You take things easily, and you have fewer prejudices even
than I, who pretend to have none, but who in reality have three or
four. Happy man, you are strong and you are free. But what the deuce,"
demanded the young man in conclusion, "do you propose to do with such
advantages? Really to use them you need a better world than this. There
is nothing worth your while here."
"Oh, I think there is something," said Newman.
"What is it?"
"Well," murmured Newman, "I will tell you some other time!"
In this way our hero delayed from day to day broaching a subject
which he had very much at heart. Meanwhile, however, he was growing
practically familiar with it; in other words, he had called again, three
times, on Madame de Cintre. On only two of these occasions had he found
her at home, and on each of them she had other visitors. Her visitors
were numerous and extremely loquacious, and they exacted much of their
hostess's attention. She found time, however, to bestow a little of it
on Newman, in an occasional vague smile, the very vagueness of which
pleased him, allowing him as it did to fill it out mentally, both at the
time and afterwards, with such meanings as most pleased him. He sat by
without speaking, looking at the entrances and exits, the greetings and
chatterings, of Madame de Cintre's visitors.
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