I amused myself watching Treville and Neville out of the corner of my eyes.  Treville seemed to see but one woman in the room.  He danced several times, always with her, and when he did not dance he went aside, spoke with no one, but followed with his glances her whom he seemed to adore.  He made no attempt to hide his adoration; it shone from his eyes:  his every movement was full of it.  When she returned to her place, he came, remained before her chair, leaned towards her, listened with ravished ear, and rarely sat down by her side.  It was good to watch Neville.  His eyes flashed with anger, his fists fidgeted, and more than once I saw him quit the hall, no doubt to make a quarrel with his rival.  Not once did he come near Tonton!  Not once did he dance with her!  But he danced with all the young girls in the room and pretended to be very gay.  While I was dancing with him I said: 

“How pretty Tonton is this evening!” And I understood the spite that made him reply: 

“Ah! mademoiselle, her beauty is certainly not to be compared with yours.”

After the supper, which was magnificent, the bolero was danced.  Twelve couples were engaged, continually changing partners.  Tonton danced with Treville, Suzanne with Olivier, and I with Neville.

Alas, alas! all things earthly have an end, and at two in the morning the ball was over.  When we reached our chamber I saw that my sister had something to tell me.

“Ah!” said she, “have patience.  I will tell you after we get into bed.”

[What she told was the still famous Saint Julien feud.  Treville and Neville were representatives of the two sides in that, one of the darkest vendettas known in the traditions of Louisiana.  The omission of this episode in the present translation is the only liberty taken with the original that probably calls for an apology.]

FOOTNOTES: 
[21] Number of millions not stated.—­TRANSLATOR.

XVII.

PICNIC AND FAREWELL.

The day of the picnic rose brightly.  Oh, what a day we passed under those grand trees, on the margin of that clear lake full of every imaginable sort of fish!  What various games!  What pleasant companions!  All our friends were there except Treville de Saint Julien, and Madame Tonton gave her smiles and sweet looks to Neville, who never left her a moment.  Oh, how I regretted that my father was not with us!  He had gone to Opelousas.  He had bought several plantations in St. Martin parish, and in a region called Fausse Pointe, and in another known as the Cote Gelee.