eant, for he seemed amused and came and shook hands with her.

"We're not angry, eh?" he whispered. "Pray pardon me. You're the nicer
attraction of the two, on my honor!"

Satin deigned no reply. Nor did she take her eyes off Nana and the
count, who were now alone. Muffat, ceasing to be ceremonious, had come
to sit beside the young woman. He took her fingers and began kissing
them. Whereupon Nana, seeking to change the current of his thoughts,
asked him if his daughter Estelle were better. The previous night he had
been complaining of the child's melancholy behavior--he could not even
spend a day happily at his own house, with his wife always out and his
daughter icily silent.

In family matters of this kind Nana was always full of good advice, and
when Muffat abandoned all his usual self-control under the influence
of mental and physical relaxation and once more launched out into his
former plaints, she remembered the promise she had made.

"Suppose you were to marry her?" she said. And with that she ventured to
talk of Daguenet. At the mere mention of the name the count was filled
with disgust. "Never," he said after what she had told him!

She pretended great surprise and then burst out laughing and put her arm
round his neck.

"Oh, the jealous man! To think of it! Just argue it out a little. Why,
they slandered me to you--I was furious. At present I should be ever so
sorry if--"

But over Muffat's shoulder she met Satin's gaze. And she left him
anxiously and in a grave voice continued:

"This marriage must come off, my friend; I don't want to prevent your
daughter's happiness. The young man's most charming; you could not
possibly find a better sort."

And she launched into extraordinary praise of Daguenet. The count had
again taken her hands; he no longer refused now; he would see about it,
he said, they would talk the matter over. By and by, when he spoke of
going to bed, she sank her voice and excused herself. It was impossible;
she was not well. If he loved her at all he would not insist!
Nevertheless, he was obstinate; he refused to go away, and she was
beginning to give in when she met Satin's eyes once more. Then she grew
inflexible. No, the thing was out of the question! The count, deeply
moved and with a look of suffering, had risen and was going in quest of
his hat. But in the doorway he remembered the set of sapphires; he
could feel the case in his pocket. He had been wanting to hide it at the
b