on his nose
and a pen behind his ear, quickly crossed the anteroom.

--Is it not Monsieur l'Abbe Gaudinet? said Marcel rising.

--Ah, cried the former, Monsieur le Cure of Althausen, I think?

It was the Secretary, and he aspired, as may be remembered, to the envied
post of curate at St. Nicholas. He thought to obtain the good graces of
Ridoux by rendering a service to Marcel.

--Monseigneur is really too much engaged, said he, but I will obtain
admittance for you anyhow.

And he made him go into a small apartment next to the Bishop's private
cabinet.

--I will call you when it is time, he said to him and went out.

Marcel, left alone, heard the sound of a voice in Monseigneur's cabinet,
and he recognized perfectly old Collard's.

He would have been failing in good clerical traditions, if he had not
gently drawn near the door and listened with all his ears; struck with
amazement, he heard the singular conversation which follows.

LXXXV.

LITTLE PASTIMES.

"One thing which it is necessary
to take into account, is that they are
very precocious. A French girl of
fifteen is as much developed as regards
the sex and love, as an English girl
of eighteen. This is accounted for
essentially by Catholic education and
by the Confessional, which brings
forward young girls to so great an
extent."

MICHELET (_L'Amour_).

--Let us see, little one; look me right in the face. Madame de Montinisant
has assured me that you were very nice, very sweet, very submissive, very
modest, in fact ail the good qualities in the superlative, and that you
were worthy of entering into the sisterhood of the Holy Virgin, in spite of
your youth; is that quite true?

--Yes, Monseigneur.

--Ah, ah! It is true, do you say? I am going to know exactly, I am going to
know if you are truthful or not. God has bestowed on Bishops the gift of
divining everything. Did you know that?

--No, Monseigneur.

--Ah, ah! You are smiling; you believe perhaps that it is not true; wait,
wait, you shall see indeed. Is it long since she made her first communion?

--Nearly two years, Monseigneur.

--Two years, ah, ah! Then the little girl is fourteen.

--Only thirteen, Monseigneur.

--Thirteen! thirteen! that is very nice. At thirteen one is already a
grown-up girl. Are you already a grown-up girl, little rogue?

--I don't know.

--You don't know, ah, ah. We are going to see first, if you are modest.
Come close to m