She will undoubtedly alight, and
contrive some means of passing and repassing him--of touching him,
if possible. Your task will only consist in following her closely
enough to be on the ground as soon as she is. Confine your
efforts to that; and if you fail to-day, you'll succeed to-morrow
or the day after--the essential thing is to be patient."
He did better than to preach patience--he practised it. The hours
wore away, and yet he did not stir from his post, though nothing
could have been more disagreeable to him than to remain on
exhibition, as it were, at the door of a wine-shop. At last, at a
little before three o'clock, the gates over the way turned upon
their hinges, and a dark-blue victoria, in which a woman was
seated, rolled forth into the street. "Look!" said M. Fortunat,
eagerly. "There she is!"
XVIII.
The woman in the carriage was none other than Madame Lia
d'Argeles. She was attired in one of those startling costumes
which are the rage nowadays, and which impart the same bold and
brazen appearance to all who wear them: so much so, that the most
experienced observers are no longer able to distinguish the honest
mother of a family from a notorious character. A Dutchman, named
Van Klopen, who was originally a tailor at Rotterdam, rightfully
ascribes the honor of this progress to himself. One can scarcely
explain how it happens that this individual, who calls himself
"the dressmaker of the queens of Europe," has become the arbiter
of Parisian elegance; but it is an undeniable fact that he does
reign over fashion.
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