saw disgrace heaped upon the man she loved. She had
perfect faith in his innocence; she felt sure she knew who had laid the
trap to ruin him; and yet she could not say a word in his defence.

Fearing that Madeleine would suspect her of complicity in the theft, if
she remained in bed and betrayed so much agitation, Mme. Fauvel arose
and dressed for breakfast.

It was a dreary meal. No one tasted a morsel. The servants moved about
on their tiptoes, as silently as if a death had occurred in the family.

About two o'clock, a servant came to M. Fauvel's study, and said that
the Marquis de Clameran desired to see him.

"What!" cried the banker; "does he dare----"

Then, after a moment's reflection, he added:

"Ask him to walk up."

The very name of Clameran had sufficed to arouse all the slumbering
wrath of M. Fauvel. The victim of a robbery, finding his safe empty at
the moment that he was called upon to make a heavy payment, he had been
constrained to conceal his anger and resentment; but now he determined
to have his revenge upon his insolent visitor.

But the marquis declined to come upstairs. The messenger returned with
the answer that the gentleman had a particular reason for seeing M.
Fauvel in the office below, where the clerks were.

"What does this fresh impertinence mean?" cried the banker, as he
angrily jumped up and hastened downstairs.

M. de Clameran was standing in the middle of the room adjoining the
cash-room; M. Fauvel walked up to him, and said bluntly:

"What do you want now, monsieur? You have been paid your money, and I
have your receipt."

To the surprise of all the clerks, and the banker himself, the marquis
seemed not in the least offended at this rude greeting, but answered in
a deferential but not at all humble manner:

"You are hard upon me, monsieur; but I deserve it, and that is why I am
here. A gentleman always acknowledges when he is in the wrong: in this
instance I am the offender; and I flatter myself that my past will
permit me to say so without being accused of cowardice or lack of
self-respect. I insisted upon seeing you here instead of in your study,
because, having been rude to you in the presence of your clerks, I
wished them to hear me apologize for my behavior of this morning."

Clameran's speech was so different from his usual overbearing, haughty
conduct, that surprise almost stupefied the banker, and he could only
answer:

"I must say that I was hurt by your doub