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"That displeases you?" replied Mademoiselle Bailleul sharply.

"I did'nt say that. Laboissière is a very agreeable fellow-one I am always glad to meet; but, between ourselves, I should be better pleased if his visits to this house were less frequent."

"Why, pray ?"

"Ah! if you are going to lose your temper, I shall hold my tongue."

"Now, am I in the habit of losing my temper ?" answered the lady, in a voice which rose a note at each reply.

"I didn't say that."

"Now, pray proceed. What have you to say against M. Laboissière ?"

As she uttered these words, Mademoiselle Bailleul blushed slightly—a strange proceeding on the part of a female of her age and temperament.

The brother did not observe this embarrassment, completely occupied as he was in preparing a speech which should not create a storm.

"Personally, I haven't the slightest objection to M. Laboissière," he said"not the shadow of an objection. This I have proved by consenting to place, at your wish, another ten thousand francs in his hands. I have not a single word to say against him myself, but-but you surely must be able to guess what I am going to say. It is on Adolphine's account."

“Oh, if that's all

"Poor Chaudieu might yet consider it a graver matter than you consider."

"Now there's not a grain of common sense in your remarks. I grant you that, before her marriage, M. Laboissière's visits to your house were mainly on Adolphine's account, and that he appeared anxious to become her husband." "That reminds me it might have been the case had you desired it." "It was not agreeable to your daughter."

"Precisely! and my fear is that it might not be disagreeable now." "Monsieur Bailleul !" exclaimed Adolphine's aunt in a stern voice.

"I know what I am saying," replied the old man in a firmer tone than was usual with him. "You are feared, matters are hidden from you, consequently you remark nothing; but as for me, I am looked upon as an amiable being, who sees no further than the end of his own nose; and it is only when your back is turned that any constraint is deemed necessary."

Mademoiselle Bailleul's features underwent a sudden change, and the contemptuous irony of her smile gave place to a violent agitation. Her cheeks flushed, her eyes sparkled, and the veins in her neck swelled till that particular portion of her figure resembled the head of a double bass. Perceiving the terrible effect of his words, M. Bailleul recoiled several paces.

"Explain yourself. Speak! What have you seen ?" demanded his sister, in a voice broken with emotion.

"But, first of all, my dear sister, don't allow yourself to be so overcome by your feelings. It is only natural that you should love your niece, but Adolphine is not a child. And, besides___”

"Speak, then!" replied Mademoiselle Bailleul with redoubled energy.

"But what do you wish me to say?" stammered out M. Bailleul, whose hesitation was increased by the agitation of his sister. "Well, I have seen, or, rather, I believe I have seen, that Laboissière, instead of thinking no longer about my daughter, as you imagine, thinks all the more about her. Now this is

exceedingly unfortunate, especially for poor Chaudieu, who is honesty and goodness personified. In a word, Madame Adolphine flirts rather too much with Laboissière. I have been almost on the point of telling her so."

"That is not your business; this concerns only me," interrupted Mademoiselle Bailleul with a gloomy air.

"I am glad to hear you say so. You can't fail to see how awkward it would be for me to speak on the subject with Adolphine, while the only lady in the house, her aunt, seemed totally unconscious

"I repeat, this is not your business!" replied the tempestuous lady, in a voice sɔ loud that M. Bailleul appeared desirous of subsiding into the arm-chair whereon he was seated.

An interval of silence ensued. The easy brother durst not breathe a syllable lest he should draw down upon his head the lightning he saw sparkling in his sister's eyes; the latter was rendered mute by an indignation which aunts rarely experience, towards even the most unpardonable faults of their nieces. At length, unable to overcome her emotion, Mademoiselle Bailleul rushed to the window, as if choking for want of air.

At this moment the sound of coach-wheels was heard, and almost at the same instant the bell announced a visitor. Hidden by the window-blinds, Mademoiselle Bailleul could perceive all that took place outside without being seen herself. The gate opened; an elegant cabriolet immediately drove into the courtyard. The proprietor of this spruce equipage was a young man about thirty years of age, of small stature, but very well made, and with an erect carriage. The expression of his face was bold, not to say insolent; a bantering smile played about his lips, and his least gesture announced an assurance bordering on presumption. The slightly reddish tint of his hair and moustache assisted in giving boldness to a cast of features with which also the style of his dress and his coat, decorated with gilt buttons, and cut in the martial style of the days of the empire, harmonized completely.

