further interest in Marien; she had apparently no longer any affection for herself-she, who had

papa!" with an air of pity, as she kissed him, which made Madame de Nailles's flesh creep, and sometimes she would amuse herself by making ambiguous remarks which shot arrows of

re than suspected, not without cause, that Fraulein Schult was false to h

o an end since I have found out that his devotion belongs to an elderl

consideration, so that Jacqueline, soon feeling that she was for the present under no control, took the bit between her teeth. No other impression can adequately convey an idea of the sort of fury with which she plunged into pleasure and excitement, a state of mind which apparently, without any transition, succeeded her late melancholy. She had done with sentiment, she thought, forever. She meant to be practical and positive, a little Parisienne, and "in the swim." There were plenty of examples among those she knew tha

wooden horse at Blackfern's w

boy-like gayety. They were called "the Blue Band," because of a sort of uniform that they adopted. We speak of them intentionally as masculine, and not feminine, because what is masc

the open street. Nothing was private; neither the meals, nor the coming and going of visitors. It must be said, however, that the inhabitants of these glass houses were very seldom at home. Bathing, and croquet, or tennis, at low water, on the sands, searching for shells, fishing with nets, dances at the Casino, little family dances alterna

m, and scolded him, and teased him, and contended for his attentions, while no better could be had, on purpose to tease one another. Oh! what a delightful time he had had! They did not leave him to himself one moment. He had to lift them into their saddles, to assist them as they clambered over the rocks, to superintend their attempts at swimming, to dance with them all by turns, and to look after them in the difficult character of Mentor, for he was older than they, and were they not entrusted to his care? What a serious responsibility! Had not Mentor even found himself too often timid and excited when o

d not count; what was he but he

waned. He was no longer the only one. The grown-up brother of the Wermants came to Treport-Raoul, with his air of a young man about town-a boulevardier, with his jacket cut in the latest fashion, with his cockle-shell of a boat, which he managed as well on salt water as on fresh, sculling with his arms bare, a cigarette in his mouth, a monocle in his eye, and a pith-helmet, such a

ling, and had a great mind to strike him after he saw him waltzing with Jacqueline. But

ving near her friend Madame de Nailles, recruiting herself after the fatigues of the winter season. Such being the situation, the young girls of the Blue Band might have tried in vain to make any impression upon him. But the hatred with which he inspired Fred found some relief in the composition of fragments o

yes were brimming

troubled by a

over!-since in

sions perish

e wrote

ne is but the

Fortune upon yo

love's in ques

f tenderness possible for a woman t

l, poor Siebel!

this life and

now it is not

othing that can

ains is fond

vain to find a rhyme

f one grief e

t, to feel mere

ness the dear

ad been aware that he sat up late at night-his sleeplessness was not the insomnia of genius-for she had seen the glare of

satisfaction to his 'amour-propre', for Madame d'Argy thought the verses beautiful. A mother's geese are always swans. But it was only when she said, "I don't see why you should not marry your Jacqueline-such a thing is not by any means impossible,

liveliness, and recruit her health, before the fatal wedding-day arrived. M. de Talbrun liked ladies to be always well and always lively, and it was her duty to see that Giselle accommodated herself to his taste; sea- bathing, life in the open air, and merry companions, were the things sh

orward to the comfort of weeping in the arms of Jacqueline, who, the last time she had seen her, had been herself so unhappy. But what was her astonishment to find the young girl, who, a few weeks before, had made her such tragic confidences through the grille in the convent parlor, transformed into a creature bent on excitement and amusement. When she attempted t

t pretend to be a man whose bachelor life had been altogether blameless, but he considered himself to be a "correct" man, according to what he understood by that expression, which implied neither talents, virtues, nor good manners; nevertheless, all the Blue Band agreed that he was a finished type of gentleman-hood. Even Raoul's sisters had to confess, with a certain disgust, that, whatever people may say, in our own day the aristocracy

possible, after which the game began, with screams, with laughter, a little cheating and some disputes, as is the usual custom. All this appeared to amuse Oscar de Talbrun-exceedingly. For the fi

paring to roquer the red one. The way in which he fixed his eyes upon her gave great offense to Fred, and did it not alarm and shock Giselle? No! Giselle looked on calmly at the fun and talk around her,

eemed to mind her being stupid, and indeed M. de Talbrun hardly thought of her existence, up to the moment when they were all nearly caught by the first wave that came rolling in over the croqu

de in his park! It is a good thing to know one's ground in all circumstances, but especially in playing croquet. Then, dexterously passing from the game to the players, he went on to say, under cover of giving Fred a warning, that a man need not fear going too far with those girls from America-they had known how to flirt from the time they were born. They could look out for themselves, they had talons and beaks; but up

ng himself absurd, he would gladly have stood forth as the champion of the Sparks, the Wermants, and all the other members of the Blue Band, so that he might give vent to the anger raging in his heart on hearing that odious compliment to Jacqueline. Why was he not old enough to marry her? What right had that detestable Talbrun to ta

elle, he could not refrain from saying to her, "Don't you obj

e should not." And then, with a faint laugh, she ad

me," she said, looking fixedly into the face of her future grandson-in- l

kly and good-humoredly. "It

ve not particularly enchanted them, and she had brought up Giselle with all those passive qua

