They ran into Mademoiselle Aimee and Dutertre stopped, lured by her seductive eyes, and joked with her familiarly. She looked flushed, and a little embarrassed, but pleased.
This time Mademoiselle Sergent displayed no jealousy; on the contrary … Whereas my heart always jumps a trifle when that little creature appears.
Ah! How badly that’s all turned out!
I buried myself so deep in my thoughts that I didn’t notice that gawk Anais executing a war-dance round me.
‘Will you leave me in peace, you filthy monster!
I don’t feel like playing today.’
‘Oh yes, I know! You’ve got the District Superintendent on your mind … My goodness me, you don’t know which one to listen to these days – Rabastens, Dutertre, who else?
Have you made your choice?
And what about Mademoiselle Lanthenay?’
She whirled round me, her eyes diabolical in a face that was motionless but secretly furious.
For the sake of getting some peace, I flung myself on her and pounded her arms with my fists: she yelled at once, like a coward, and made her escape. I pursued her and hemmed her in in the corner by the pump where I poured some water on her head, not much, just the dregs of the communal drinking-cup.
She lost her temper completely.
‘You know, that’s idiotic.
That’s not the thing to do.
I happen to have a cold. You’re making me cough!’
‘Cough away!
Doctor Dutertre will give you a free consultation … and throw in a little something extra!’
The arrival of the lovelorn Duplessis interrupted our quarrel.
He was transfigured, since two days ago, that Armand! His radiant eyes proclaimed that Aimee had granted him her hand, along with her heart and her faith, all tied up in one parcel!
But when he observed his sweet fiancee joking and laughing over there between Dutertre and the Headmistress, with the Superintendent teasing her and Mademoiselle Sergent encouraging her, his eyes clouded.
Aha! So I wasn’t the only one who was jealous!
I really believe he would have turned round and gone away if the Redhead herself hadn’t called out to him.
He ran up to them with great strides and bowed low to Dutertre who shook his hand familiarly, as if congratulating him.
The pale Armand blushed, became radiant once more and looked at his little fiancee with tender pride.
Poor Richelieu, I feel distressed about him!
I don’t know why, but I’ve an idea that this Aimee, who half-pretends to be unconscious and who commits herself so hastily, will bring him no happiness.
Anais was so busy watching the group, determined not to miss a single gesture, that she forgot all about abusing me.
‘I say,’ she whispered to me very low, ‘what are they doing all together like that?
Whatever’s up?’
I blurted out:
‘What’s up is that Monsieur Armand – the compass – Richelieu – has gone and asked for Mademoiselle Lanthenay’s hand and she’s bestowed it on him and they’re engaged! And, at this particular moment, Dutertre is congratulating them.
That’s what’s up!’ ‘Ah … Is that really true?
You mean, he’s asked for her hand, to get married?’
I couldn’t help laughing; she had let the word out so naturally, with a guilelessness that was quite unlike her!
But I did not let her vegetate in her innocent surprise.
‘Run – run and fetch something – it doesn’t matter what – from the classroom and listen to what they say.
If I go, they’ll be suspicious at once!’
She dashed off. As she passed the group, she adroitly lost her wooden sabot (we all wore sabots in the winter) and kept her ears stretched as she put it on again, taking as long as possible.
Then she vanished and reappeared, ostentatiously carrying her mittens which she slipped on her hands as she returned to me.
‘What did you overhear?’
‘Monsieur Dutertre was saying to Armand Duplessis:
“I am not going to wish you good luck, Monsieur. That would be superfluous when you’re marrying such a girl as this.”
And Mademoiselle Aimee Lanthenay lowered her eyes – like this.
But, honestly, I’d never have believed it was all fixed up – as definite as all that!’
I was astonished too, but for a different reason!
Aimee was going to get married and this no longer produced any effect on Mademoiselle Sergent?
There must certainly be something behind all this that I knew nothing about!
Why should she have gone to such lengths to conquer Aimee, why make those tearful scenes, only to hand her over now, with no further regrets, to this Armand Duplessis whom she hardly knew?
The devil take them both!
Now, once again, I’d got to wear myself to a frazzle to discover what was at the bottom of all this.