After stepping from the cabriolet, this deliberate individual handed the reins to a servant not less resplendent than himself, who drove the vehicle out of the courtyard with the ease of one perfectly acquainted with the spot. Having crossed the garden, and reached the porch of the cottage, the visitor made a smiling salute to some person who was not Mademoiselle Bailleul. The latter, slightly drawing back the curtain, perceived, at the parlour window, her niece, who, however, withdrew immediately, without being aware of the espionage of which she was the object. Mademoiselle Bailleul herself made a sudden movement in retreat from the window, and knocked against her brother, who had silently placed himself behind her, and had lost nothing of the scene.

"Well, have I been deceived?" he said, wagging his head mysteriously. "She waits for him at the window, so as to see him first. She hardly allows him to leave his cab before she salutes him. We need not fear that they will come here, for she knows where we are."

"Will she dare to receive him?" replied Mademoiselle Bailleul in an ominous tone.

"I didn't say that; but the garden has some pretty walks.”

"Is not Chaudieu there?"

"He is in the kitchen-garden, absorbed in painting his trellis. Poor fellow !

he dreams only of Montreuil peaches and prize grapes, and totally forgets the existence of such a being as Adolphine. Shall we join them?"

Instead of replying, Mademoiselle Bailleul fixed her eyes on the carpet with a stern air.

"Don't you think we had better go down into the garden ?" anxiously repeated the honest old man, after a moment's silence.

"You must remain here," answered Adolphine's aunt imperiously, seeming to awake suddenly from a painful dream, to play a decided part. "I tell you again, you must not interfere one jot in this affair. Remember that on no pretext must you quit this apartment till my return."

"But, at least, let me have the newspaper," pleaded the well-disciplined brother, casting a longing glance at the Constitutionnel, which the lady convulsively crumpled up during this conversation.

Every one knows that in those households where there is no male head, the right of breaking the postal envelope of the newspaper, and of reading it before any one else, belongs incontestably to the ruling lady. There was no Madame Bailleul in existence, and consequently Mademoiselle Bailleul rigorously exercised this prerogative, and from it her brother, a zealous national guard, and an elector full of patriotism, suffered more than from any other abuse, but suffered submissively, according to his temperament. On this occasion, the politician was silenced in the aunt, who, without a word, and with unparalleled condescension, deposited on the table the newspaper which she had only half read.

"Thank you, my dear sister!" cried the old man, eagerly taking possession of the print. Speedily forgetting the flirtations of his daughter, and the easy, careless disposition of his son-in-law, in the leaders of his favourite newspaper, the father of the family was merged in the citizen.

Before he had fairly balanced his spectacles on his nose, Mademoiselle Bailleul was out of the apartment, and had descended into the garden. What she had heard from her brother, as well as her natural shrewdness, led her to seek her niece and M. Laboissière at the extremity of a shaded winding avenue, which was terminated by a bower, whence the eye could follow the capricious course of the Seine. This was the spot where a confidential conversation could best escape interruption. Instead of proceeding thither by the avenue, Mademoiselle Bailleul took a little bye-path which led to the bower, and which enabled her to reach the place without any one seeing or hearing her. As she drew near, she redoubled her precautions against making the slightest noise, and walked, we might say, were not a lady in question, with the step of a cat. After proceeding in this fashion for a few moments, she took up a position behind an enormous ash-tree, which completely shaded her from the sight of any one occupying the rustic bank in front, upon which, at this very instant, were seated Madame Adolphine Chaudieu and M. Gustave Laboissière.

Scarcely three paces separated Mademoiselle Bailleul from her niece and M. Laboissière, and, though they spoke in a low tone, their conversation could be caught by her. The solicitude of an aunt alone could not satisfactorily explain the emotion with which Mademoiselle Bailleul gave ear to their dialogue.

Madame Adolphine Chaudieu was a pretty brunette, some twenty-three years old; and, allowing for the difference in age, was a tolerably close copy of her father's sister. If the slightly-curved, black eyebrow, the aquiline nose, the

decided lines of the mouth-and if, more than all, the easy, confident glance revealed aught, it might be surmised that this attractive young lady was nowise disposed to allow a prerogative to fall into desuetude which, in her family, permitted to its female members supreme power. The conduct of her father and aunt towards her, combined with the contrast afforded by their character, had produced the fruits which might have been predicted. To the weak nature of her father she responded by an ever-changing, capricious mood; towards the stern character of her aunt she displayed a sullen subordination; loving the one without fearing, and fearing the other without loving.

