She blushed with happiness and almost simultaneously rebuffed Julien with all the anger of jealousy.
Julien's pride which had been so recently wounded made him act foolishly at this juncture.
He saw in Madame de Renal nothing but a rich woman, he disdainfully let her hand fall and went away.
He went and walked about meditatively in the garden. Soon a bitter smile appeared on his lips.
"Here I am walking about as serenely as a man who is master of his own time.
I am not bothering about the children! I am exposing myself to M. de Renal's humiliating remarks, and he will be quite right."
He ran to the children's room.
The caresses of the youngest child, whom he loved very much, somewhat calmed his agony.
"He does not despise me yet," thought Julien.
But he soon reproached himself for this alleviation of his agony as though it were a new weakness.
The children caress me just in the same way in which they would caress the young hunting-hound which was bought yesterday. _____
CHAPTER X
A GREAT HEART AND A SMALL FORTUNE _____
But passion most disembles, yet betrays,
Even by its darkness, as the blackest sky
Foretells the heaviest tempest.
Don Juan, c.
4, st. 75. _____
M. De Renal was going through all the rooms in the chateau, and he came back into the children's room with the servants who were bringing back the stuffings of the mattresses.
The sudden entry of this man had the effect on Julien of the drop of water which makes the pot overflow.
Looking paler and more sinister than usual, he rushed towards him.
M. de Renal stopped and looked at his servants.
"Monsieur," said Julien to him, "Do you think your children would have made the progress they have made with me with any other tutor?
If you answer 'No,'" continued Julien so quickly that M. de Renal did not have time to speak, "how dare you reproach me with neglecting them?"
M. de Renal, who had scarcely recovered from his fright, concluded from the strange tone he saw this little peasant assume, that he had some advantageous offer in his pocket, and that he was going to leave him.
The more he spoke the more Julien's anger increased,
"I can live without you, Monsieur," he added.
"I am really sorry to see you so upset," answered M. de Renal shuddering a little.
The servants were ten yards off engaged in making the beds.
"That is not what I mean, Monsieur," replied Julien quite beside himself.
"Think of the infamous words that you have addressed to me, and before women too."
M. de Renal understood only too well what Julien was asking, and a painful conflict tore his soul.
It happened that Julien, who was really mad with rage, cried out,
"I know where to go, Monsieur, when I leave your house."
At these words M. de Renal saw Julien installed with M. Valenod.
"Well, sir," he said at last with a sigh, just as though he had called in a surgeon to perform the most painful operation,
"I accede to your request.
I will give you fifty francs a month. Starting from the day after to-morrow which is the first of the month."
Julien wanted to laugh, and stood there dumbfounded. All his anger had vanished.
"I do not despise the brute enough," he said to himself.
"I have no doubt that that is the greatest apology that so base a soul can make."
The children who had listened to this scene with gaping mouths, ran into the garden to tell their mother that M. Julien was very angry, but that he was going to have fifty francs a month.
Julien followed them as a matter of habit without even looking at M. de Renal whom he left in a considerable state of irritation.
"That makes one hundred and sixty-eight francs," said the mayor to himself, "that M. Valenod has cost me.
I must absolutely speak a few strong words to him about his contract to provide for the foundlings."
A minute afterwards Julien found himself opposite M. de Renal.
"I want to speak to M. Chelan on a matter of conscience. I have the honour to inform you that I shall be absent some hours."
"Why, my dear Julien," said M. de Renal smiling with the falsest expression possible, "take the whole day, and to-morrow too if you like, my good friend.
Take the gardener's horse to go to Verrieres."
"He is on the very point," said M. de Renal to himself, "of giving an answer to Valenod.