h!" softly exclaimed Aurora, in English, "you could be--you know
w'ad?--an egcellen' drug-cl'--ah, ha, ha!"

"Now--"

But the threatened irruption was averted by a look of tender apology
from Aurora, in reply to one of martyrdom from Clotilde.

"My angel daughter," said Aurora, "if society has decreed that ladies
must be ladies, then that is our first duty; our second is to live. Do
you not see why it is that this practical world does not permit ladies
to make a living? Because if they could, none of them would ever consent
to be married. Ha! women talk about marrying for love; but society is
too sharp to trust them, yet! It makes it _necessary_ to marry. I will
tell you the honest truth; some days when I get very, very hungry, and
we have nothing but rice--all because we are ladies without male
protectors--I think society could drive even me to marriage!--for your
sake, though, darling; of course, only for your sake!"

"Never!" replied Clotilde; "for my sake, never; for your own sake if you
choose. I should not care. I should be glad to see you do so if it would
make you happy; but never for my sake and never for hunger's sake; but
for love's sake, yes; and God bless thee, pretty maman."

"Clotilde, dear," said the unconscionable widow, "let me assure you,
once for all,--starvation is preferable. I mean for me, you understand,
simply for me; that is my feeling on the subject."

Clotilde turned her saddened eyes with a steady scrutiny upon her
deceiver, who gazed upward in apparently unconscious reverie, and sighed
softly as she laid her head upon the high chair-back and stretched
out her feet.

"I wish Alphonsina would come back," she said. "Ah!" she added, hearing
a footfall on the step outside the street door, "there she is."

She arose and drew the bolt. Unseen to her, the person whose footsteps
she had heard stood upon the doorstep with a hand lifted to knock, but
pausing to "makeup his mind." He heard the bolt shoot back, recognized
the nature of the mistake, and, feeling that here again he was robbed of
volition, rapped.

"That is not Alphonsina!"

The two ladies looked at each other and turned pale.

"But you must open it," whispered Clotilde, half rising.

Aurora opened the door, and changed from white to crimson. Clotilde rose
up quickly. The gentleman lifted his hat.

"Madame Nancanou."

"M. Grandissime?"

"Oui, Madame."

For once, Aurora was in an uncontrollable flutter. She stammered, lo