Chapter XXX

by Kate Chopin

　　Though Edna had spoken of the dinner as a very grand affair,it was in truth a very small affair and very select, in so much asthe guests invited were few and were selected with discrimination.She had counted upon an even dozen seating themselves at her roundmahogany board, forgetting for the moment that Madame Ratignollewas to the last degree souffrante and unpresentable, and notforeseeing that Madame Lebrun would send a thousand regrets at thelast moment. So there were only ten, after all, which made a cozy,comfortable number.There were Mr. and Mrs. Merriman, a pretty, vivacious littlewoman in the thirties; her husband, a jovial fellow, something ofa shallow-pate, who laughed a good deal at other people'switticisms, and had thereby made himself extremely popular. Mrs.Highcamp had accompanied them. Of course, there was Alcee Arobin;and Mademoiselle Reisz had consented to come. Edna had sent her afresh bunch of violets with black lace trimmings for her hair.Monsieur Ratignolle brought himself and his wife's excuses.Victor Lebrun, who happened to be in the city, bent upon relaxation,had accepted with alacrity. There was a Miss Mayblunt, no longerin her teens, who looked at the world through lorgnettes and withthe keenest interest. It was thought and said that she wasintellectual; it was suspected of her that she wrote under anom de guerre. She had come with a gentleman by the name of Gouvernail,connected with one of the daily papers, of whom nothing special could be said,except that he was observant and seemed quiet and inoffensive. Edna herselfmade the tenth, and at half-past eight they seated themselves at table,Arobin and Monsieur Ratignolle on either side of their hostess.Mrs. Highcamp sat between Arobin and Victor Lebrun. Then cameMrs. Merriman, Mr. Gouvernail, Miss Mayblunt, Mr. Merriman, andMademoiselle Reisz next to Monsieur Ratignolle.There was something extremely gorgeous about the appearance ofthe table, an effect of splendor conveyed by a cover of pale yellowsatin under strips of lace-work. There were wax candles, inmassive brass candelabra, burning softly under yellow silk shades;full, fragrant roses, yellow and red, abounded. There were silverand gold, as she had said there would be, and crystal whichglittered like the gems which the women wore.The ordinary stiff dining chairs had been discarded for theoccasion and replaced by the most commodious and luxurious whichcould be collected throughout the house. Mademoiselle Reisz, beingexceedingly diminutive, was elevated upon cushions, as smallchildren are sometimes hoisted at table upon bulky volumes."Something new, Edna?" exclaimed Miss Mayblunt, with lorgnettedirected toward a magnificent cluster of diamonds that sparkled,that almost sputtered, in Edna's hair, just over the center of herforehead."Quite new; `brand' new, in fact; a present from my husband.It arrived this morning from New York. I may as well admit thatthis is my birthday, and that I am twenty-nine. In good timeI expect you to drink my health. Meanwhile, I shall ask youto begin with this cocktail, composed--would you say `composed?'"with an appeal to Miss Mayblunt--"composed by my fatherin honor of Sister Janet's wedding."Before each guest stood a tiny glass that looked and sparkledlike a garnet gem."Then, all things considered," spoke Arobin, "it might not beamiss to start out by drinking the Colonel's health in the cocktailwhich he composed, on the birthday of the most charming ofwomen--the daughter whom he invented."Mr. Merriman's laugh at this sally was such a genuine outburstand so contagious that it started the dinner with an agreeableswing that never slackened.Miss Mayblunt begged to be allowed to keep her cocktailuntouched before her, just to look at. The color was marvelous!She could compare it to nothing she had ever seen, and the garnetlights which it emitted were unspeakably rare. She pronounced theColonel an artist, and stuck to it.Monsieur Ratignolle was prepared to take things seriously;the mets, the entre-mets, the service, the decorations, eventhe people. He looked up from his pompano and inquired of Arobinif he were related to the gentleman of that name who formed one ofthe firm of Laitner and Arobin, lawyers. The young man admittedthat Laitner was a warm personal friend, who permitted Arobin'sname to decorate the firm's letterheads and to appear upon ashingle that graced Perdido Street."There are so many inquisitive people and institutionsabounding," said Arobin, "that one is really forced as a matter ofconvenience these days to assume the virtue of an occupation if hehas it not."Monsieur Ratignolle stared a little, and turned to askMademoiselle Reisz if she considered the symphony concerts up tothe standard which had been set the previous winter. MademoiselleReisz answered Monsieur Ratignolle in French, which Edna thought alittle rude, under the circumstances, but characteristic. Mademoisellehad only disagreeable things to say of the symphony concerts,and insulting remarks to make of all the musicians of New Orleans,singly and collectively. All her interest seemed to be centered uponthe delicacies placed before her.Mr. Merriman said that Mr. Arobin's remark about inquisitivepeople reminded him of a man from Waco the other day at the St.Charles Hotel--but as Mr. Merriman's stories were always lame andlacking point, his wife seldom permitted him to complete them. Sheinterrupted him to ask if he remembered the name of the authorwhose book she had bought the week before to send to a friend inGeneva. She was talking "books" with Mr. Gouvernail and trying todraw from him his opinion upon current literary topics. Herhusband told the story of the Waco man privately to Miss Mayblunt,who pretended to be greatly amused and to think it extremely clever.Mrs. Highcamp hung with languid but unaffected interest uponthe warm and impetuous volubility of her left-hand neighbor, VictorLebrun. Her attention was never for a moment withdrawn from himafter seating herself at table; and when he turned to Mrs.Merriman, who was prettier and