'For the poor? One can _quêter_; that is always amusing. I stood at the door of S. Philippe after Mass last month, and I got such a bagful of napoleons, and I wore a frock, _couleur de feu_, and a Henri-Trois hat, and Monseigneur himself kissed me--it was great fun--there was a crowd in the street, and one of them said, "'Est crâne, la pétiote!" It was a baker's boy said it; I threw him a napoleon out of the bag.'
'Oh, Blanchette!--out of the alms money!'
'Why not? I put a dragée in instead, and I dare say the boy was poor, or he wouldn't have had a basket on his head. Monseigneur said to mamma that I was one of the children of heaven!'
And Blanchette made her _pied de nez_, and waltzed round on one foot.
'You could buy the whole of Siraudin's and not feel it,' she resumed enviously. 'You could buy half Paris they say; why don't you?'
'I have all I want,' said Yseulte; 'very much more than I want.'
'That is nonsense; one need never stop wishing----'
'One must be very ungrateful then,' said Yseulte. 'But you can wish as much as you like this morning; you shall have your wishes. Only I should like to hear you wish that Toinon were with you. Poor Toinon, at home with her sore throat!'
'I don't wish that at all,' said Blanchette sturdily. 'She pinches, she gobbles, and _she_ is vulgar, if you like; she swears like the grooms. You know our rooms overlook the stables; we can hear all the men say when they are cleaning the horses. Toinon makes signals to the English tiger Bob, and he to her. Toinon will only marry someone who keeps a fine _meute_ and good colours for a hunting-dress. She only lives for the Cours Hippique. She got her sore throat because she would go on M. de Rochmont's break when it was raining.'
'Poor Toinon! You ought to be so fond of each other. If I had had a sister----'
'Ab-bah!' said Blanchette; 'you would have hated her! I can never have a scrap of pleasure in a new frock because Toinon always has one too; I know I do not make half the effect I should do if I were all alone!'
'Hush! If Toinon died, only think how sorry you would be!'
Blanchette laughed in silence; she did not dare to say so, but she thought that if Toinon did die it would be a bore in one way, because death always dressed one in black, and shut one up in the house; but otherwise--there were quantities of Toinon's things which she would like to possess herself, and in especial a set of pink coral, which Toinon's godmother, the Queen of Naples, had given her, which was delicious. Blanchette's own godmother was but little use to her, being a most religious and most rigid Marquise, who dwelt on her estates in a lonely part of La Vendée, and only made her presents of holy books and crucifixes and relics in little antique boxes.