Madame de Rivry endeavoured in vain to induce her daughter to listen to reason; but as her indulgence did not extend so far as to make her forget what she owed to others, she resisted all her complaints.
Madame de Croissy offered to take one of her grandchildren with her, but this offer was not made with any emphasis, as she was desirous of seeing justice done, and would have been very sorry if, on this occasion, Madame de Rivry had yielded to her daughter. Madame d'Aubonne said nothing, for she saw that it would have been quite useless.
Julia sulked, and even cried, the whole afternoon. She was so much accustomed to have her own way, that the slightest contradiction was a violent grief to her. During their walk she was constantly wiping her eyes, while Madame de Rivry tried to console her, but to no purpose. This distressed Eudoxia so much, that she whispered to her mother, "If I dared, I would beg Madame de Rivry to give my place to Julia."
"It would do no good," said her mother; "but if you like, as you have a slight cold, I will say to-morrow that I should prefer your not going in the calèche, I think that will be better."
"Oh no, mamma," said Eudoxia quickly, "I assure you the calèche will not do my cold any harm."
"I agree with you, my child, that the inconvenience is not of sufficient importance to deprive you of this pleasure, neither should I have proposed it to you, had I not thought that you wished to give up your place to Julia."
"You would like perhaps to propose it in such a way that her mother would refuse it?"
"Or else you wish it to be known that it is you who give it up to her?"
"But, mamma, is it not natural to wish Julia to know that it is I who would give her this pleasure, and not any one else?"
"And even if that were possible, do you think that this mode of affording Julia pleasure would be agreeable to her? Suppose, for instance, that you had behaved in as childish a manner as she has done, and that any one of your age had offered to yield her place to you, and thus shown how very good she was, and how much the reverse you were, would you not have felt greatly humiliated by this kindness?"
"Nevertheless this is the humiliation you wish to impose on Julia, as the price of the pleasure you would afford her."