CHAPTER XI
THE chair was wheeled to the door at the other end of the room. Granny was radiant. All our party immediately thronged round her with congratulations. However eccentric Granny's behaviour might be, her triumph covered a multitude of sins, and the General was no longer afraid of compromising himself in public by his relationship with such a strange woman. With a condescending and familiarly good-humoured smile, as though humouring a child, he congratulated Granny. He was, however, evidently impressed, like all the other spectators. People talked all round and pointed at Granny. Many passed by to get a closer view of her! Mr. Astley was talking of her aside, with two English acquaintances. Some majestic ladies gazed at her with majestic amazement, as though at a marvel… De Grieux positively showered congratulations and smiles upon her.
"Quelle victoire!" he said.
"Mais, Madame, c'était du feu," Mlle. Blanche commented, with an ingratiating smile.
"Yes, I just went and won twelve thousand florins! Twelve, indeed; what about the gold? With the gold it makes almost thirteen. What is that in our money? Will it be six thousand?"
I explained that it made more than seven, and in the present state of exchange might even amount to eight.
"Well, that's something worth having, eight thousand! And you stay here, you noodles, and do nothing! Potapitch, Marfa, did you see?"
"My goodness! how did you do it, Ma'am? Eight thousand!" exclaimed Marfa, wriggling.
"There! there's five gold pieces for you, here!"
Potapitch and Marfa flew to kiss her hand.
"And give the porters, too, a friedrich d'or each. Give it them in gold, Alexey Ivanovitch. Why is that flunkey bowing and the other one too? Are they congratulating me? Give them a friedrich d'or too."
"Madame la princesse…un pauvre expatrié…malheur continuel…les princes russes sont si généreux…" A person with moustaches and an obsequious smile, in a threadbare coat and gay-coloured waistcoat, came cringing about Granny's chair, waving his hat in his hand.
"Give him a friedrich d'or too…. No, give him two; that's
