'Men only care for us from selfish motives-to exhibit us if we are pretty, to show themselves in our company if we are clever. No! If I gave myself up to a man, he would be such a superior being that I should admire, if not love him.
'Alas! my poor girl, I lost my mother before I knew her; my father was a mathematician, who taught me to believe in nothing but straight lines, squares and circles He used to call God the 'Supreme Unity', he called the universe 'the great whole', and death, 'the great problem'.
'He departed this life when I was only fifteen years old, leaving me penniless and devoid of any illusions. I became an actress, and now of what use is my art to me? To despise the work which I act; to find naught but historical heresies in dramas.
'Of what use to me are my intellectual powers? To find in dramas of the heart the shortcomings of sentiment; to shrug my shoulders at the conceit of the authors who read their productions to me. The major part of my success I reproach myself with as I would a bad action, or an encouragement of bad taste. At first I wished to speak on the stage as one speaks in everyday life-I produced no effect. I ranted when speaking-then I gained applause. At first I composed my own parts rationally, poetically, in masterly touches-they said: 'Good; very good'. I then overdid the part and showed the whites of my eyes; I shouted, I screamed-and there were thunders of applause in the house. The men who pay me compliments do not praise my merits, but my faults; and women do not understand my notions of beauty.
'A compliment which misses its mark hurts one as much as any criticism which does hit the mark. But, thank heaven, I make enough money not to need the favours of anybody.
I had rather die than owe anything to a man and have to say to him: 'Here is my body, repay yourself with it!' No, I had rather die!
'I can only bear women because I domineer over them; because I am their master, their lord, their spouse. But they are wayward, wilful and devoid of intellect. With a few exceptions, they are inferior beings, created for submission. I see no merit in subduing a woman. And then she will complain of being tyrannized, and will deceive you.
'No, no! Look you, Mariette, the ideal of domination is to be one's own mistress-to give nobody the right to say: 'You shall obey me.' Nobody has this right over me. I am twenty-two; am a virgin, like Herminice, like Clorinda, like Bradamante, and if ever I get tired of my virginity, I shall sacrifice it to myself. I shall have both the pain and the pleasure. I will not allow a man to be able to say: 'I possessed that woman.' '
'It is Madame's taste, there is nothing to be said.'
'It is not my taste, Mariette. It is the outcome of my Philosophy.'
'As for me,' rejoined Mariette, 'I know I should feel much humiliation in dying a virgin.'
'That misfortune will certainly not be yours. Come and dress me, Mariette.'
Florence left her bed languidly and sat in the easy chair in front of the cheval glass.
Florence, as we said before, was not exactly a pretty woman, but she had most expressive features. She had never loved except in imagination, but could render excellently the utmost violence of passion. Her peculiar talent was one rarely met with, such as that of Dorval or of Malibran.
She took her bath, breakfasted on a cup of chocolate, glanced over her part, read the Countess' letter a dozen times, grew excited over it, dined on some consomme, a couple of stewed truffles and four crawfish a la Bordelaise.
Then she went to the theatre in a state of great excitement.
The handsome young man (or rather the Countess) was in his box, and had a large bouquet on a chair close by.
At the fourth act in the course of a pathetic scene, the Countess threw the bouquet.
Florence picked it up, looked for the note inside, and read it without taking time to return to her box.
The note ran thus:
'Have I obtained your pardon? My impatience is such that I have come in person to seek for an answer. If you have forgiven me, place one of the flowers of my bouquet in your hair. In this case I shall be the most tender of lovers, the most happy of women; and I shall wait for you at the stage door with my carriage, for I hope
that instead of going home sadly alone, you will do me the pleasure of supping at my house. Odette.'
Florence, without a moment's reflection, plucked a red camellia from the bouquet, put it in her hair, and returned to the stage.
Odette almost threw herself out of the box to applaud, and Florence managed to kiss her hand to her.
Half an hour later, the Countess' carriage, with drawn blinds, was stationed in the rue de Bondy.
Florence hastily got rid of her rouge and stage ornaments, put on a Caucasian dressing gown, and rushed out of the theatre.
The black groom opened the door of the carriage and resumed his place on the box, the coachman put his horses to a rapid trot.
The Countess took Florence in her arms. But the reader is already acquainted with the latter's views concerning her own dignity. Instead of accepting the place which the Countess had provided for her in her arms and on her knees, she seized the Countess in her vigorous grasp, lifted her like a child, and with one movement of her strong arm, like a wrestler who lays low his adversary, she placed Odette across her knees, pressing her lips to hers, put her tongue in her mouth, and her hand between her thighs.
'Surrender, my handsome cavalier, rescue or no rescue!' said Florence, laughing.
'I surrender!' said the Countess, 'and I only ask one thing. I do not wish to be rescued, I wish to succumb and die by your hand.'
'Then die!' said Florence, with a kind of fury.
Indeed, five minutes later, the Countess, almost in a swoon murmured:
'Oh, dear Florence, how sweet it is to expire in your arms! I die… I die… I die…'
She heaved the last sigh just as the carriage stopped at No…
The two women went up leaning on one another and quite panting with their exertions.
The Countess had the key of her apartments. She opened the door and closed it after them. They crossed the ante-chamber, which was lighted up by a Chinese lantern. Thence they entered the bedroom, which received the light from a lamp of rose-coloured Bohemian glass, and at last the Countess opened the door of a dining room, with a table ready served.
'Dear love,' said she 'by your leave we will be our own attendants. I should be glad to keep on my gentleman's attire in order to wait upon you, but it would be inconvenient. I will therefore lay aside that horrid masculine dress, and appear in my war harness. Here is the dressing room. I believe it has every convenience, and that you will find all that is necessary.'
We have already been introduced to the dressing room of the Countess. It was the very same to which she had taken Violette. A slab of white marble bore bottles of the finest scents from Dubues, Laboullee and Guerlain.
Five minutes after, Odette joined her friend there.
She was nude; at least very nearly so, for she had kept on her rose-coloured silk stockings, blue velvet garters, and slippers of the same material and colour.
It goes without saying that the whole place was heated by a well-regulated warming apparatus.
'You must excuse my dress,' said the Countess, laughingly, 'but I wish to make a toilette which you rendered necessary, and ask you what scent you prefer.'
'Can I make my own choice?' said Florence.
'Please yourself,' replied the Countess.
'Well, I perceive there a bottle of eau-de-Cologne. What say you?'
That is not my business,' said the Countess. 'Let your choice be guided by your own taste.'
Florence poured out the contents of an immense water bottle into a charming bidet of Sevres porcelain, mixed a fourth part of the bottle of eau-de-Cologne with it, and proceeded to the Countess' toilette.
'Well,' asked the latter, laughing, 'what are you doing?'
'I am looking at you, my beautiful mistress, and I admire you!'
'So much the better for you, since I am yours, all in all.'
'What marvellous hair! What teeth! What a neck! Oh, let me kiss those pretty nipples. You will think I am hideous, I am sure. I shall never dare to undress in your presence. What a satin-like skin! I shall look like a Negress! And all this beautiful fiery-coloured hair! How marvellous! I shall look like a sweep in comparison.'
