Nana's court was growing and growing,
and her present triumph caused many loiterers to join her. Indeed, that
movement which had made her carriage a center of attraction to the whole
field was now ending in an apotheosis, and Queen Venus was enthroned
amid suddenly maddened subjects. Bordenave, behind her, was muttering
oaths, for he yearned to her as a father. Steiner himself had been
reconquered--he had deserted Simonne and had hoisted himself upon one of
Nana's carriage steps. When the champagne had arrived, when she lifted
her brimming glass, such applause burst forth, and "Nana! Nana! Nana!"
was so loudly repeated that the crowd looked round in astonishment for
the filly, nor could any tell whether it was the horse or the woman that
filled all hearts.

While this was going on Mignon came hastening up in defiance of Rose's
terrible frown. That confounded girl simply maddened him, and he wanted
to kiss her. Then after imprinting a paternal salute on both her cheeks:

"What bothers me," he said, "is that now Rose is certainly going to send
the letter. She's raging, too, fearfully."

"So much the better! It'll do my business for me!" Nana let slip.

But noting his utter astonishment, she hastily continued:

"No, no, what am I saying? Indeed, I don't rightly know what I'm saying
now! I'm drunk."

And drunk, indeed, drunk with joy, drunk with sunshine, she still raised
her glass on high and applauded herself.

"To Nana! To Nana!" she cried amid a redoubled uproar of laughter and
bravoes, which little by little overspread the whole Hippodrome.

The races were ending, and the Prix Vaublanc was run for. Carriages
began driving off one by one. Meanwhile, amid much disputing, the name
of Vandeuvres was again mentioned. It was quite evident now: for two
years past Vandeuvres had been preparing his final stroke and had
accordingly told Gresham to hold Nana in, while he had only brought
Lusignan forward in order to make play for the filly. The losers were
vexed; the winners shrugged their shoulders. After all, wasn't the thing
permissible? An owner was free to run his stud in his own way. Many
others had done as he had! In fact, the majority thought Vandeuvres had
displayed great skill in raking in all he could get about Nana through
the agency of friends, a course of action which explained the sudden
shortening of the odds. People spoke of his having laid two thousand
louis on the horse, which, supposing the odds to be