us." Anastasie understood the glance that M.
de Trailles gave her. With a woman's admirable tact, she began to smile
and said:

"Come with me, Maxime; I have something to say to you. We will leave
you two gentlemen to sail in company on board the _Warwick_ and the
_Vengeur_."

She rose to her feet and signed to Maxime to follow her, mirth and
mischief in her whole attitude, and the two went in the direction of the
boudoir. The _morganatic_ couple (to use a convenient German expression
which has no exact equivalent) had reached the door, when the Count
interrupted himself in his talk with Eugene.

"Anastasie!" he cried pettishly, "just stay a moment, dear; you know
very well that----"

"I am coming back in a minute," she interrupted; "I have a commission
for Maxime to execute, and I want to tell him about it."

She came back almost immediately. She had noticed the inflection in her
husband's voice, and knew that it would not be safe to retire to the
boudoir; like all women who are compelled to study their husbands'
characters in order to have their own way, and whose business it is
to know exactly how far they can go without endangering a good
understanding, she was very careful to avoid petty collisions in
domestic life. It was Eugene who had brought about this untoward
incident; so the Countess looked at Maxime and indicated the law student
with an air of exasperation. M. de Trailles addressed the Count, the
Countess, and Eugene with the pointed remark, "You are busy, I do not
want to interrupt you; good-day," and he went.

"Just wait a moment, Maxime!" the Count called after him.

"Come and dine with us," said the Countess, leaving Eugene and her
husband together once more. She followed Maxime into the little
drawing-room, where they sat together sufficiently long to feel sure
that Rastignac had taken his leave.

The law student heard their laughter, and their voices, and the pauses
in their talk; he grew malicious, exerted his conversational powers for
M. de Restaud, flattered him, and drew him into discussions, to the
end that he might see the Countess again and discover the nature of her
relations with Father Goriot. This Countess with a husband and a lover,
for Maxime clearly was her lover, was a mystery. What was the secret tie
that bound her to the old tradesman? This mystery he meant to penetrate,
hoping by its means to gain a sovereign ascendency over this fair
typical Parisian.

"Anastasie!" the C