As Beauchene continued talking too much, owning for instance that he did
not know how far the thresher might be from completion, Mathieu noticed
Constance listening anxiously. The idea of Blaise entering the
establishment had already rendered her grave, and now her husband's
apparent ignorance of important business matters distressed her. Besides,
the thought of Norine was reviving in her mind; she remembered the girl's
child, and almost feared some fresh understanding between Beauchene and
Mathieu. All at once, however, she gave a cry of great relief: "Ah! here
is Maurice."
Her son was entering the room--her son, the one and only god on whom she
now set her affection and pride, the crown-prince who to-morrow would
become king, who would save the kingdom from perdition, and who would
exalt her on his right hand in a blaze of glory. She deemed him handsome,
tall, strong, and as invincible in his nineteenth year as all the knights
of the old legends. When he explained that he had just profitably
compromised a worrying transaction in which his father had rashly
embarked, she pictured him repairing disasters and achieving victories.
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