itated.

"Dark dresses, Hermance," she said, "black dresses. I know! What remains
of Aunt Pauline's mourning? There must remain quite a lot of things. You
see, I am too sad--"

"But if madame expects to remain long in England?"

"Ah! as long as the Republic lasts."

"Then it may be a long time."

"What do you mean--a long time? What _do_ you mean, Hermance? Who can
tell you such things?"

"It seems to me that if I were madame I'd take for precaution's sake a
few winter dresses, a few evening-dresses--"

"Evening-dresses! Why, what are you thinking of? I shall go nowhere,
Hermance, alone in England, without my husband, who stays in Paris in
the National Guard."

"But if madame should go to see their Majesties in England?"

"Yes, of course I shall, Hermance."

"Well, it's because I know madame's feelings and views that--"

"You are right; put in some evening-dresses."

"Will madame take her last white satin dress?"

"Oh no, not that one; it would be too sad a memory for the Empress, who
noticed it at the last ball at the Tuileries. And then the dress
wouldn't stand the voyage. My poor white satin dress! Shall I ever wear
it again?"

That is why I did not emigrate, and how I found myself blockaded in
Paris during the siege. From the few words that we had heard of the
conversation of the little baroness and Hermance we had a pretty clear
idea of the situation. The Empire was overthrown and the Republic
proclaimed. The Republic! There were among us several old family laces
who had seen the first Republic--that of '93. The Reign of Terror! Ah,
what tales they told us! The fall of the Empire, however, did not
displease these old laces, who were all Legitimists or Orleanists. In my
neighborhood, on a gooseberry satin skirt, there were four flounces of
lace who had had the honor of attending the coronation of Charles X.,
and who were delighted, and kept saying to us: "The Bonapartes brought
about invasion; invasion brings back the Bourbons. Long live Henry V.!"

We all had, however, a common preoccupation. Should we remain in style?
We were nearly all startling, risky, and loud--so much so that we were
quite anxious, except three or four quiet dresses, velvet and dark cloth
dresses, who joined in the chorus with the old laces, and said to us:
"Ah, here's an end to the carnival, to this masquerade of an empire!
Republic or monarchy, little we care; we are sensible and in good
taste." We felt they were somewhat