The hour for informing her had arrived; he might
stand in need of her advice.
Felicite awaited, on the morrow, a disclosure which did not come. She
did not dare to confess her curiosity; but continued to feign ignorance,
though enraged at the foolish distrust of her husband, who, doubtless,
considered her a gossip, and weak like other women. Pierre, with
that marital pride which inspires a man with the belief in his own
superiority at home, had ended by attributing all their past ill-luck to
his wife. From the time that he fancied he had been conducting matters
alone everything seemed to him to have gone as he desired. He had
decided, therefore, to dispense altogether with his consort's counsels,
and to confide nothing to her, in spite of his son's recommendations.
Felicite was piqued to such a degree that she would have upset the whole
affair had she not desired the triumph as ardently as Pierre. So she
continued to work energetically for victory, while endeavouring to take
her revenge.
"Ah! if he could only have some great fright," thought she; "if he would
only commit some act of imprudence! Then I should see him come to me and
humbly ask for advice; it would be my turn to lay down the law."
She felt somewhat uneasy at the imperious attitude Pierre would
certainly assume if he were to triumph without her aid. On marrying this
peasant's son, in preference to some notary's clerk, she had intended to
make use of him as a strongly made puppet, whose strings she would pull
in her own way; and now, at the decisive moment, the puppet, in his
blind stupidity, wanted to work alone! All the cunning, all the feverish
activity within the old woman protested against this.
Pages:
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171