me. I
detest politics and journals--I am told quite enough about them.
Politics! that which takes my husband from me! My uncle, Doctor Reboux,
often said to me: 'Never marry a doctor; he is only half a husband.'
Vaudrey is like a doctor. Always absent, with his everlasting
night-sessions."

"Night-sessions?" asked Lissac.

"Yes, at the Chamber--continually--"

Guy determined to betray nothing of his astonishment; but he knew now as
surely as if he had learned everything, why Sulpice neglected Adrienne.
The fool! some girl from the Opera! some office-seeker who was skilfully
entangling His Excellency! That appertained to his functions then? He
was exasperated at Vaudrey and alternately looked at him and at
Adrienne. So perfect a woman! Ravishing. What an exquisite profile, so
delicate and with such a straight nose and a delightful mouth! Was
Vaudrey mad then?

The guests rose from the table, and, as usual, the men went into the
smoking-room, leaving the salon half-empty. Madame Gerson profited
thereby to continue distilling her little slanders about Sabine, which
she did while laughing heartily. In the smoking-room the men chatted
away beneath the cloud that rose from their _londres_. The clarion tones
of Warcolier rung out above all the other voices.

Guy, seated in a corner on a divan, was still thinking of Adrienne, of
those _night-sessions_, of those expositions, of those agricultural
competitions invented by Sulpice, and caught but snatches of the
conversation, jests, and nonsensical stories which were made at the cost
of the colleagues of the Chamber and political friends:

"You know how Badiche learned at the last election that he was not
elected?"

"No, how?"

"He returned to his house, anxious as to the result of the ballot. And
he heard, what do you think? His children, a little boy and a little
girl, who on receipt of the telegram that papa was waiting for and that
mamma in her feverish expectation had opened, had already composed a
song to the air of _The Young Man Poisoned_:

Resultat tres negatif,
Ballottage positif!
Badiche est ballo--
Bate,
Est ballotte!
Oui, Badiche est ballotte;
C'est papa qu'est ballotte!

Happy precocity! genuine frightful gamins!"

"_Du Gavarni_!"

"Apropos, on what majority do you count, Monsieur le President?"

"One hundred and thirty-nine."

"That is a large one."

"I! my dear fellow,"--it was old Prangins speaking to Sena