this will never do."

And Clotilde replied in the same tongue:

"I know it, but he is innocent."

"Let us understand each other," said their visitor. "There is not the
faintest idea in the mind of one of us that Professor Frowenfeld is
guilty of even an intention of wrong; otherwise I should not be here. He
is a man simply incapable of anything ignoble."

Clotilde was silent. Aurora answered promptly, with the air of one not
to be excelled in generosity:

"Certainly, he is very incapabl'."

"Still," resumed the visitor, turning especially to Clotilde, "the known
facts are these, according to his own statement: he was in the house of
Palmyre on some legitimate business which, unhappily, he considers
himself on some account bound not to disclose, and by some mistake of
Palmyre's old Congo woman, was set upon by her and wounded, barely
escaping with a whole skull into the street, an object of public
scandal. Laying aside the consideration of his feelings, his reputation
is at stake and likely to be ruined unless the affair can be explained
clearly and satisfactorily, and at once, by his friends."

"And you undertake--" began Aurora.

"Madame Nancanou," said Honore Grandissime, leaning toward her
earnestly, "you know--I must beg leave to appeal to your candor and
confidence--you know everything concerning Palmyre that I know. You know
me, and who I am; you know it is not for me to undertake to confer with
Palmyre. I know, too, her old affection for you; she lives but a little
way down this street upon which you live; there is still daylight
enough at your disposal; if you will, you can go to see her, and get
from her a full and complete exoneration of this young man. She cannot
come to you; she is not fit to leave her room."

"Cannot leave her room?"

"I am, possibly, violating confidence in this disclosure, but it is
unavoidable--you have to know: she is not fully recovered from a
pistol-shot wound received between two and three weeks ago."

"Pistol-shot wound!"

Both ladies started forward with open lips and exclamations of
amazement.

"Received from a third person--not myself and not Professor
Frowenfeld--in a desperate attempt made by her to avenge the wrongs
which she has suffered, as you, Madam, as well as I, are aware, at the
hands of--"

Aurora rose up with a majestic motion for the speaker to desist.

"If it is to mention the person of whom your allusion reminds me, that
you have honored us wit