"I ought to leave Guerande and return to Nantes."
The Chevalier du Halga, much surprised at being sought by the
baroness, released the chain of his little dog, aware that he could
not divide himself between the two interests.
"Chevalier," began the baroness, "you used to practise gallantry?"
Here the Chevalier du Halga straightened himself up with an air that
was not a little vain. Madame du Guenic, without naming her son or the
marquise, repeated, as nearly as possible, the love-letter, and asked
the chevalier to explain to her the meaning of such an answer. Du
Halga snuffed the air and stroked his chin; he listened attentively;
he made grimaces; and finally, he looked fixedly at the baroness with
a knowing air, as he said,--
"When thoroughbred horses want to leap a barrier, they go up to
reconnoitre it, and smell it over. Calyste is a lucky dog!"
"Oh, hush!" she cried.
"I'm mute. Ah! in the olden time I knew all about it," said the old
chevalier, striking an attitude. "The weather was fine, the breeze
nor'east. /Tudieu/! how the 'Belle-Poule' kept close to the wind that
day when--Oh!" he cried, interrupting himself, "we shall have a change
of weather; my ears are buzzing, and I feel the pain in my ribs! You
know, don't you, that the battle of the 'Belle-Poule' was so famous
that women wore head-dresses '/a la/ Belle-Poule.
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