Rose was in a gray silk gown trimmed with red knots and
with puffs; she was smiling happily at the joyous behavior of Henri and
Charles, who sat on the front seat, looking awkward in their ill-fitting
collegians' tunics. But when the landau had drawn up by the rails and
she perceived Nana sitting in triumph among her bouquets, with her four
horses and her liveries, she pursed up her lips, sat bolt upright and
turned her head away. Mignon, on the other hand, looking the picture
of freshness and gaiety, waved her a salutation. He made it a matter of
principle to keep out of feminine disagreements.
"By the by," Nana resumed, "d'you know a little old man who's very clean
and neat and has bad teeth--a Monsieur Venot? He came to see me this
morning."
"Monsieur Venot?" said Georges in great astonishment. "It's impossible!
Why, the man's a Jesuit!"
"Precisely; I spotted that. Oh, you have no idea what our conversation
was like! It was just funny! He spoke to me about the count, about his
divided house, and begged me to restore a family its happiness. He was
very polite and very smiling for the matter of that. Then I answered to
the effect that I wanted nothing better, and I undertook to reconcile
the count and his wife.
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