"Oh, she insisted that we should push her; and when she insists!"said Miss Tita in the same tone of apprehension; as if there were no knowing what service that she disapproved of her aunt might force her next to render.
"I have always got most things done I wanted, thank God!
The people I have lived with have humored me," the old woman continued, speaking out of the gray ashes of her vanity.
"I suppose you mean that they have obeyed you.""Well, whatever it is, when they like you.""It's just because I like you that I want to resist,"said Miss Tita with a nervous laugh.
"Oh, I suspect you'll bring Miss Bordereau upstairs next to pay me a visit,"I went on; to which the old lady replied:
"Oh, no; I can keep an eye on you from here!""You are very tired; you will certainly be ill tonight!"cried Miss Tita.
"Nonsense, my dear; I feel better at this moment than Ihave done for a month.Tomorrow I shall come out again.
I want to be where I can see this clever gentleman.""Shouldn't you perhaps see me better in your sitting room?"I inquired.
"Don't you mean shouldn't you have a better chance at me?"she returned, fixing me a moment with her green shade.
"Ah, I haven't that anywhere! I look at you but I don't see you.""You excite her dreadfully--and that is not good," said Miss Tita, giving me a reproachful, appealing look.
"I want to watch you--I want to watch you!" the old lady went on.
"Well then, let us spend as much of our time together as possible--I don't care where--and that will give you every facility.""Oh, I've seen you enough for today.I'm satisfied.Now I'll go home."Miss Tita laid her hands on the back of her aunt's chair and began to push, but I begged her to let me take her place."Oh, yes, you may move me this way--you shan't in any other!" Miss Bordereau exclaimed as she felt herself propelled firmly and easily over the smooth, hard floor.
Before we reached the door of her own apartment she commanded me to stop, and she took a long, last look up and down the noble sala."Oh, it's a magnificent house!" she murmured; after which I pushed her forward.
When we had entered the parlor Miss Tita told me that she should now be able to manage, and at the same moment the little red-haired donna came to meet her mistress.Miss Tita's idea was evidently to get her aunt immediately back to bed.I confess that in spite of this urgency I was guilty of the indiscretion of lingering;it held me there to think that I was nearer the documents I coveted--that they were probably put away somewhere in the faded, unsociable room.
The place had indeed a bareness which did not suggest hidden treasures;there were no dusky nooks nor curtained corners, no massive cabinets nor chests with iron bands.Moreover it was possible, it was perhaps even probable that the old lady had consigned her relics to her bedroom, to some battered box that was shoved under the bed, to the drawer of some lame dressing table, where they would be in the range of vision by the dim night lamp.Nonetheless I scrutinized every article of furniture, every conceivable cover for a hoard, and noticed that there were half a dozen things with drawers, and in particular a tall old secretary, with brass ornaments of the style of the Empire--a receptacle somewhat rickety but still capable of keeping a great many secrets.
I don't know why this article fascinated me so, inasmuch as I certainly had no definite purpose of breaking into it; but I stared at it so hard that Miss Tita noticed me and changed color.Her doing this made me think I was right and that wherever they might have been before the Aspern papers at that moment languished behind the peevish little lock of the secretary.
it was hard to remove my eyes from the dull mahogany front when Ireflected that a simple panel divided me from the goal of my hopes;but I remembered my prudence and with an effort took leave of Miss Bordereau.
To make the effort graceful I said to her that I should certainly bring her an opinion about the little picture.
"The little picture?" Miss Tita asked, surprised.
"What do YOU know about it, my dear?" the old woman demanded.
"You needn't mind.I have fixed my price.""And what may that be?"
"A thousand pounds."
"Oh Lord!" cried poor Miss Tita irrepressibly.
"Is that what she talks to you about?" said Miss Bordereau.
"Imagine your aunt's wanting to know!" I had to separate from Miss Tita with only those words, though I should have liked immensely to add, "For heaven's sake meet me tonight in the garden!"
