"Those were his very words, dame?" added she again, repeating them--
not for inquiry, but for secret joy.
"His very words, my Lady! But why should the Royal Intendant not
have his heart's desire as well as that great lady in France? If
any one had forbidden my marrying the poor Sieur Tremblay, for whom
I did not care two pins, I would have had him for spite--yes, if I
had had to marry him as the crows do, on a tree-top!"
"But no one bade you or forbade you, dame! You were happy that no
one came between you and your heart's desire!" replied Caroline.
Dame Tremblay laughed out merrily at the idea. "Poor Giles Tremblay
my heart's desire! Listen, Lady, I could no more get that than you
could. When I was the Charming Josephine there was but one, out of
all my admirers, whom I really cared for, and he, poor fellow, had a
wife already! So what was I to do? I threw my line at last in
utter despair, and out of the troubled sea I drew the Sieur
Tremblay, whom I married, and soon put cosily underground with a
heavy tombstone on top of him to keep him down, with this
inscription, which you may see for yourself, my Lady, if you will,
in the churchyard where he lies:
"'Ci git mon Giles,
Ah! qu'il est bien,
Pour son repos,
Et pour le mien!'
"Men are like my Angora tabby: stroke them smoothly and they will
purr and rub noses with you; but stroke them the wrong way and
whirr! they scratch your hands and out of the window they fly! When
I was the Charming--"
"Oh, good dame, thanks! thanks! for the comfort you have given me!"
interrupted Caroline, not caring for a fresh reminiscence of the
Charming Josephine.
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