le the
bouquets--roses, lilacs and hyacinths--appeared like a very ruin of
flowers. Their perfume was strong and penetrating, while through the
dampish air of the place, which was full of the spoiled exhalations of
the washstand, came occasional whiffs of a more pungent scent, the scent
of some grains or dry patchouli ground to fine powder at the bottom of
a cup. And as she gathered herself together and drew up her dressing
jacket, which had been ill fastened, Nana had all the appearance of
having been surprised at her toilet: her skin was still damp; she smiled
and looked quite startled amid her frills and laces.

"Madame, you will pardon our insistence," said the Count Muffat gravely.
"We come on a quest. Monsieur and I are members of the Benevolent
Organization of the district."

The Marquis de Chouard hastened gallantly to add:

"When we learned that a great artiste lived in this house we promised
ourselves that we would put the claims of our poor people before her in
a very special manner. Talent is never without a heart."

Nana pretended to be modest. She answered them with little assenting
movements of her head, making rapid reflections at the same time. It
must be the old man that had brought the other one: he had such wicked
eyes. And yet the other was not to be trusted either: the veins near
his temples were so queerly puffed up. He might quite well have come by
himself. Ah, now that she thought of it, it was this way: the porter had
given them her name, and they had egged one another on, each with his
own ends in view.

"Most certainly, gentlemen, you were quite right to come up," she said
with a very good grace.

But the electric bell made her tremble again. Another call, and that Zoe
always opening the door! She went on:

"One is only too happy to be able to give."

At bottom she was flattered.

"Ah, madame," rejoined the marquis, "if only you knew about it! there's
such misery! Our district has more than three thousand poor people in
it, and yet it's one of the richest. You cannot picture to yourself
anything like the present distress--children with no bread, women ill,
utterly without assistance, perishing of the cold!"

"The poor souls!" cried Nana, very much moved.

Such was her feeling of compassion that tears flooded her fine eyes. No
longer studying deportment, she leaned forward with a quick movement,
and under her open dressing jacket her neck became visible, while the
bent position o