ften, in the evening, after dinner, he went out
again, saying that he had an important rendezvous
with the English. I did not see him again until
very late at night, when he always came home a
little drunk, from having taken too many cocktails.
Every week he invited friends to dinner,—coach-
men, valets de chambre, race-track people,—these
latter very comical and weird with their twisted
legs, their deformed knees, and their appearance of
crapulous cynicism and ambiguous sex. They
talked horses, turf, women, told all sorts of disagreeable stories about the morals of their masters,
and then, becoming excited by the fumes of the
wine, began on politics. William was a superbly
uncompromising and terribly violent reactionary.
"The man for me," he cried, "is Cassagnac. A rude lad, Cassagnac! They are afraid of him. How he can write! What raps he gives! Yes, let the dirty rascals tackle this strenuous chap if they dare!"
And suddenly, at the height of the noise, Eugénie rose, paler and with shining eyes, and rushed for the door. The little one entered, his face wearing an expression of astonishment at sight of these unusual people, of these empty bottles, of this reckless pillage of the table. Eugénie had saved a glass of champagne and a plate of goodies for him. Then they both disappeared into. the adjoining room.
