Muffat, still smarting from her late refusals, sat on without appearing
to grasp her meaning. There was a silence during which the very flies
abstained from buzzing through the quiet, empty place.
"Now, look here," she resumed bluntly, "you're to get them to give me
the part."
He was dumfounded, and with a despairing gesture:
"Oh, it's impossible! You yourself were saying just now that it didn't
depend on me."
She interrupted him with a shrug of the shoulders.
"You'll just go down, and you'll tell Bordenave you want the part. Now
don't be such a silly! Bordenave wants money--well, you'll lend him
some, since you can afford to make ducks and drakes of it."
And as he still struggled to refuse her, she grew angry.
"Very well, I understand; you're afraid of making Rose angry. I didn't
mention the woman when you were crying down on the floor--I should have
had too much to say about it all. Yes, to be sure, when one has sworn to
love a woman forever one doesn't usually take up with the first creature
that comes by directly after. Oh, that's where the shoe pinches, I
remember! Well, dear boy, there's nothing very savory in the Mignon's
leavings! Oughtn't you to have broken it off with that dirty lot before
coming and squirming on my knees?"
He protested vaguely and at last was able to get out a phrase.
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