The Project Gutenberg EBook of "Le Monsieur De La Petite Dame", by
Frances Hodgson Burnett

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Title: "Le Monsieur De La Petite Dame"

Author: Frances Hodgson Burnett

Release Date: November 4, 2007 [EBook #23329]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK "LE MONSIEUR DE LA PETITE DAME" ***

Produced by David Widger

"LE MONSIEUR DE LA PETITE DAME"

By Frances Hodgson Burnett

Copyright, 1877

It was Madame who first entered the box, and Madame was bright with
youthful bloom, bright with jewels, and, moreover, a beauty. She was
a little creature, with childishly large eyes, a low, white forehead,
reddish-brown hair, and Greek nose and mouth.

"Clearly," remarked the old lady in the box opposite, "not a
Frenchwoman. Her youth is too girlish, and she has too petulant an air
of indifference."

This old lady in the box opposite was that venerable and somewhat severe
aristocrat, Madame de Castro, and having gazed for a moment or so a
little disapprovingly at the new arrival, she turned her glasses to the
young beauty's companion and uttered an exclamation.

It was at Monsieur she was looking now. Monsieur had followed his wife
closely, bearing her fan and bouquet and wrap, and had silently seated
him self a little behind her and in the shadow.

"_Ciel!_" cried Madame de Castro, "what an ugly little man!"

It was not an unnatural exclamation. Fate had not been so kind to the
individual referred to as she might have been--in fact she had been
definitely cruel. He was small of figure, insignificant, dark, and wore
a patient sphynx-like air of gravity. He did not seem to speak or move,
simply sat in the shadow holding his wife's belongings, apparently
almost entirely unnoticed by her.

"I don't know him at all," said Madame de Castro; "though that is not to
be wondered at, since I have exiled myself long enough to forget and be
forgotten by half Paris. What is his name?"

The gentleman at her side--a distinguished-looking old young man, with a
sarcastic smile--began with the smile, and ended with a half laugh.

"They call him," he replied, "Le Monsieur de la petite Dame. His name is
Villefor