The Works of Guy de Maupassant, Volume 3 (of 8) eBook
Guy de Maupassant
it except a good bed and a dressing table. Then
she invented an old aunt for the occasion, who was
ill and always grumbling, and who suffered from heart
disease and lived in one of the suburbs, and so several
times a week Josine took refuge in her sleeping place,
and used to sleep late there as if it had been some
delicious abode where one forgets the whole world.
Sometimes they forgot to call her at the proper time;
she got back late, tired, with red and swollen eyelids,
involved herself in lies, contradicted herself and
looked so much as if she had just come from the confessional,
feeling horribly ashamed of herself, or, as if she
had hurried home from some assignation, that at last
Servance worried himself about it, thought that he
was being made a fool of like so many of his comrades
were, got into a rage and made up his mind to set
the matter straight, and so discover who this aunt
of his mistress’s was, who had so suddenly fallen
from the skies.
“He necessarily applied to an obliging agency,
where they excited his jealousy, exasperated him day
after day by making him believe that Josine Cadenette
was making an absolute fool of him, had no more a sick
aunt than she had any virtue, but that during the day
she continued the little debaucheries which she committed
with him at night, and that she shamelessly frequented
some discreet bachelor’s lodgings, where more
than probably one of his own best friends was amusing
himself at his expense, and having his share of the
cake. He was fool enough to believe these fellows,
instead of going and watching Josine himself, putting
his nose into the business and going and knocking at
the door of her room. He wanted to hear no more,
and would not listen to her. For a trifle, in
spite of her tears, he would have turned the poor thing
into the streets, as if she had been a bundle of dirty
linen. You may guess how she flew out at him
and told him all sorts of things to annoy him; she
let him believe he was not mistaken, that she had had
enough of his affection, and that she was madly in
love with another man. He grew very pale when
she said that, looked at her furiously, clenched his
teeth and said in a hoarse voice:
“‘Tell me his name, tell me his name!’
“‘Oh!’ she said, chaffingly, ‘you
know him very well!’ and if I had not happened
to have gone in I think there would have been a tragedy....
How stupid they are, and they were so happy and loved
each other so.... And now Josine is living with
fat Schweinsshon, a low scoundrel who will live upon
her and Servance has taken up with Sophie Labisque,
who might easily be his mother; you know her, that
bundle of red and yellow, who has been at that kind
of thing for eighteen years, and whom Laglandee has
christened, ‘Saecula saeculorum!’”
“By Jove! I should rather think I did!”
A USEFUL HOUSE
Royamount’s fat sides shook with laughter at
the mere recollection of the funny story that he had
promised to his friends, and throwing himself back
in the great arm-chair, which he completely filled,
that picker up of bits of pinchbeck, as they
called him at the club, at last said:
