re
lighted by candles at forty sous a pound, paid for by the price of the
cards.

"Come, Pierrette, take your work, my dear," said Sylvie, with
treacherous softness, noticing that the girl was watching the colonel's
game.

She usually affected to treat Pierrette well before company. This
deception irritated the honest Breton girl, and made her despise her
cousin. She took her embroidery, but as she drew her stitches she still
watched Gouraud's play. Gouraud behaved as if he did not know the girl
was near him. Sylvie noticed this apparent indifference and thought
it extremely suspicious. Presently she undertook a _grande misere_ in
hearts, the pool being full of counters, besides containing twenty-seven
sous. The rest of the company had now arrived; among them the
deputy-judge Desfondrilles, who for the last two months had abandoned
the Tiphaine party and connected himself more or less with the Vinets.
He was standing before the chimney-piece, with his back to the fire and
the tails of his coat over his arms, looking round the fine salon of
which Mademoiselle de Chargeboeuf was the shining ornament; for it
really seemed as if all the reds of its decoration had been made
expressly to enhance her style of beauty. Silence reigned; Pierrette
was watching the game, Sylvie's attention was distracted from her by the
interest of the _grande misere_.

"Play that," said Pierrette to the colonel, pointing to a heart in his
hand.

The colonel began a sequence in hearts; the hearts all lay between
himself and Sylvie; the colonel won her ace, though it was protected by
five small hearts.

"That's not fair!" she cried. "Pierrette saw my hand, and the colonel
took her advice."

"But, mademoiselle," said Celeste, "it was the colonel's game to play
hearts after you began them."

The scene made Monsieur Desfondrilles smile; his was a keen mind, which
found much amusement in watching the play of all the self-interests in
Provins.

"Yes, it was certainly the colonel's game," said Cournant the notary,
not knowing what the question was.

Sylvie threw a look at Mademoiselle Habert,--one of those glances which
pass from old maid to old maid, feline and cruel.

"Pierrette, you did see my hand," said Sylvie fixing her eyes on the
girl.

"No, cousin."

"I was looking at you all," said the deputy-judge, "and I can swear that
Pierrette saw no one's hand but the colonel's."

"Pooh!" said Gouraud, alarmed, "little girls know how to