"Wrestling and boxing contests!" cried Monsieur Férulus; whereupon the Auvergnats set about throwing one another down; but the peasants, being accustomed to this last form of exercise, showed more pride and obstinacy, and did their utmost to overthrow their antagonists. At such a game, tempers are easily aroused; from struggles they passed to insults, from insults to blows, and already some faces were bruised and some noses bleeding.
"Enough! enough!" cried the ladies, in no wise amused by that spectacle. "Monsieur de la Roche-Noire, make those wretches stop!"
"Mesdames," cried Férulus, "when the gladiators fought at Rome, at least half of them always remained upon the field."
"But, monsieur, we are not Romans, thank heaven! And we take no pleasure in seeing men hammer one another!"
To comply with the wishes of the ladies, Robineau ordered that the combatants be separated, although Monsieur de la Pincerie declared that it reminded him of the bull fights he had seen at Madrid. Two Auvergnats, more obstinate than the others, refused to desist; but at last François and the other servants succeeded in driving them onto the lawn, where they left them to fight it out.
Monsieur Férulus next announced that the time had come to pass from the serious to the gallant; and the servants appeared with baskets filled with bouquets for the ladies.
"Ah! good!" said Madame de Hautmont; "this is more agreeable."
"And it doesn't smell of cheese," said Monsieur Berlingue.
"Why! why, there is a paper in my bouquet," said Madame Gérard.
"A paper, madame!" said Monsieur Gérard, approaching his wife as near as his paunch permitted.
Cornélie opened the paper which was in her bouquet and read:
"'Vos attraits charment les coeurs, Vous avez grâce et jeunesse; La plus douce des faveurs Est de vous aimer sans cesse.'"[9]
"That is extremely pretty!" said Monsieur de la Pincerie, expectorating upon the villagers in the courtyard.
"And it is perfectly suited to the person to whom it is addressed," said Alfred to Mademoiselle Cornélie, who looked at him in a way to force him to say something.
"It sounds to me like the mottoes in bonbons," said Monsieur Berlingue.
"I have a poem, too," said Eudoxie; "let me see--Why, it's just like my sister's; here, look, monsieur."