Peeking Under the Covers

Chapter 11 Sweets! Candy!  The cry rose incessantly in the transparent and warm air through the clash of confetti. And the little balls of coated sweets — singular candies — passed by whistling, rough, scathing, hurried, and attacking everyone without pity. They dripped from balconies decorated with banners and flowers, and onto those dressed as multicolored dominoes as they elbowed each other on the quays, the bridges  the Corso, and the Rue Saint-François-de-Paule. Chariots passed by, strange or funny or charming; sea caves in the shade of which appeared mysterious naiads, whose hands opened full of confetti; Venetian gondolas; bizarre monsters worthy of the Apocalypse; gigantic flowers that advanced gravely, raining down the little candy-coated sweets from their unfathomable chalices; harvesters' carts on which were piled sheaves of wheat, studded with poppies, and transported under the feet of sturdy boys, while beautiful brown girls artistically grouped together as in a L...

Chapter 10 On the edge of the violently blue sea, which glittered like sparks from the sun, the carriages advanced in two files under a shower of flowers. Anemones, violets, lilacs, and tuberoses clashed in the melee of a joyous battle, filling the air with their mingled scents. For it was a real struggle that was being fought, from carriage to carriage, between the curious refugees on the roads and the intrepid individuals who struggled on foot. They battled with a passionate ardor, but a joyous and chivalrous combat as their projectiles covered the ground with their fragrant petals. And incessantly the carriages passed by, all resembling something in bloom, some of them real marvels that attracted the enthusiastic acclamations of the crowd. “Well done, this team…Look, de Flers,” said a young man in a very elegant group of men, whose supply of flowers—the most respectable—had already been several times exhausted. “But isn't that Lady Graham's carriage? It is, indeed! Here come...

  Chapter 8 “Suzy, do you still have anything to put in your trunk?” the two twins asked at the same time, showing their tiny faces in the crack of the door. “Can you even close it?” “Yes, it’s quite ready. Here are the keys.” The little ones disappeared, and Suzy feverishly continued to fill her   traveling bag. She was brave and held back her tears. But it was at the cost of an incessant activity, putting her in a daze and depriving her of the time to think about the fact that in a few hours she would be on her way to Cannes. She started at the bell ringing in the foyer. She knew that André Vilbert had come. Since their conversation, she had not seen him, and she was very apprehensive of their first meeting since then.  Was   it   he   then?  She listened, a slight tremor shaking her nerves. In a second the door of the room opened again, and one of the twins, Alice, reappeared, sent along as the messenger. “Suzy, Aunt Arnay and Germaine have come to ...

  Chapter 7 It was by chance on one of his usual evenings to Madame Douvry's, that André Vilbert learned Suzy would soon leave Paris. All afternoon, Suzy had been out with Lady Graham, who had taken a warm and real liking to her. Saddened by her husband's departure for America, the young Lady Graham would have liked to have Suzy with her already. She asked for her incessantly, desirous of having a companion during the innumerable errands she ran in Paris. Madame Douvry resigned herself to these daily separations from Suzy, so that at the moment of departure, her daughter might no longer see Lady Graham as a stranger.  Together, Lady Graham and Suzy had made a long stop at Worth's, where Suzy herself had been called upon to give her opinion on the designs proposed by M. Jean, the great  courturier . Then, in another celebrated fashion house, she had watched Lady Graham place on her tawny hair a succession of large and small becoming hats, all equally remarkable in original...

Chapter 6 This time, unlike her arrival, Suzy did not linger, and   she quickly descended the stairs. A fiery flame flushed her cheeks, so fierce that the cold air striking her face, when she found herself in the Avenue du Bois, was powerless to calm the burning. An indignation bubbled up within her, and she shivered, diminishing the irrational sensation that pursued her upon leaving Madame de Vricourt's house. Feverishly she began to walk straight ahead, without even thinking where she was going, so absorbed was she by the memory of the interview she had just endured. “Oh, never! I will never repeat such an ordeal!” she murmured passionately, her lips trembling, her soul bruised. “Never again! It's too terrible!” With a gesture of anguish, she twisted her slender fingers that had just played Chopin's Preludes with such talent.  “It’s terrible,” she repeated, as if these words summed up all her thoughts on the matter. Inside herself, Suzy experienced an urgent need for happ...

