“Oh, yes, yes,” returned Lady Jane brightly.
“They wear crowns and sit on thrones, and Pepsie says there is a king of the carnival, King Rex.”
“Yes, that’s it,” said Gex, rubbing his hands with satisfaction, “and the king is vay up high over everybody, and all the peoples must honor the king. Vell, the noblesse is something like the king, my leetle lady, only not quite so high up. Vell, Mam’selle’s grandpère vas a noble. One of the French noblesse. Does my leetle lady understand?”
“I think I do,” returned Lady Jane doubtfully. “Does she sit on a throne and wear a crown?”
“Oh, no, no, no, they are poor, vairy poor,” said Gex humbly, “and then, my leetle lady must know that the comte is naiver so high up as the king, and then they have lost all their money and are poor, vairy poor. Once, long ago, they vas rich, oh, vairy rich, and they had one big, grand house, and the carriage, and the fine horses, and many, many servant; now there’s only them two vhat lives all alone in the leetle house. The grandpère, and the père, all are dead long ago, and Madame d’Hautreve and Mam’selle Diane only are left to live in the leetle house, shut up behind that high fence, alone, alvay alone. And, my leetle lady, no one remembers them, I don’t believe, for it is ten year I’ve been right in this Rue des Bons Enfants, and I naiver have seen no one entair that gate, and no one comes out of it vairy often. Mam’selle Diane must clean her banquette in the dark of the night, for I’ve naiver seen her do it. I’ve vatched, but I have seen her, naiver. Sometime, when it is vairy early, Mam’selle Diane comes to my leetle shop for one dime of orange for Madam d’Hautreve, she is vairy old and so poor. Ah, but she is one of the noblesse, the genuine French noblesse, and Mam’selle Diane is so polite vhen she come to my leetle shop.”
“If I should go there early, very early,” asked Lady Jane with increasing interest, “and wait there all day, don’t you think I might see her come out? You might, my leetle lady, and you might not. About once in the month, Mam’selle Diane comes out all in the black dress and veil, and one little black basket on her arm, and she goes up toward Rue Royale. Vhen she goes out the basket it is heavy, vhen she comes back it is light.”
“What does she carry in it, Mr. Gex?” asked Lady Jane, her eyes large and her voice awe-stricken over the mysterious contents of the basket.
“Ah, I know not, my leetle lady. It is one mystery,” returned Gex solemnly. “Mam’selle is so proud and so shut up that no one can’t find out anything. Poor lady, and vhen does she do her market, and vhat do they eat, for all I evair see her buy is one nickel of bread, and one nickel of milk.”
“But she’s got flowers and birds, and she plays on the piano and sings,” said Lady Jane reflectively. “Perhaps she isn’t hungry and doesn’t want anything to eat.”
“That may be so, my leetle lady,” replied Gex with smiling approval, “I naiver thought of it, but it may be so—it may be so. Perhaps the noblesse don’t have the big appetite, and don’t want so much to eat as the common people.”