d, "they were so funny! They
behaved as seriously as grown men, devoured Rose with their eyes and
asked me why Mamma had her legs bare like that."

The whole table began laughing, and Mignon looked radiant, for his pride
as a father was flattered. He adored his children and had but one object
in life, which was to increase their fortunes by administering the
money gained by Rose at the theater and elsewhere with the businesslike
severity of a faithful steward. When as first fiddle in the music hall
where she used to sing he had married her, they had been passionately
fond of one another. Now they were good friends. There was an
understanding between them: she labored hard to the full extent of her
talent and of her beauty; he had given up his violin in order the better
to watch over her successes as an actress and as a woman. One could not
have found a more homely and united household anywhere!

"What age is your eldest?" asked Vandeuvres.

"Henry's nine," replied Mignon, "but such a big chap for his years!"

Then he chaffed Steiner, who was not fond of children, and with quiet
audacity informed him that were he a father, he would make a less stupid
hash of his fortune. While talking he watched the banker over Blanche's
shoulders to see if it was coming off with Nana. But for some minutes
Rose and Fauchery, who were talking very near him, had been getting on
his nerves. Was Rose going to waste time over such a folly as that? In
that sort of case, by Jove, he blocked the way. And diamond on finger
and with his fine hands in great evidence, he finished discussing a
fillet of venison.

Elsewhere the conversation about children continued. La Faloise,
rendered very restless by the immediate proximity of Gaga, asked news of
her daughter, whom he had had the pleasure of noticing in her company at
the Varietes. Lili was quite well, but she was still such a tomboy! He
was astonished to learn that Lili was entering on her nineteenth year.
Gaga became even more imposing in his eyes, and when he endeavored to
find out why she had not brought Lili with her:

"Oh no, no, never!" she said stiffly. "Not three months ago she
positively insisted on leaving her boarding school. I was thinking of
marrying her off at once, but she loves me so that I had to take her
home--oh, so much against my will!"

Her blue eyelids with their blackened lashes blinked and wavered while
she spoke of the business of settling her young lady. If at her