At first,
with her French education, Madame de Florac never would have thought of
allowing the cousins to meet in her house; but with the English it was
different. Paul assured her that in the English chateaux, les meess
walked for entire hours with the young men, made parties of the fish,
mounted to horse with them, the whole with the permission of the mothers.
"When I was at Newcome, Miss Ethel rode with me several times," Paul
said; "a preuve that we went to visit an old relation of the family, who
adores Clive and his father." When Madame de Florac questioned her son
about the young Marquis to whom it was said Ethel was engaged, Florac
flouted the idea. "Engaged! This young Marquis is engaged to the Theatre
des Varietes, my mother. He laughs at the notion of an engagement." When
one charged him with it of late at the club; and asked how Mademoiselle
Louqsor--she is so tall, that they call her the Louqsor--she is an
Odalisque Obelisque, ma mere; when one asked how the Louqsor would pardon
his pursuit of Miss Newcome, my Ecossois permitted himself to say in full
club, that it was Miss Newcome pursued him,--that nymph, that Diane, that
charming and peerless young creature! On which, as the others laughed,
and his friend Monsieur Walleye applauded, I dared to say in my turn,
"Monsieur le Marquis, as a young man, not familiar with our language, you
have said what is not true, milor, and therefore luckily not mischievous.
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