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frivolous, mercenary, heartless, and senseless, it was rather
calculated to weary than enrage a listener. A card of mine lay on
the table; this being perceived, brought my name under discussion.
Neither of them possessed energy or wit to belabour me soundly, but
they insulted me as coarsely as they could in their little way:
especially Celine, who even waxed rather brilliant on my personal
defects- deformities she termed them. Now it had been her custom to
launch out into fervent admiration of what she called my "beaute
male": wherein she differed diametrically from you, who told me
point-blank, at the second interview, that you did not think me
handsome. The contrast struck me at the time and-'
Adele here came running up again.
'Monsieur, John has just been to say that your agent has called and
wishes to see you.'
'Ah! in that case I must abridge. Opening the window, I walked in
upon them; liberated Celine from my protection; gave her notice to
vacate her hotel; offered her a purse for immediate exigencies;
disregarded screams, hysterics, prayers, protestations, convulsions;
made an appointment with the vicomte for a meeting at the Bois de
Boulogne. Next morning I had the pleasure of encountering him; left
a bullet in one of his poor etiolated arms, feeble as the wing of a
chicken in the pip, and then thought I had done with the whole crew.
But unluckily the Varens, six months before, had given me this filette
Adele, who, she affirmed, was my daughter; and perhaps she may be,
though I see no proofs of such grim paternity written in her
countenance: Pilot is more like me than she. Some years after I had
broken with the mother, she abandoned her child, and ran away to Italy
with a musician or singer. I acknowledged no natural claim on
Adele's part to be supported by me, nor do I now acknowledge any,
for I am not her father; but hearing that she was quite destitute, I
e'en took the poor thing out of the slime and mud of Paris, and
transplanted it here, to grow up clean in the wholesome soil of an
English country garden. Mrs. Fairfax found you to train it; but now
you know that it is the illegitimate offspring of a French opera-girl,
you will perhaps think differently of your post and protegee: you will
be coming to me some day with notice that you have found another
place- that you beg me to look out for a new governess, etc.- Eh?'
'No: Adele is not answerable for either her mother's faults or
yours: I have a regard for her; and now that I know she is, in a
sense, parentless- forsaken by her mother and disowned by you, sir-
I shall cling closer to her than before. How could I possibly prefer
the spoilt pet of a wealthy family, who would hate her governess as
a nuisance, to a lonely little orphan, who leans towards her as a
friend?'
'Oh, that is the light in which you view it! Well, I must go in
now; and you too: it darkens.'
But I stayed out a few minutes longer with Adele and Pilot- ran a