The two between them captured the district, and won the election easily, and in spite of his youth, Elienne Rulhiere was chosen by a majority of five thousand.  Then, of course, there were more fetes and banquets, at which Jane was present, and where she was received with enthusiastic shouts; there were fireworks, when she was obliged to set light to the first rocket, and balls at which she astonished those worthy people by her affability.  And when they left, three little girls dressed in white, as if they were going to be confirmed, came onto the platform and recited some complimentary verses to her while the band played the Marseillaise, the women waved their pocket-handkerchiefs, and the men their hats, and leaning out of the carriage window, looking charming in her traveling costume, with a smile on her lips, and with moist eyes, as was fitting at such a pathetic leave-taking, actress as she was, with a sudden and childlike gesture, she blew kisses to them from the tips of her fingers, and said: 

“Good-bye, my friends, good-bye, only for the present; I shall never forget you!”

The deputy, who was also very effusive, had invited his principal supporters to come and see him in Paris as there were plenty of excursion trains.  They all took him at his word, and Rulhiere was obliged to invite them all to dinner.

In order to avoid any possible mishaps, he gave his wife a foretaste of their guests.  He told her that they were rather noisy, talkative, and unpolished, and that they would, no doubt, astonish her by their manners and their accent, but that, as they had great influence, and were excellent men, they deserved a good reception.  It was a very useful precaution, for when they came into the drawing-room in their new clothes, expanding with pleasure, and with their hair pomatumed as if they had been going to a country wedding, they felt inclined to fall down before the new Madame Rulhiere to whom the deputy introduced them, and who seemed to be perfectly at home there.

At first they were embarrassed, felt uncomfortable and out of place, did not know what to say, and had to seek their words; they buttoned and unbuttoned their gloves, answered her questions at random, and racked their brains to discover the solution of the enigma.  Captain Mouredus looked at the fire, with the fixed gaze of a somnambulist, Marius Barbaste scratched his fingers mechanically, while the three others, the factory manager, Casemajel, Roquetton, the lawyer, and Dustugue, the hotel proprietor, looked at Rulhiere anxiously.

The lawyer was the first to recover himself.  He got up from his arm chair laughing heartily, dug the deputy in the ribs with his elbow, and said: 

“I understand it all, I understand it; you thought that people do not come to Paris to be bored, eh?  Madame is delightful, and I congratulate you, Monsieur.”

He gave a wink, and made signs behind his back to his friends, and then the captain had his turn.