a favorable opportunity for
presenting Henriette to him, gave orders that he should be introduced
at once. The doughty captain, when he beheld another young woman in the
room, surpassed himself in politeness, even accepting a cup of coffee,
which he took without sugar, as he had seen many people do at Paris.
He had only asked to be received at that unusual hour, he said, that he
might tell Madame he had succeeded in obtaining the pardon of one of
her proteges, a poor operative in the factory who had been arrested on
account of a squabble with a Prussian. And Gilberte thereon seized the
opportunity to mention Father Fouchard's case.

"Captain, I wish to make you acquainted with one of my dearest friends,
who desires to place herself under your protection. She is the niece
of the farmer who was arrested lately at Remilly, as you are aware, for
being mixed up with that business of the francs-tireurs."

"Yes, yes, I know; the affair of the spy, the poor fellow who was found
in a sack with his throat cut. It's a bad business, a very bad business.
I am afraid I shall not be able to do anything."

"Oh, Captain, don't say that! I should consider it such a favor!"

There was a caress in the look she cast on him, while he beamed with
satisfaction, bowing his head in gallant obedience. Her wish was his
law!

"You would have all my gratitude, sir," faintly murmured Henriette, to
whose memory suddenly rose the image of her husband, her dear Weiss,
slaughtered down yonder at Bazeilles, filling her with invincible
repugnance.

Edmond, who had discreetly taken himself off on the arrival of the
captain, now reappeared and whispered something in Gilberte's ear. She
rose quickly from the table, and, announcing to the company that she was
going to inspect her lace, excused herself and followed the young man
from the room. Henriette, thus left alone with the two men, went and
took a seat by herself in the embrasure of a window, while they remained
seated at the table and went on talking in a loud tone.

"Captain, you'll have a _petit verre_ with me. You see I don't stand on
ceremony with you; I say whatever comes into my head, because I know
you to be a fair-minded man. Now I tell you your prefet is all wrong
in trying to extort those forty-two thousand francs from the city. Just
think once of all our losses since the beginning of the war. In the
first place, before the battle, we had the entire French army on our
hands, a set of r