of women! Oh, le fourbe! And then they must
start to guffaw while sharing the yarn with their
boon companions. Nor would any of them listen to
Goundran's denials for to them he now seemed a
very fine fellow. Oh, le fourbe! The jests would fall
thick and fast, growing more and more turgid with
each fresh remonstance, so that in the end Goundran
held his peace, for what was the use of wasting one's
breath when nothing could silence their wit but a
knifing?
As for Eusebe, he was so vastly tickled that he grew
aggressively cordial to Goundran, popping out of
his shop like a Jack-in-the-box whenever he glimpsed
the unfortunate fisher: 'Come and drink to your dear
little friend;' he would urge, and then he might start
his intolerable winking, or give Goundran a knowing
dig in the ribs, or, worse still, make a gesture pregnant
with meaning. It seemed fruitless for Goundran to
turn his broad back and stalk on as a sign of contempt
and aversion, Eusebe's skin could be thicker than his
hides when he did not desire to become offended,
so that finally Goundran avoided the street, unless
he were going to the Benedit's, and would take his
strolls in another direction.
There were people however, quite a number of
them, who looked far less lightly upon moral lapses;
and who, whether they had believed that Mathilde
was enleagued with the Lord or enleagued with Satan,
were shocked at the thought of the youthful Elise
having suffered so callous and base a betrayal; and
these people were able to make themselves felt to
some purpose, when mustered by Madame Roustan,
Goundran shrugged his shoulders and went his way,
telling himself that since he was guiltless the accu-
sation must speedily die, done to death by the very
nature of its venom. Still, being a friendly and
peaceable man he valued not only peace but friend-
168