ras and opera beauties!" said Herbelot
the notary, naively, having finished his game of whist.

"My legal brother," said Achille Pigoult, "is not very strong on the
history of the middle ages."

"Come, Malvina!" said the stout notary to his wife, making no reply to
his young associate.

"Tell me, Monsieur Antonin," said Cecile to the sub-prefect, "you spoke
of Anicette, the maid of the Princesse de Cadignan; do you know her?"

"No, but Julien does; she is the goddaughter of his father, and they are
good friends together."

"Then try, through Julien, to get her to live with us. Mamma wouldn't
consider wages."

"Mademoiselle, to hear is to obey, as they say to despots in Asia,"
replied the sub-prefect. "Just see to what lengths I will go in order to
serve you."

And he left the room to give Julien orders to go with Anicette in the
chariot and coax her away from the princess at any price.

XI. IN WHICH THE CANDIDATE BEGINS TO LOSE VOTES

At this moment Simon Giguet, who had got through his bowing and scraping
to all the influential men of Arcis, and who regarded himself as sure of
his election, joined the circle around Cecile and Mademoiselle Mollot.
The evening was far advanced. Ten o'clock had struck. After an enormous
consumption of cakes, orgeat, punch, lemonade, and various syrups, those
who had come that evening solely for political reasons and who were
not accustomed to Madame Marion's floors, to them aristocratic,
departed,--all the more willingly, because they were unaccustomed to
sitting up so late. The evening then began to take on its usual air of
intimacy. Simon Giguet hoped that he could now exchange a few words with
Cecile, and he looked at her like a conqueror. The look displeased her.

"My dear fellow," said Antonin to Simon, observing on his friend's face
the glory of success, "you come at a moment when the noses of all the
young men in Arcis are put out of joint."

"Very much so," said Ernestine, whom Cecile had nudged with her elbow.
"We are distracted, Cecile and I, about the great Unknown, and we are
quarrelling for him."

"But," said Cecile, "he is no longer unknown; he is a count."

"Some adventurer!" replied Simon Giguet, with an air of contempt.

"Will you say that, Monsieur Simon," answered Cecile, feeling piqued,
"of a man to whom the Princesse de Cadignan has just sent her servants,
who dined at Gondreville to-day, and is to spend this evening with the
Marquise de Cinq-Cy