Philippe had a little
fit of disgust, for the wretched girl did not know what anguish this
curio had cost him. Seeing him thoroughly upset, she tried to contain
herself.
"Gracious me, it isn't my fault! It was cracked; those old things barely
hold together. Besides, it was the cover! Didn't you see the bound it
gave?"
And she once more burst into uproarious mirth.
But though he made an effort to the contrary, tears appeared in the
young man's eyes, and with that she flung her arms tenderly round his
neck.
"How silly you are! You know I love you all the same. If one never
broke anything the tradesmen would never sell anything. All that sort of
thing's made to be broken. Now look at this fan; it's only held together
with glue!"
She had snatched up a fan and was dragging at the blades so that the
silk was torn in two. This seemed to excite her, and in order to show
that she scorned the other presents, the moment she had ruined his she
treated herself to a general massacre, rapping each successive object
and proving clearly that not one was solid in that she had broken them
all. There was a lurid glow in her vacant eyes, and her lips, slightly
drawn back, displayed her white teeth.
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