Going to that man, after she had repelled his advances, in my presence!
Going to the enemy against whom she had warned me, after I had first been
persuaded to leave her! Angry thoughts these--and surely thoughts
unworthy of me? If it had been the case of another man I should have said
he was jealous. Jealous of the miller's daughter--in my position? Absurd!
contemptible! But I was still in such a vile temper that I determined to
let Cristel know she had been discovered. Taking one of my visiting
cards, I wrote on it: "I came back for my stick, and saw you go to him."
After I had pinned this spiteful little message to the door, so that she
might see it when she returned, I suffered a disappointment. I was not
half so well satisfied with myself as I had anticipated.

CHAPTER VII

THE BEST SOCIETY

Leaving the cottage for the second time, I was met at the door by a fat
man of solemn appearance dressed in black, who respectfully touched his
hat. My angry humor acknowledged the harmless stranger's salute by a rude
inquiry: "What the devil do you want?" Instead of resenting this uncivil
language, he indirectly reproved me by becoming more respectful than
ever.

"My mistress desires me to tell you, sir, that luncheon is waiting." I
was in the presence of a thoroughbred English servant--and I had failed
to discover it until he spoke of his mistress! I had also, by keeping
luncheon waiting, treated an English institution with contempt. And,
worse even than this, as a misfortune which personally affected me, my
stepmother evidently knew that I had paid another visit to the mill.