She noticed
that the supply of knives and forks was rather scanty; but many
economical housewives keep most of their silver under lock and
key; besides the china was very handsome and marked with the
General's monogram, surmounted by his wife's coronet.
However, the dinner was badly cooked and poorly served. One might
have supposed it to be a scullery maid's first attempt. Still the
General devoured it with delight. He partook ravenously of every
dish, a flush rose to his cheeks, and an expression of profound
satisfaction was visible upon his countenance. "From this,"
thought Mademoiselle Marguerite, "I must infer that he usually
goes hungry, and that this seems a positive feast to him." In
fact, he seemed bubbling over with contentment. He twirled his
mustaches a la Victor Emmanuel, and rolled his "r," as he said,
"Sacr-r-r-r-r-e bleu!" even more ferociously than usual. It was
only by a powerful effort that he restrained himself from
indulging in various witticisms which would have been most
unseemly in the presence of a poor girl who had just lost her
father and all her hopes of fortune. But he did forget himself so
much as to say that the drive to the cemetery had whetted his
appetite, and to address his wife as Madame Range-a-bord, a title
which had been bestowed upon her by a sailor brother.
Crimson with anger to the very roots of her coarse, sandy hair--
amazed to see her husband deport himself in this style, and almost
suffocated by the necessity of restraining her wrath, Madame de
Fondege was heroic enough to smile, though her eyes flashed
ominously.
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