GRACE
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and ices, double desserts and good wines as well. Meals took twice
the time they used to, if not three times or more. Duperrier was a
loathsome and disgusting sight to see, his napkin tied round his neck,
his face growing redder with every mouthful, his eyes heavy with
satisfaction, masticating, washing down the sirloin and sausages with
gulps of red wine, scooping up gravies, guzzling custards, and belch–
ing in his halo. Soon he had cultivated a taste for abundant repasts
and fine cooking. And he took to reprimanding his wife for overcook–
ing the stew or curdling the mayonnaise. One evening, angered by
his grumblings, she observed dryly:
"Your halo is doing very nicely, I see. Anybody looking
at it would say it was getting fat on my cooking too.
If
I read the
signs rightly, gluttony is no sin.
It
has only one drawback, it costs a
lot of money. Really, I see no good reason why I shouldn't put you
back on noodles and vegetable stew."
"Noodles and vegetable stew!" roared Duperrier. "Put me
back on noodles and vegetable stew! I'd like to see you try it! The
nerve of her! That's what a fellow gets. He wallows in sin to please
a woman, and this is how she thanks
him
for it. Not another word
out of you! I marvel I haven't hauled off and landed you a smack
or two!"
One sin leads to another, and greed unsatisfied drives one
to anger, as does likewise pride. Duperrier allowed himself to fall into
this new sin without actually knowing whether
it
was for the good
of his wife or from his own inclination. The same man who until then
had always been known for his mildness and affability now used the
grossest language, went in for smashing crockery, and on occasion
beat his wife. He even took the name of God in vain. These fits of
anger, which became more and more frequent, did not interfere with
his being prideful and gluttonous as well. He was now sinning on
three different counts, and Madame Duperrier reflected somberly on
the infinite indulgence of God.
The fairest virtues may continue to flourish in a soul already
defiled by the practice of sin. Prideful, gluttonous and choleric
though he was, Duperrier was nonetheless imbued with the spirit of
Christian charity and a high notion of his duties as man and spouse.
Seeing that he was still without any reaction from Heaven to his fits
of anger, he resolved to be envious. To tell the truth, without his
