What a pretty sight a divorce suit
would be! Couldn't he imagine the advocate of the countess amusing Paris
with his remarks about Nana? Everything would have come out--her fiasco
at the Varietes, her house, her manner of life. Oh dear, no! She had
no wish for all that amount of advertising. Some dirty women might,
perhaps, have driven him to it for the sake of getting a thundering big
advertisement, but she--she desired his happiness before all else. She
had drawn him down toward her and, after passing her arm around his
neck, was nursing his head close to hers on the edge of the pillow. And
with that she whispered softly:
"Listen, my pet, you shall make it up with your wife."
But he rebelled at this. It could never be! His heart was nigh breaking
at the thought; it was too shameful. Nevertheless, she kept tenderly
insisting.
"You shall make it up with your wife. Come, come, you don't want to hear
all the world saying that I've tempted you away from your home? I should
have too vile a reputation! What would people think of me? Only swear
that you'll always love me, because the moment you go with another
woman--"
Tears choked her utterance, and he intervened with kisses and said:
"You're beside yourself; it's impossible!"
"Yes, yes," she rejoined, "you must.
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