eption. Monsieur de Sainfoy,
the most entirely justified, was by far the gentlest. Madame de
Sainfoy's flame of furious wrath enveloped every one. She refused at
first even to see Monsieur Urbain; she vowed that she would leave
Lancilly at once, take Helene back to Paris, let the odious old place
fall back into the ruin from which she wished it had never been rescued,
shake herself and her children free from the contact of these low,
insolent cousins who presumed so far on their position, on the gratitude
that might be supposed due to them. Urbain, however, having stuck to his
point and obtained a private interview with her, in which he promised
that his son should be sent away, or at least should annoy her no more,
her tone became a little milder and she did not insist on breaking up
the establishment. After all, Urbain pointed out, _Tout va bien!_ It was
to be expected that an imperial order would very soon decide Helene's
future and check for ever young Angelot's ambition. Madame de Sainfoy
perceived that it was worth while to wait.

In the meantime, the philosopher's nature was stirred to its depths. If
it had not been for his wife's strong opposition, he would have insisted
on Angelot's accepting one of those commissions which Napoleon was
always ready to give to young men of good family, sometimes indeed, when
the family was known to be strongly Royalist, making them
sub-lieutenants in spite of themselves and throwing them into prison if
they refused to serve. Anne would not have it. She was as angry with
Angelot as any one. That he should not only have been taken captive,
soul and body, by Lancilly, but should have put himself so hopelessly in
the wrong, filled her with rage and grief. But she would not have
matters made worse by committing her boy to the Empire. She would
rather, as Monsieur Joseph suggested, pack him off across the frontier
to join the army of the Princes. But then, again, his father would never
consent to that.

"Why do they not send the girl away!" she cried. "Why not send her to a
Paris convent till they find a husband for her! We do not want her here,
with that pale face and those tragic eyes of hers, making havoc of our
young men. I respect Herve for refusing that horrible General, but why
does he not take means to find some one else! They are beyond my
understanding, Herve and Adelaide. I wish they had never come back,
never brought that girl here to distract my Angelot. He was free and