adame, of not retaining my reason and
self-possession."

"And your history refutes this fear in the mind of Monsieur
Marie-Gaston?"

"You shall judge."

And then, without further preamble, he told me a long tale which I need
not repeat here; the gist of it is, however, that Monsieur Dorlange is
in love with a woman who posed in his imagination for Saint-Ursula; but
as this woman appears to be forever lost to him it did not seem to me
impossible that in the long run he might transfer his sentiments for her
memory to me. When he had finished his tale he asked if I did not think
it a victorious answer to the ridiculous fears of our friend.

"Modesty," I replied, "obliges me to share your security; but they say
that in the army shots frequently ricochet and kill their victims."

"Then you think me capable of the impertinence Marie-Gaston is good
enough to suspect in me?"

"I don't know about its being an impertinence," I said stiffly, "but
if such a fancy came into your mind, I should think you very much to be
pitied."

His answer was vehement.

"Madame," he said, "you will not have to pity me. In my opinion, first
love is a vaccination which protects us from a second."

The conversation stopped there. We had now reached my own door, and
I invited Monsieur Dorlange to come in. He accepted my politeness,
remarking that Monsieur de l'Estorade had probably returned and he could
thus take leave of him.

My husband was at home. I don't know whether Lucas, forestalling the
rebuke I intended to give him, had made out a story to excuse himself,
or whether Monsieur de l'Estorade for the first time in his life, felt,
in view of my maternal escapade, a movement of jealousy. It is certain,
however, that his manner of receiving me was curt; he called it an
unheard-of thing to go out at such an hour, in such weather, to see
a boy who proved, by announcing his own illness, that it was nothing
serious. After letting him talk in this discourteous way for some little
time, I thought it was time to put an end to the scene, so I said in a
rather peremptory tone:--

"As I wanted to sleep at night, I went to the school in a pelting rain;
I came back by moonlight; and I beg you to remark that monsieur, who was
so good as to escort me, has come upstairs to bid you good-bye, because
he leaves Paris to-morrow morning."

I have habitually enough power over Monsieur de l'Estorade to make this
call to order effective; but I saw that my