entered the square from the road to
Brienne she saw him, and watched to see what business could have brought
him to Arcis; she had no peace of mind until that peasant was explained.
She spent her life in judging the events, men, things, and households of
Arcis.

The ambition of the house of Mollot, father, mother, and daughter, was
to marry Ernestine (an only daughter) to Antonin Goulard. Consequently
the refusal of the Beauvisage parents to entertain the proposals of
the sub-prefect had tightened the bonds of friendship between the two
families.

"There's an impatient man!" said Ernestine to Cecile, indicating Simon
Giguet. "He wants to come and talk with us; but every one who comes in
feels bound to congratulate him. I've heard him say fifty times already:
'It is, I think, less to me than to my father that this compliment of
my fellow-citizens has been paid; but, in any case, pray believe that
I shall be devoted not only to our general interests but to yours
individually.' I can guess those words by the motion of his lips, and
all the while he is looking at you with an air of martyrdom."

"Ernestine," replied Cecile, "don't leave me the whole evening; I
don't want to listen to his proposals made under cover of 'alases!' and
mingled with sighs."

"Don't you want to be the wife of a Keeper of the Seals?"

"Ah! that's all nonsense," said Cecile, laughing.

"But I assure you," persisted Ernestine, "that just before you came
in Monsieur Godivet, the registrar, was declaring with enthusiasm that
Simon would be Keeper of the Seals in three years."

"Do they count on the influence of the Comte de Gondreville?" asked
the sub-prefect, coming up to the two girls and guessing that they were
making fun of his friend Giguet.

"Ah! Monsieur Antonin," said the handsome Ernestine, "you who promised
my mother to find out all about the _stranger_, what have you heard
about him?"

"The events of to-day, Mademoiselle, are so much more important," said
Antonin, taking a seat beside Cecile, like a diplomat delighted to
escape general attention by conversing with two girls. "All my career as
sub-prefect or prefect is at stake."

"What! I thought you allowed your friend Simon to be nominated
unanimously."

"Simon is my friend, but the government is my master, and I expect to
do my best to prevent Simon from being elected. And here comes Madame
Mollot, who owes me her concurrence as the wife of a man whose functions
attach him t