Nana (Barnes & Noble Classics) - Emile Zola [53]
She hastened out of the room, leaving George on the floor, his coat tails sweeping the carpet. He blushed as he noticed Daguenet watching him. However, they had begun to feel a certain affection for each other. They re-arranged their neck-ties in front of the big looking-glass, and gave one another a brush, to get rid of the white powder that hung about their clothes from their contact with Nana.
“It’s just like sugar,” murmured George, with a laugh of a greedy baby.
A footman, hired for the night, ushered the guests into the parlour—a narrow room, in which four easy-chairs only had been left, so as to leave more space for the people. From the drawing-room close by could be heard a noise of crockery and plate being moved about; whilst a bright light shone under the door. Nana, on entering, found Clarisse Besnus, whom La Faloise had brought, already seated in one of the chairs.
“What! you are the first!” said Nana, who treated her familiarly since her own success.
“Well! it’s his fault,” replied Clarisse. “He is always afraid of being too late. If I had listened to him, I should not even have waited to take my wig and my make-up off.”
The young man, who met Nana for the first time, bowed and complimented her, spoke of his cousin, and sought to hide his confusion under an excess of politeness. But Nana, without listening to him, without even knowing who he was, shook his hand, and hastened to receive Rose Mignon. She became, at once, most ladylike.
“Ah! dear madame, how kind of you! I longed so much to have you with us!”
“It is I who am charmed, I assure you,” said Rose, equally amiable.
“Pray sit down. Do you require anything?”
“No, thank you. Ah! I have forgotten my fan in my pelisse.ae See, Steiner, in the right hand pocket.”
Steiner and Mignon had entered behind Rose. The banker went out and returned with the fan; whilst Mignon fraternally embraced Nana, and made Rose kiss her too. Were they not all of the same family, they of the theatre? Then he winked his eye, as though to encourage Steiner; but the latter, disconcerted by Rose’s fixed look, did not venture to do more than kiss Nana’s hand. Just then the Count de Vandeuvres arrived with Blanche de Sivry. There was a great deal of bowing and curtseying. Nana most ceremoniously led Blanche to a chair. Vandeuvres laughingly related that Fauchery was having a row below, because the concierge would not allow Lucy Stewart’s carriage to enter the courtyard. They could hear Lucy Stewart in the anteroom speaking of the concierge as a dirty blackguard. But when the footman opened the door, she advanced graceful and smiling, pronounced her name herself, and took hold of both Nana’s hands, saying she loved her as soon as ever she saw her, and that she thought she had a wonderful talent. Nana, all proud of her position as mistress of the house, but greatly confused, murmured her thanks. She seemed, too, to be rather pre-occupied ever since Fauchery’s arrival. As soon as she was able to get near him, she asked in a low voice. “Will he come?”
“No, he declined,” roughly replied the journalist, taken unawares, although he had prepared a long rigmarole to explain Count Muffat’s refusal. He at once saw his stupidity as he noticed how the young woman paled, and he tried to modify what he had said. “He was not able to come; he has to take the countess to-night to the ball at the Ministry of the Interior.”
“All right,” murmured Nana, who suspected he had not troubled himself in the matter, “I’ll make you smart for that, my boy.”
“Look here!” he returned, indignant at the menace, “I don’t care for such errands. Another time give them to Labordette.”
They were both quite angry and turned their backs on each other. At that moment Mignon pushed Steiner up against Nana. When she was alone he said to her in a low voice, with the good-natured cynicism of a pal wishing to oblige a friend, “You know, he’s dying for love of you. Only, he’s afraid of my wife. You’ll protect him, won’t you?”
Nana pretended not to understand. She smiled, and looked at Rose, her husband,