hat she threw
herself back and laughed until she had to hold her sides, and was fairly
breathless. "The marquis not come!" she cried, when she could speak,
"you had better engage rooms for him right away--not come! Why my fear
was that he would overtake me on the road; you will see him very soon,
I can guarantee. Ah! you abominable old bear! you doubt the power of
my charms, do you? You're decidedly growing stupid, Herode, as you grow
old; you used to be rather clever than otherwise."

At this moment appeared Leander and Scapin, who had heard of Zerbine's
arrival from the servants, and came to pay their respects, soon
followed by old Mme. Leonarde, who greeted the soubrette with as much
obsequiousness as if she had-been a princess. Isabelle came also to
welcome her, to the great delight of Zerbine, who was devotedly fond of
her, and always trying to do something to please her. She now insisted
upon presenting her with a piece of rich silk, which Isabelle accepted
very reluctantly, and only when she found that the warm-hearted
soubrette would be really wounded if she refused her first gift.
Serafina had shut herself up in her own room, and was the only one that
failed to come and bid Zerbine welcome. She could neither forget nor
forgive the inexplicable preference of the Marquis de Bruyeres for her
humble rival, and she called the soubrette all sorts of hard names in
her wrath and indignation; but nobody paid any attention to her bad
humour, and she was left to sulk in solitude.

When Zerbine asked why Matamore had not come to speak to her with the
rest, they told her the sad story of his death, and also that the Baron
de Sigognac now filled his role, under the name of Captain Fracasse.

"It will be a great honour for me to act with a gentleman whose
ancestors figured honourably in the crusades," said she, "and I only
hope that my profound respect for him will not overwhelm me, and spoil
my acting; fortunately I have become pretty well accustomed to the
society of people of rank lately."

A moment later de Sigognac knocked at the door, and came in to greet
Zerbine, and courteously express his pleasure at her return. She rose
as he approached, and making a very low curtsey, said, "This is for
the Baron de Sigognac; and this is for my comrade, Captain Fracasse;"
kissing him on both cheeks--which unexpected and unprecedented
proceeding put poor de Sigognac completely out of countenance; partly
because he was not used to