more vivacious than Mrs. Highcamp,she waited with easy indifference for an opportunity to reclaim hisattention. There was the occasional sound of music, of mandolins,sufficiently removed to be an agreeable accompaniment rather thanan interruption to the conversation. Outside the soft, monotonoussplash of a fountain could be heard; the sound penetrated into theroom with the heavy odor of jessamine that came through the openwindows.The golden shimmer of Edna's satin gown spread in rich foldson either side of her. There was a soft fall of lace encirclingher shoulders. It was the color of her skin, without the glow, themyriad living tints that one may sometimes discover in vibrantflesh. There was something in her attitude, in her wholeappearance when she leaned her head against the high-backed chairand spread her arms, which suggested the regal woman, the one who rules,who looks on, who stands alone.But as she sat there amid her guests, she felt the old ennuiovertaking her; the hopelessness which so often assailed her, whichcame upon her like an obsession, like something extraneous,independent of volition. It was something which announced itself;a chill breath that seemed to issue from some vast cavern whereindiscords waited. There came over her the acute longing whichalways summoned into her spiritual vision the presence of thebeloved one, overpowering her at once with a sense of theunattainable.The moments glided on, while a feeling of good fellowshippassed around the circle like a mystic cord, holding and bindingthese people together with jest and laughter. Monsieur Ratignollewas the first to break the pleasant charm. At ten o'clock heexcused himself. Madame Ratignolle was waiting for him at home.She was bien souffrante, and she was filled with vague dread,which only her husband's presence could allay.Mademoiselle Reisz arose with Monsieur Ratignolle, who offeredto escort her to the car. She had eaten well; she had tasted thegood, rich wines, and they must have turned her head, for she bowedpleasantly to all as she withdrew from table. She kissed Edna uponthe shoulder, and whispered: "Bonne nuit, ma reine; soyez sage."She had been a little bewildered upon rising, or rather,descending from her cushions, and Monsieur Ratignolle gallantlytook her arm and led her away.Mrs. Highcamp was weaving a garland of roses, yellow and red.When she had finished the garland, she laid it lightly uponVictor's black curls. He was reclining far back in the luxuriouschair, holding a glass of champagne to the light.As if a magician's wand had touched him, the garland of rosestransformed him into a vision of Oriental beauty. His cheeks werethe color of crushed grapes, and his dusky eyes glowed with alanguishing fire."Sapristi!" exclaimed Arobin.But Mrs. Highcamp had one more touch to add to the picture.She took from the back of her chair a white silken scarf, withwhich she had covered her shoulders in the early part of theevening. She draped it across the boy in graceful folds, and in away to conceal his black, conventional evening dress. He did notseem to mind what she did to him, only smiled, showing a faintgleam of white teeth, while he continued to gaze with narrowingeyes at the light through his glass of champagne."Oh! to be able to paint in color rather than in words!"exclaimed Miss Mayblunt, losing herself in a rhapsodic dreamas she looked at him,"`There was a graven image of Desire Painted with red blood ona ground of gold.'" murmured Gouvernail, under his breath.The effect of the wine upon Victor was to change hisaccustomed volubility into silence. He seemed to have abandonedhimself to a reverie, and to be seeing pleasing visions in theamber bead."Sing," entreated Mrs. Highcamp. "Won't you sing to us?""Let him alone," said Arobin."He's posing," offered Mr. Merriman; "let him have it out.""I believe he's paralyzed," laughed Mrs. Merriman. Andleaning over the youth's chair, she took the glass from his handand held it to his lips. He sipped the wine slowly, and when hehad drained the glass she laid it upon the table and wiped his lipswith her little filmy handkerchief."Yes, I'll sing for you," he said, turning in his chair towardMrs. Highcamp. He clasped his hands behind his head, and lookingup at the ceiling began to hum a little, trying his voice like amusician tuning an instrument. Then, looking at Edna, he began tosing: "Ah! si tu savais!""Stop!" she cried, "don't sing that. I don't want you to singit," and she laid her glass so impetuously and blindly upon thetable as to shatter it against a carafe. The wine spilled overArobin's legs and some of it trickled down upon Mrs. Highcamp'sblack gauze gown. Victor had lost all idea of courtesy, or else hethought his hostess was not in earnest, for he laughed and went on: "Ah! si tu savaisCe que tes yeux me disent"--"Oh! you mustn't! you mustn't," exclaimed Edna, and pushingback her chair she got up, and going behind him placed her handover his mouth. He kissed the soft palm that pressed upon hislips."No, no, I won't, Mrs. Pontellier. I didn't know you meantit," looking up at her with caressing eyes. The touch of his lipswas like a pleasing sting to her hand. She lifted the garland ofroses from his head and flung it across the room."Come, Victor; you've posed long enough. Give Mrs. Highcampher scarf."Mrs. Highcamp undraped the scarf from about him with her ownhands. Miss Mayblunt and Mr. Gouvernail suddenly conceived thenotion that it was time to say good night. And Mr. and Mrs.Merriman wondered how it could be so late.Before parting from Victor, Mrs. Highcamp invited him to callupon her daughter, who she knew would be charmed to meet him andtalk French and sing French songs with him. Victor expressed hisdesire and intention to call upon Miss Highcamp at the firstopportunity which presented itself. He asked if Arobin were goinghis way. Arobin was not.The mandolin players had long since stolen away. A profoundstillness had fallen upon the broad, beautiful street. The voicesof Edna's disbanding guests jarred like a discordant note upon thequiet harmony of the night.