Chapter 5 For the first time in her life, Suzy was stepping out alone. At the threshold of the front door, she paused for a second, looking around her. A slight shudder of vague pleasure, mixed with a little anxiety, gave her cheeks a bright rosy glow. But then the idea that, in a few moments, she would enter a strange house for the first time to ask about giving lessons, quietly wounded her pride as a young girl who had, until now, been independent. She was also afraid of encountering one of Germaine's friends who could be found at Madame Arnay's on Thursdays ,  and who would be surprised to see her walking alone. As she was, at heart, a very determined individual, her hesitation was short. Becoming brave once more, Suzy abandoned the protective shelter of the entryway and entered the Rue de Prony, where a few passers-by were bustling about in a light fog. After all, it was she who had insisted that her mother, who was still ill, not expose herself to the dampness of such a pe...

  Chapter 4 The announcement of the Douvry’s new, unfortunate situation was carried to Le Castel by M. Arnay upon his return from Paris. He briefly entered his wife’s rooms, where she was finishing dressing for dinner. “What interesting news do you have today, Maurice?" She asked, examining in the mirror the effect of the flowers that the maid had placed in her hair. “Nothing, absolutely nothing,” he said, then stopped. “However, yes, I did learn some troublesome news this afternoon. Robert Douvry came to my office to tell me that the financial corporation was abolishing his position as inspector.” “Oh, that is bothersome! The poor Douvrys have such unheard-of misfortune. So, no doubt, you will have to look for a position for him. Further to the right, with this rose, Julie,” she said, addressing the maid. “Shape it into a tiara. Yes, it’s better that way.” She turned her attention back to her husband. “You were saying, Maurice…”  “I was saying, my dear, that Douvry is a despe...

Chapter 3 Because of Suzy’s loving nature, she found great pleasure when surrounded by those who were dearer to her than anything else in the world. Truthfully, she had been sincerely happy to see them all again, even though the enjoyable reunion upon her return exhausted her. There was also one thing she could not conceal from herself – Suzy was a little bored. No longer was she entirely the carefree young girl who had gone to Le Castel a month earlier. Mme. Douvry had been right to hesitate for as long as she did before she allowed Suzy to acquaint herself with a holiday lifestyle, as summer life was understood at Mme. Arnay's. There she had lived an easy and cheerful existence. The mere idea of austere duties, responsibilities, and sacrifices remaining in the world had fled from her thoughts, as dark clouds vanish with a warm ray of sunshine. At Le Castel, Suzy had been noticed, complimented, and admired. A young man, whose presence was sought everywhere and by everyone, had sho...

  Chapter 2 With her hat in place, Suzy absent-mindedly finished tying up her jacket, her gaze lost in the fleeing countryside and the distant, luminous horizon. She looked on very seriously, with the regret of a child at the thought that, in a few hours, she would be shut up between the high walls of a Parisian house. The only and best consolation for her loving heart was the thought that her mother would be waiting for her there.  Even at that moment, the trampling of the horses as they were being harnessed reached Suzy. Near the carriage sat her luggage, ready to be carried away, while in the room next to her, Germaine’s step resounded as she proceeded with her toilette and putting on her going-out outfit. It had been decided that all the guests of Le Castel should accompany Suzy to the railway. “Like a guard of honor!” Suzy had remarked, laughing without a hint of bitterness. Last night’s sleep had numbed her from the painful feelings she had experienced the evening before...

SUZY’S DREAM   Chapter 1   A brisk breath of air whisked through the branches of the lime trees shading the sandy space of the tennis court. A few yellow leaves fluttered down, cutting golden spots against the blue-hued horizon. While sitting nonchalantly in her garden armchair, young Madame de Berly glanced through a magazine. She shuddered a little, and, with a chilled gesture, clasped the fine woolen shawl wrapped around her shoulders. She raised her head, and her gaze fell on the tennis players. They did not seem to suspect that the end of this day in September, beautiful as it was, had a sudden coolness that announced the approach of inclement days to come. “Are you almost finished?” Mme. de Berly asked with her usual tone of indifference. “It's half-past four and it’s starting to get cold.”  A burst of laughter, cries and shrieks, interspersed with the ups and downs of the game, answered her question. “Cold, Marthe? Why didn't you want to play with us? Is it because...