THE GOOD FELLOW. 



rand ! The embraces and introductions concluded, they exclaimed, ' Come ! 

 let's dance ! Places ! ' ' My son-in-law, Emilius, will dance with Flora/ cried 

 Mr. Tigre; ' cousin Cloutaint, we'll face them/ But Charles continued mo- 

 tionless, gazed at Mongerand, and stirred not his&ow?/ ' Play up, there 

 Music ! ' cried several voices. Here Mongerand perceived the eyes of Charles 

 fixed upon him he suddenly divined the cause of the obstinate silence of the 

 violin. Without betraying any embarrassment, he ran up to Charles, took 

 his hand, shook it forcibly, exclaiming, ' No, I am not mistaken it is my 

 brave La Valeur ! ' ' What ! do you know our violin-player ? ' said Mr. Tigre, 

 while the company gazed in astonishment upon the son-in-law and the mu- 

 sician. ' Know him !' rejoined Mongerand ' why he is one of our old hus- 

 sars a brave fellow ! He saved my life twice ! By all that's sacred I am 

 delighted to see him here ! Oh, poor La Valeur ! ' ' Ah, 'tis one of his 

 troopers,' said Madam Tigre ; ' Oh, I understand it now/ All this while 

 Mongerand gave most significant looks to Charles, and muttered between his 

 teeth, ' Be silent above all, no cursed absurdities/ ' Mongerand, you are a 

 villain, an infamous ' ' Hold your tongue/ ' You have borrowed from my 

 mother, in my name/ ' It is to repay you that I am here/ ' You can't marry 

 this girl, for you have a wife already/ ' What's that to you? that's my bu- 

 siness ; my wife must be dead ; I am sure I must be a widower come, strike 

 up/ ' But ' ' Hush ! What are you to get ?' ' Fifteen francs/ ' I'll make 

 it six-arid-thirty.' 'But I can't permit * Mongerand now ceased to speak in 

 an under tone to Charles, and retired, saying, ' Come, my brave fellow, I am 

 with your family is so well : play us one of those delightful country-dances, 

 glad which you enlivened us in quarters. Let's to our places, divine Flora ! ' 



' Excellent ! most exquisite music ! ' said Mongerand, at every turn, when 

 Charles had at length set them in motion. ' He plays us the same tune very 

 often/ said a young man who danced beside the intended. ' Sir, what is 

 charming can never be played too often, and I know no air so fit for dancing/ 

 This was said in such a positive tone, that every body was convinced." 



A waltz is called for Charles does not happen to know one, and 

 plays up his old tune of ' Tron la la/ 



" The waltzers started, but they found it difficult to proceed, because the 

 air was not one, two, three. Mongerand, with more address, immediately 

 made it answer, and whirled Flora along through the crowd of motionless 

 dancers. ' Do you know no other waltz ? ' said a dancer to Charles, who 

 only replied by playing ' Tron la la' more energetically. But Mongerand 

 stopped not; he whirled Flora along with accelerated velocity. Mr. Tigre 

 cried out, 'The air is excellent my son-in-law dances it superbly! Mon 

 Dieu ! how they spin 'tis frightful ! ' Flora had lost three little combs ; 

 one side of her head-dress floated on her shoulders the perspiration streamed 

 down her face ; but she did not ask to stop ; and Mongerand kept humming, 

 as he kicked every thing that came in his way ' Tron la la. Just so, by all 

 that's glorious! '" 



The entrance of a guest who recognizes Montgerand as a married 

 man, spreads terror, dismay and indignation amid the festivity. Sir 

 Ezzelin's " 'Tis he," in the brilliant h-\ll of Otho, did not produce a 

 more astounding effect. Mongerand behaves like another Lara. 



" ' Sir/ said uncle Caesar, advancing towards Mongerand with a deter- 

 mined air, ' know that a family established in the fur line for thirty years, is 

 not to be trifled with in this way, and that we can ' ' I know I know that 

 you are tiresome. To the devil with you and your niece no marriage at 

 present good night.' ' Kick him out/ cried all the young cousins, indig- 

 nant at this impertinent reply, while Flora went to faint beside her mother. 

 ' Who talks of kicking me out ? ' said Montgerand, drawing himself up 

 proudly in the middle of the room ; ' let him come forward ; I am his man. 



