She was in a melting mood and kept whispering to him all sorts of
mysterious things about gentlemen of the first fashion who were still
running after Nana. Twice he had to push away her knee, for she was
positively invading him in her gushing, tearful mood. Prulliere behaved
with great incivility toward Mme Maloir and did not once help her to
anything. He was entirely taken up with Nana and looked annoyed at
seeing her with Fontan. Besides, the turtle doves were kissing so
excessively as to be becoming positive bores. Contrary to all known
rules, they had elected to sit side by side.
"Devil take it! Why don't you eat? You've got plenty of time ahead of
you!" Bosc kept repeating with his mouth full. "Wait till we are gone!"
But Nana could not restrain herself. She was in a perfect ecstasy of
love. Her face was as full of blushes as an innocent young girl's, and
her looks and her laughter seemed to overflow with tenderness. Gazing on
Fontan, she overwhelmed him with pet names--"my doggie, my old bear,
my kitten"--and whenever he passed her the water or the salt she bent
forward and kissed him at random on lips, eyes, nose or ear. Then if
she met with reproof she would return to the attack with the cleverest
maneuvers and with infinite submissiveness and the supple cunning of
a beaten cat would catch hold of his hand when no one was looking,
in order to kiss it again.
Pages:
369
370
371
372
373
374
375
376
377
378
379
380
381
382
383
384
385
386
387
388
389
390
391
392
393