CHAPTER 13

Mademoiselle Objet Is Penitent

When Mademoiselle Objet got home she was very penitent indeed. She was glad beyond words that she had found Madame Métier and that she had obtained the medicinal cremes, for although it was only minutes ago that she had administered the premier application of the creme, her hands seemed already to have somewhat improved.

Just the same, she was still feeling bad about how she had treated Monsieur Sorbonne. Her explosions frightened her. They seemed to come up out of nowhere and she always wondered if this time she had gone too far. When would she cross the small invisible line in his heart, the point from which he couldn’t recover, and what could she possibly do to recompense him for her tirades? Worrying thus, she heard the turn of his key in the lock.

She was so overjoyed to hear it, that at once she raced to the door and threw her arms around him. “I’m so sorry, sorry, sorry” she said, “for everything! You know how I am—I get to a point and then I just go over the bend. I’m so sorry!” she said once again, but before he could get a word in edgewise, she pressed on … “But I did go and find that Métier woman. I got us both some medicine. Mine’s already working and yours …”

“Settle down,” said Monsieur Sorbonne. Her apologetic hysteria was almost (but not quite) as hard to take as all her violent volcanoes of anger. “That’s enough,” he said, and he sat her down on a chair. “Let’s start all over. I’m glad you’re sorry. Thank you. I do hate the way you carry on—frankly, it scares me to death. But I also need to apologize. I have been gone too much and you do need some things to arrange. So here,” he said. “Look at this,” and, kissing her on the forehead, he handed her the newspaper with the curious ad.