without intending
it."

"Come, come," said Thuillier, "these are not proper actions for people
of our class."

"Oh! so it is I who am to blame, is it? Well, my lad, some day you'll
remember this, and we shall see how your household will get along when I
have stopped taking care of it."

"You'll always take care of it," said Thuillier. "Housekeeping is your
very life; you will be the first to get over this affair."

"We'll see about that," said Brigitte; "after twenty years of devotion,
to be treated like the lowest of the low!"

And rushing to the door, which she slammed after her with violence, she
went away.

Thuillier was not disturbed by this exit.

"Were you there, Flavie," he asked, "when the scene took place?"

"No, it happened in Celeste's room. What did she do to her?"

"What I said,--raised her hand to her and locked her in like a child.
Celeste may certainly be rather dull-minded, but there are limits that
must not be passed."

"She is not always pleasant, that good Brigitte," said Flavie; "she and
I have just had a little set-to."

"Oh, well," said Thuillier, "it will all pass off. I want to tell
you, my dear Flavie, what fine success we have had this morning. The
'National' quotes two whole paragraphs of an article in which there were
several sentences of mine."

Thuillier was again interrupted in the tale of his great political and
literary success,--this time by the entrance of Josephine the cook.

"Can monsieur tell me where to find the key of the great trunk?" she
said.

"What do you want with it?" asked Thuillier.

"Mademoiselle told me to take it to her room."

"What for?"

"Mademoiselle must be going to make a journey. She is getting her linen
out of the drawers, and her gowns are on the bed."

"Another piece of nonsense!" said Thuillier. "Flavie, go and see what
she has in her head."

"Not I," said Madame Colleville; "go yourself. In her present state of
exasperation she might beat me."

"And my stupid wife, who must needs raise a fuss about the contract!"
cried Thuillier. "She really must have said something pretty sharp to
turn Brigitte off her hinges like this."

"Monsieur has not told me where to find the key," persisted Josephine.

"I don't know anything about it," said Thuillier, crossly; "go and look
for it, or else tell her it is lost."

"Oh, yes!" said Josephine, "it is likely I'd dare to go and tell her
that."

Just then the outer door-bell rang.

"No do