Madame de Monredon's, since the terrible event which had filled her mind with doubts. She th

hat men who are very fascinating always remain bachelors. That is probably why Mon

around that star of beauty, Madame de Villegry, had been by degr

er moral character. There are some women who, because they stop short of actual vice, consider themselves irreproachable. They are willing, so to speak, to hang out the bush, but keep no t

became too troublesome, she got rid of him by persuading him to marry. She had before this proposed several young girls to Gerard de Cymier, each one plainer and more insignificant than th

ves in all degrees of ugliness and deformity. Of course Madame de Villegry did not bathe, being, as she said, too nervous. She was sitting under a large parasol and enjoying her

d of thing you wished

a tone of

have? All young girls are like that

ould only

hat they do more than exist till they are married. A husband has to make whatever he chooses o

nd of instruction; but you will permit me to think that, as to person, I should at

elegant outline of her slender figure, clad in a bathing-suit of white flannel, which clung

, breaking off what he was saying: "And

but already the young girl, over whose shoulders an attentive servant had flung a wrapper-a 'p

llegry. "Well, my dear child, d

e young girl, giving

who ha

which could be seen clearly under the clinging folds of the wet drapery. Her form could be discerned from head to foot, though nothing was uncovered but the pretty little arm which held together with a careless grace the folds of her raiment. The eye of the experienced observer ran rapidly over the outline of her figure, till it reached the dark head and the brown hair, which rippled in little curls over her forehead. Her complexion, slightly golden, was not protected by one of those absurd hats which many bathers place on top of oiled silk caps which fit them closely. Neither was the precaution of oiled silk wanted to protect the thick and curling hair, now sprinkled with great drops

rom her back hair, shaking it and letting it fall down her back with a slightly imp

bathing-house. "I never should have thought that it was all her own! There

quietly, "she will be very goo

nearly e

to sleep a child, and wakes up old enough to be married. Would y

h about her dot. I look ou

acqueline de Nailles come

daughter of

house in the Parc Monceau and a chateau

if I should marry, I should like, for my wife's sake, to l

ught you might have asked more. It is true that if you have been suddenly thunderstruck that

eeing you are always urging me to marry, as to wish m

ould be very glad if my little friend Jacque

c devotion. The youth of Mademoiselle de Nailles is an advantage, for I might indulge myself in th

ous, but everybody in society appears so, and one never knows what may happen any day. You would not do amiss if, before you go on, you were to talk with Wer

port, is he not? I

ll Monday. You have

think I am in

rrow you will not know exactly the amount of

e something else to th

he said,

idden me ever

en Madame de Ville

to present you this evening t

red loosely together and confined by a ribbon of the same color as her gown, and she wore a little sailor hat besides. In this costume she had been called by M. de Talbrun the "Fra Diavolo of the Seas," and she never better supported that part, by liveliness and audacity,

ip. He had taken leave of Jacqueline with a pang in his heart which he could hardly hide, but to which no keen emotion on her p

e," thought Jacqueline,

could only see me I

he last flash of resentment and hatred that came to her in that

d the obsequies o

is M. de Nailles

is very much admired? Her success has been extraor

ssented rathe

ho is always hanging around you, by the way, has been making inquiries of him, in a manner that looks as if it

g but talk to me of M. de Cymier-of his birth, his fortune, his abilities- the charming young fellow seems gifted with everything. He could be Secretary of Legation, if he liked to quit Paris: In the meantim

t quietly to be set aside. Well, then, it would be best to dispose of her in so natural a way. When Jacqueline's slender and graceful figure and the freshness of her bloom were no longer brought into close comparison with her own charms, she felt she should appear much younger, and should recover some of her prestige; people would be less likely to remark her increasing stoutness, or the red spots

d. We should have, in that case, to fall back on Fred, for I have not told you everything. This morning Madame d'Argy, who has done nothing but weep since her boy went away, and who, she says, never will get accustomed to the life of misery and anxiety she will lead as a sailor's

tay with her when we go to Italy! She wishes to court her by proxy. But

ose the chil

with a very sharp- sighted young person. Nothing esc

s, in her turn, smil

t she should weigh for and against a match before deciding. She may spend several years t

ral y

d not marry off Ja

ly not as old as she, is mar

d you thought

by events, especially when they are founde

e," added M. de Nailles, ending her sente

Baronne paled und

o Madame d'Argy?" s

the young fellow's

prefer Monsieur de Cym

tter offers-a bird i

nished her sentence

d is not to be despised.

radiant at some foreign court. Let me manage it. Let me bring her o

rs-was acting precisely in accordance with the wishes or the will of Jacqueline, who, having found much enjoyment in th

pmother. "I shall only have politely to let her suspect that such a thing may have occurred as having

in her case more quickly than usual, which produced in her character and feelings phenomena that might have seemed curious to an observer. She was something of a woman, something of a child, something of a philosopher. At night, when she was dancing with Wermant, or Cymier, or even Talbrun, or on horseback, an exercise which all the Blues were wild about, she was an audacious flirt, a girl up to anything; and in the morning, at low tide, she might be seen, with

d are as easily swept away as the sand barriers raised against the sea by childish hands; that everywhere there must be flux and reflux, that the beach the children had so dug up would soon become smooth as a mirror, ready for other little ones to d

erself with a smile, exa

lles had said

ws? Ambassadress!