the cardinal virtues,--Faith, Hope,
Charity. She abandoned her thoughts of escape. Sylvie, surprised by the
transformation Monsieur Habert had effected in Pierrette, was curious
to know how it had been done. And it thus came about that the austere
priest, while preparing Pierrette for her first communion, also won
to God the hitherto erring soul of Mademoiselle Sylvie. Sylvie became
pious. Jerome Rogron, on whom the so-called Jesuit could get no grip
(for just then the influence of His Majesty the late _Constitutionnel_
the First was more powerful over weaklings than the influence of the
Church), Jerome Rogron remained faithful to Colonel Gouraud, Vinet, and
Liberalism.

Mademoiselle Rogron naturally made the acquaintance of Mademoiselle
Habert, with whom she sympathized deeply. The two spinsters loved each
other as sisters. Mademoiselle Habert offered to take Pierrette into her
school to spare Sylvie the annoyance of her education; but the brother
and sister both declared that Pierrette's absence would make the house
too lonely; their attachment to their little cousin seemed excessive.

When Gouraud and Vinet became aware of the advent of Mademoiselle Habert
on the scene they concluded that the ambitious priest her brother had
the same matrimonial plan for his sister that the colonel was forming
for himself and Sylvie.

"Your sister wants to get you married," said Vinet to Rogron.

"With whom?" asked Rogron.

"With that old sorceress of a schoolmistress," cried the colonel,
twirling his moustache.

"She hasn't said anything to me about it," said Rogron, naively.

So thorough an old maid as Sylvie was certain to make good progress in
the way of salvation. The influence of the priest would as certainly
increase, and in the end affect Rogron, over whom Sylvie had great
power. The two Liberals, who were naturally alarmed, saw plainly that
if the priest were resolved to marry his sister to Rogron (a far more
suitable marriage than that of Sylvie to the colonel) he could then
drive Sylvie in extreme devotion to the Church, and put Pierrette in a
convent. They might therefore lose eighteen months' labor in flattery
and meannesses of all sorts. Their minds were suddenly filled with a
bitter, silent hatred to the priest and his sister, though they felt
the necessity of living on good terms with them in order to track their
manoeuvres. Monsieur and Mademoiselle Habert, who could play both whist
and boston, now came every