You know him? So
come and see me down there."
The count was a shy man, and the thought of his roughness had frightened
him; he was ashamed of what he had done and he bowed ceremoniously,
promising at the same time to take advantage of her invitation. Then he
walked off as one who dreams.
He was rejoining the prince when, passing in front of the foyer, he
heard Satin screaming out:
"Oh, the dirty old thing! Just you bloody well leave me alone!"
It was the Marquis de Chouard who was tumbling down over Satin. The girl
had decidedly had enough of the fashionable world! Nana had certainly
introduced her to Bordenave, but the necessity of standing with sealed
lips for fear of allowing some awkward phrase to escape her had been too
much for her feelings, and now she was anxious to regain her freedom,
the more so as she had run against an old flame of hers in the wings.
This was the super, to whom the task of impersonating Pluto had been
entrusted, a pastry cook, who had already treated her to a whole week
of love and flagellation. She was waiting for him, much irritated at the
things the marquis was saying to her, as though she were one of those
theatrical ladies! And so at last she assumed a highly respectable
expression and jerked out this phrase:
"My husband's coming! You'll see.
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