nd seemed to
observe the different operations of Adrienne's toilette with grave and
reflective attention. A silver bell being sounded from without, Florine,
at a sign from her mistress, went out and presently returned, bearing
a letter upon a small silver-gilt salve. Adrienne, while her women
continued fitting on her shoes, dressing her hair, and arranging her in
her habiliments, took the letter, which was written by the steward of
the estate of Cardoville, and read aloud as follows:

"HONORED MADAME,

"Knowing your goodness of heart and generosity, I venture to address you
with respectful confidence. During twenty years I served the late Count
and Duke of Cardoville, your noble father, I believe I may truly say,
with probity and zeal. The castle is now sold; so that I and my wife, in
our old age, behold ourselves about to be dismissed, and left destitute
of all resources: which, alas! is very hard at our time of life."

"Poor creature!" said Adrienne, interrupting herself in reading: "my
father, certainly, always prided himself upon their devotion to him, and
their probity." She continued:

"There does, indeed, remain to us a means of retaining our place
here; but it would constrain us to be guilty of baseness; and, be the
consequences to us what they may, neither I nor my wife wish to purchase
our bread at such a price."

"Good, very good," said Adrienne, "always the same--dignity even in
poverty--it is the sweet perfume of a flower, not the less sweet because
it has bloomed in a meadow."

"In order to explain to you, honored madame, the unworthy task exacted
from us, it is necessary to inform you, in the first place, that M.
Rodin came here from Paris two days ago."

"Ah! M. Rodin!" said Mademoiselle de Cardoville, interrupting herself
anew; "the secretary of Abbe d'Aigrigny! I am not at all surprised at
him being engaged in a perfidious or black intrigue. But let us see."

"M. Rodin came from Paris to announce to us that the estate was sold,
and that he was sure of being able to obtain our continuance in our
place, if we would assist him in imposing a priest not of good character
upon the new proprietress as her future confessor; and if, the better
to attain this end, we would consent to calumniate another priest,
a deserving and excellent man, much loved and much respected in the
country. Even that is not all. I was required to write twice or thrice
a week to M. Rodin, and to relate to him everything that