As for her husband, during the past five months no opportunity had offered for engaging with him in one of those decisive encounters which are, in married life, what a great debate, involving a change of ministry, is under a constitutional government. Provisionally, she exercised the power which usually belongs to a bride during the honeymoon period. To convert this power into something solid and unchangeable, she reckoned on two things-her own strong will, in the first place, and next, the easy, sluggish good-nature of which Benoit Chaudien every day gave proofs. Like her father, he was all docility, amiability, abnegation even. Young husband and elder brother, each appeared equally created to serve as the very obedient servants of a lady.

On her marriage, Madame Chaudieu prepared herself for a struggle, and not for spontaneous submission. Determined to fight valiantly for victory, she was overcome with surprise and embarrassment when she found herself a conqueror without an engagement. Against the passive obedience of her husband how could she employ the wonderful artifices she had prepared?-caprices, poutings, imperious airs, persuasive wheedlings, irresistible smiles, dramatic tears, nervous catastrophes, and as many more matrimonial stratagems as her own instinct might have placed at her disposal, if the example of her aunt had not long ago taught her their use? Madame Chaudieu was, accordingly, constrained to stow away in magazine— ready to be produced on the first alarm-her material of war; not, however, without experiencing a little of that vexation which a skilful engineer may be supposed to feel when, just as he is about to open fire from his trenches, he sees the flag of truce flying on the enemy's ramparts.

If, however, the young wife found her life monotonous, and complained of the length of each day, a sympathetic being had presented himself who was ready to reconcile her with her existence. On this occasion, the charitable individual who had imposed upon himself this task could the more easily appear on the scene, as he was already at the wing. A very old friend of M. Bailleul, it was quite natural that Gustave Laboissière should be introduced into the house of Chaudieu. The personage in question possessed all the qualities necessary to impress the imagination of such a lady as Madame Adolphine. Agreeable, without being handsome, hiding his lack of wit and accomplishments by an easy, confident raillery, insincere even to perfidy, bold even to effrontery, enjoying the prestige accompanying a number of successful duels, of which he was only eager to increase the number; in a word, braggart in speech and soul, he was precisely the man to fascinate many women who, like Madame de Sévigné, love so much a neat thrust with the sword.

Adolphine was not exempt from this weakness. When adventures came to be spoken of in which M. Laboissière had been victorious, and in which he had behaved with the insolent bravery of the duellist, a little thrill passed through

her which was not at all unpleasant; and when in her presence she beheld him subdued, tender, and submissive, it was with a secret pride that she enjoyed the transformation. Involuntarily she lent an ear to the gentle bleatings of this wolf, changed by herself into a lamb.

It was from the several causes which we have set forth, that, at the commencement of this narrative, there existed, between M. Gustave Laboissière and Madame Adolphine Chaudieu, a very dangerous flirtation, which one, at least, of the parties wished might enjoy a long and prosperous existence. This was the person whose pleading accents Mademoiselle Bailleul heard.

"Oh! were this Spain, I would entreat you to grant me this interview,” said Laboissière.

"You would not dream of it," responded Adolphine, absently tearing in pieces a rose she held in her hand. "I could not consent to such a piece of extravagance."

"Perhaps you would prefer my dispensing with your consent?"

"You would not dare!" said the young woman, tossing her head with an air of defiance.

"On my word, I would dare !" replied Laboissière in the most resolute tone. "As midnight struck I would be under your window."

"Then you would climb the wall?"

"That would be an easy affair. But why need I climb, when I could enter by the door?"

"What door?"

"The door of the garden."

"And who would open it for you?" asked Adolphine, with a mocking smile. "This!" calmly replied Laboissière, taking from his pocket a key.

"The key which has been missing for some time, and which we thought lost!" "It was not lost to every one, you see."

"Then it was you who had taken it ?"

"It was."

"But this is the act of a thief!"

"No; it is the ruse of an admirer."

"And you would dare to use it?"

"Not later than to-night-Were this Spain !"

Madame Chaudieu shrugged her shoulders. "This is so absurd," she said, "that I must not allow it to anger me."

"Much as I might fear your displeasure, it would not alter my determination.” "Well, madman that you are, we will suppose you really had the audacity to admit yourself into the garden. Do you know whom you would find there ?" "Turk!" said Laboissière.

"Yes, Turk; and you would count yourself lucky if he only barked at you. The other day he almost devoured a poor workman."

"You forget that it was I who gave him to you. Turk is a discreet and intelligent dog, incapable of ingratitude to his old master. He would not open his mouth." "And was it with this intention that you made us a present of him?" "With no other, I assure you," answered Laboissière in a lively tone. must tell you I am a marvel of foresight; and in prudence I am sixty years old.” There was an interval of silence. A prey to poignant emotion, Mademoiselle

"I

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