Le Cocu Part 39

They showed us the sun and the moon, Pierrot and the devil, Cupid and the wild man. The gentleman who explained the pictures made endless speeches. The children shrieked for joy, and the ladies laughed heartily. To me it seemed very long and tedious; I could not stir from my place to go to my wife, and it was darker than ever.

Suddenly, in the very midst of his explanation, the gentleman pushed the lantern too far, so that it fell from the table to the floor; the lights were at once uncovered and the room was suddenly illuminated.

I instantly turned my eyes toward my wife. Monsieur Dulac was seated behind her, but one of her arms was hanging over her chair and her hand was in her neighbor's.

I started up so suddenly to go to Eugenie that I trod upon Giraud's feet, he was so close to me. He uttered a piercing shriek and declared that I had hurt him. I did not think of apologizing; I forced a pa.s.sage to my wife's side; her arm was no longer over the back of her chair and Monsieur Dulac was farther away.

I do not know how I looked at them, but Eugenie seemed perturbed and Monsieur Dulac's face wore a most embarra.s.sed expression.

"Take your shawl," I said abruptly to my wife; "call your daughter and let us go."

"Why are we going so soon?" asked Eugenie, looking at me in surprise.

"Because I wish it, madame. Come, no comments, but make haste."

The tone in which I said this was so new to Eugenie's ears that she rose at once to obey; moreover, people might have heard me speaking to her in that tone and I fancy that she did not desire that.

She was ready in a moment; I took my daughter's hand, and we prepared to go.

"Are you going already?" asked the mistress of the house. "Why, it isn't all over, he is going to mend the lantern."

"We cannot stay any longer," I said, curtly enough.

"I do not feel very well," murmured Eugenie; "we must go."

I did not say a word to my wife on the way home, for our daughter was with us. Poor child! I had deprived her of a part of the pleasure which she had antic.i.p.ated, but she dared not complain.

When we were at home and her daughter was in bed, Eugenie said to me in a bitter tone:

"May I know why you dragged me away so abruptly from the party where we were?"

"May I know, madame, why your hand was in Monsieur Dulac's, while the room was dark?"

"My hand in Monsieur Dulac's? You dreamed it!"

"No, madame, I did not dream it; I saw it, and saw it very distinctly."

"I do not know but that Monsieur Dulac did take my hand, by accident or in jest. I certainly did not notice it! So that was why you rushed up like a madman, and spoke to me in a threatening tone, as if you were going to strike me; that is why you drew everybody's eyes upon me, is it? No one accustomed to society was ever before known to behave as you did!"

"Madame, when I consider myself insulted, I pay little heed to society.

There was a time when you thought and acted in the same way. I do not know what sort of jesting Monsieur Dulac presumes to indulge in with you, but I warn you that I don't like it. I request you not to allow it any more."

"You expect me to mention your idiotic ideas to that young man? I will do nothing of the kind! It is perfectly absurd."

"Very well; whenever it suits me, I shall not hesitate to turn the fellow out of doors."

"I advise you to do it! The idea of turning that young man out of doors because he is pleasant and agreeable and attentive to me! You only lack that, to give you a most excellent reputation in society!"

"Be careful, madame, that you do not give me a reputation which I should like still less."

"It seems to me that it is hardly worth while to go with me in order to indulge in such scenes. Formerly you went your way, monsieur, and I went mine."

"I shall go with you whenever it suits me, madame. I am well aware that it will be a terrible nuisance to you, and I am very sorry; but you will go nowhere without me if I choose that you shall not."

"Oho! we will see about that!"

I went to my room. I did not sleep that night, I constantly saw that young man with my wife. And yet what Eugenie had told me was probable enough and might be true. But a thousand circ.u.mstances, which I remembered now, revived my suspicions when I tried to banish them.

Suppose that she were deceiving me! At that thought, a shudder ran through my whole being, and, since the evening before, I bore a heavy weight which oppressed and suffocated me.

Such torture! I was determined to know, to make sure whether I was betrayed.

But to make sure was no easy matter; women are so cunning in taking precautions! Not always, however; they who are not accustomed to intrigues sometimes allow themselves to be detected. So I was jealous at last! a jealous husband! I who had so often laughed at the type, and who had deceived so many! My turn had come! And if I were--ah! I did not know what I should do! Formerly I used to laugh about it, it all seemed so simple and so natural to me! We never put ourselves in the places of those at whom we laugh. To be sure, there are some who take the thing so indifferently, others who joke about it. Husbands of the latter cla.s.s have ceased to love their wives. But the wisest, the most sensible, do not try to make sure. On the contrary, they carefully avoid everything that might disturb their peace of mind by opening their eyes. Ah! those who act thus are very wise; why should I not do as they did?

After that long and painful night I shut myself up in my study and tried to distract my thoughts in business. It was not ten o'clock when Belan appeared; nothing could have been more disagreeable to me at that moment than his presence. He threw himself into an armchair, and said:

"This time, my dear fellow, it is impossible for me to doubt it; I am a cuckold!"

At that exordium I sprang from my chair and began to pace the floor, exclaiming testily:

"Morbleu! monsieur, you have been saying that so long that it would be very strange if you weren't."

Belan stared at me and muttered:

"If that's the kind of advice you give me!--Indeed! so that's your opinion, is it?"

"I have no opinion or advice to give you. There are times when a man should look to n.o.body for advice but himself. What I can't conceive is that a man should go about proclaiming his shame as you do."

"Proclaiming! what does that mean, I pray to know? Because I come to confide my troubles to a friend, you call it proclaiming my shame! Look you! I don't care to be a cuckold myself; every man has his own way of looking at things. I know very well that there are some husbands to whom it doesn't make any difference, who let their wives go about with their lovers and seem to pay no attention to it."

I had listened to Belan impatiently; at that moment I could contain myself no longer; I jumped at him, seized him by the collar, and shook him violently, crying:

"Did you come here to say that for my benefit, monsieur? Do you mean to insult me and to include me among those obliging husbands to whom you refer? Morbleu! Monsieur Belan, I am in no mood to endure any impertinence on that subject."

The poor little man had submitted to be shaken, being totally unable to defend himself, he was so dazed by my action. At last he cried out, gazing at me in dismay:

"Blemont, my friend, what on earth is the matter with you? You certainly are ill; you are not yourself!"

I relaxed my hold, and, ashamed of my outbreak of wrath, I threw myself in a chair and faltered:

"Yes--yes--I am not well. I thought that you meant to insult me--but----"

"I, mean to insult an old friend, when I came to confide my domestic unhappiness to him. You cause me grief, Blemont, you affect me. However, if you really think that I intended to jest about your--In the first place, I didn't know that there was any excuse for jesting about you.

However, if you want satisfaction, you know that I am not a fellow to retreat, I have furnished my proofs. I avoided the artilleryman, it is true, but one doesn't fight with a stranger; with a friend it's a very different matter."

I gave Belan my hand, saying:

"I tell you again, I don't know what got into me. You and I fight! No, no, my dear Belan, let us forget it all."