Once, when he caught sight of Pierre's bewildered, terrified
look, as he heard his master address his merry guest as the Duke of
Vallombreuse--who ought to be dead, if he was not--he fairly roared with
laughter, and was as full of fun and frolic as a school-boy out for
a holiday; Meantime de Sigognac, whilst he endeavoured to play the
attentive host, and to respond as well as he could to the young duke's
lively sallies, could not recover from his surprise at seeing him
sitting there opposite to himself, as a guest at his own table--making
himself very much at home, too, in the most charming, genial, easy way
imaginable--and yet he was the haughty, overbearing, insolent young
nobleman, who had been his hated rival; whom he had twice encountered
and defeated, in fierce combat, and who had several times tried
to compass his death by means of hired ruffians. What could be the
explanation of it all?
The Duke of Vallombreuse divined his companion's thoughts, and when the
old servant had retired, after placing a bottle of especially choice
wine and two small glasses on the table, he looked up at de Sigognac and
said, with the most amicable frankness, "I can plainly perceive, my dear
baron, in spite of your admirable courtesy, that this unexpected step of
mine appears very strange and inexplicable to you.
Pages:
589
590
591
592
593
594
595
596
597
598
599
600
601
602
603
604
605
606
607
608
609
610
611
612
613