In course of time, the waiter having nothing to do, Melanie
dismissed him and made Phrosine light the solitary gas burner in the
corner where the domino players congregated. Occasionally a party of
young men, attracted by the gossip that circulated through the town,
would come in, wildly excited and laughing loudly and awkwardly. But
they were received there with icy dignity. As a rule they did not even
see the widow, and even if she happened to be present she treated them
with withering disdain, so that they withdrew, stammering and confused.
Melanie was too astute to indulge in any compromising whims. While the
front room remained obscure, save in the corner where the few townsfolk
rattled their dominoes, she personally waited on the gentlemen of the
divan, showing herself amiable without being free, merely venturing
in moments of familiarity to lean on the shoulder of one or another of
them, the better to watch a skillfully played game of ecarte.
One evening the gentlemen of the divan, who had ended by tolerating each
other's presence, experienced a disagreeable surprise on finding Captain
Burle at home there. He had casually entered the cafe that same morning
to get a glass of vermouth, so it seemed, and he had found Melanie
there.
Pages:
817
818
819
820
821
822
823
824
825
826
827
828
829
830
831
832
833
834
835
836
837
838
839
840
841