And Chérubin did what he could to mask another contortion; he was attacked by gripes which fairly tortured him; he realized that he had the colic, and not for anything on earth would he have had Madame Célival guess what had happened to him.
However, it is not a crime to feel indisposed! But we weak mortals, who seek sometimes to exalt ourselves to the rank of gods, we blush because we are subject to all the infirmities of the simplest of God’s creatures; there are times when we are sorely embarrassed to be at once the man of the world and the natural man. Poor Chérubin found himself in that predicament; the plums were playing him a very treacherous trick.
Madame Célival could not misunderstand the young marquis’s tone. Piqued, too, because she could no longer read in his eyes either affection or desire, she exclaimed after a moment:
“Evidently, monsieur, you find it dull with me.”
“Why, madame, I swear to you that that is not true--far from it; but----”
“But you would prefer to be with Madame de Valdieri, wouldn’t you?”
“Oh, no! that is not where I would like to be at this moment!”
“Indeed! where would you like to be at this moment, monsieur?”
Chérubin did not know what to reply; he endured with difficulty another sharp pain, and felt the cold perspiration standing on his forehead. He cut a very sad figure at that moment, and did not in the least resemble a lover.
Madame Célival looked at him; she compressed her lips angrily, and cried:
“Oh! what an extraordinary face you are making! Such a thing was never seen before--by me, at all events. Come, monsieur, speak, explain yourself; something is the matter, certainly.”
And the fair widow, still impelled by the tender sentiment which spoke in Chérubin’s favor, walked toward him and would have taken his hand; but he hastily drew back, faltering in a stifled voice:
“Oh! don’t touch me, madame, I implore you!”
“What does that mean, monsieur? I beg you to believe that I have not the slightest desire to touch you,” retorted Madame Célival, offended by the alarm depicted on the young man’s face. “But, monsieur, I am justified in being surprised by the ill humor that has suddenly taken possession of you; I did not expect that I should--er--frighten you by showing you what pleasure it gave me to entertain you.--Ha! ha! it is most amusing, on my word!”