sible! impossible!" said the poor child, whose agitation
increased with every word of the adroit Provencal. "I cannot be the
cause of such dreadful harm."

"That is, you did not intend to be, for the harm is done; and I pray
Heaven it may not be irremediable."

"But what am I to do, good God!" cried Celeste, wringing her hands.

"I should answer, without hesitation, sacrifice yourself, mademoiselle,
if it were not that I should then be forced to play the painful part of
victimizer."

"Monsieur," said Celeste, "you interpret ill the resistance that I have
made, though, in fact, I have scarcely expressed it. I have certainly
had a preference, but I have never considered myself in the light of
a victim; and whatever it is necessary to do to restore peace in this
house to which I have brought trouble, I shall do it without repugnance,
and even willingly."

"That would be for me," said la Peyrade, humbly, "more than I could dare
ask for myself; but, for the result which we both seek, I must tell you
frankly that something more is needed. Madame Thuillier has not changed
her nature to instantly change back again on the mere assurance by
others of your compliance. It is necessary that she should hear from
your own lips that you accede to my suit, and that you do so with
eagerness,--assumed, indeed, but sufficiently well assumed to induce her
to believe in it."

"So be it," said Celeste. "I shall know how to seem smiling and happy.
My godmother, monsieur, has been a mother to me; and for such a mother,
what is there that I would not endure?"

The position was such, and Celeste betrayed so artlessly the depth and,
at the same time, the absolute determination of her sacrifice, that with
any heart at all la Peyrade would have loathed the part he was playing;
but Celeste, to him, was a means of ascent, and provided the ladder can
hold you and hoist you, who would ever ask if it cared to or not? It was
therefore decided that Celeste should go to her godmother and convince
her of the mistake she had made in supposing an objection to la Peyrade
which Celeste had never intended to make. Madame Thuillier's opposition
overcome, all was once more easy. La Peyrade took upon himself the duty
of making peace between the two sisters-in-law, and we can well imagine
that he was not at a loss for fine phrases with which to assure the
artless girl of the devotion and love which would take from her all
regret for the moral compulsion she h