t have been
shame, as the sweet girl often alluded to her poverty in a way so
simple and natural, as to prove that she had no false feelings on that
subject. And why should she? Poverty ordinarily causes no such
sensations to those who are conscious of possessing advantages of an
order superior to wealth, and surely a well-educated, well-born,
virtuous girl need not have blushed because estates were torn from her
parents by a political convulsion that had overturned an ancient and
powerful throne.

CHAPTER IV.

From this time, the charming Adrienne frequently visited the bleaching
grounds, always accompanied by her grandmother. The presence of Georges
was an excuse, but to watch the improvement in our appearance was the
reason. Never before had Adrienne seen a fabric as beautiful as our
own, and, as I afterwards discovered, she was laying by a few francs
with the intention of purchasing the piece, and of working and
ornamenting the handkerchiefs, in order to present them to her
benefactress, the dauphine. Mad. de la Rocheaimard was pleased with
this project; it was becoming in a de la Rocheaimard; and they soon
began to speak of it openly in their visits. Fifteen or twenty
napoleons might do it, and the remains of the recovered trousseau would
still produce that sum. It is probable this intention would have been
carried out, but for a severe illness that attacked the dear girl,
during which her life was even despaired of. I had the happiness of
hearing of her gradual recovery, however, before we commenced our
journey, though no more was said of the purchase. Perhaps it was as
well as it was; for, by this time, such a feeling existed in our
extreme cote gauche, that it may be questioned if the handkerchiefs of
that end of the piece would have behaved themselves in the wardrobe of
the dauphine with the discretion and prudence that are expected from
every thing around the person of a princess of her exalted rank and
excellent character. It is true, none of us understood the questions at
issue; but that only made the matter worse; the violence of all
dissensions being very generally in proportion to the ignorance and
consequent confidence of the disputants.

{napoleon = French gold coin worth twenty francs}

I could not but remember Adrienne, as the commissionaire laid us down
before the eyes of the wife of the head of the firm, in the rue de
----. We were carefully examined, and pronounced "parfaits;" still it
wa