luxury. Singular to say, they, more than anything else, excited the
envy of Gaubertin, and whenever he thought of his fixed determination
to bring Les Aigues to the hammer and cut it in pieces, he reserved for
himself, "in petto," this beautiful pavilion.

On the next floor three chambers sufficed for the household. At the
windows were muslin curtains which reminded a Parisian of the particular
taste and fancy of bourgeois requirements. Left to herself in the
decoration of these rooms, Madame Michaud had chosen satin papers; on
the mantel-shelf of her bedroom--which was furnished in that vulgar
style of mahogany and Utrecht velvet which is seen everywhere, with
its high-backed bed and canopy to which embroidered muslin curtains are
fastened--stood an alabaster clock between two candelabra covered with
gauze and flanked by two vases filled with artificial flowers protected
by glass shades, a conjugal gift of the former cavalry sergeant. Above,
under the roof, the bedrooms of the cook, the man-of-all-work, and La
Pechina had benefited by the recent restoration.

"Olympe, my dear, you did not tell me all," said the countess, entering
Madame Michaud's bedroom, and leaving Emile and the abbe on the
stairway, whence they descended when they heard her shut the door.

Madame Michaud, to whom the abbe had contrived to whisper a word, was
now anxious to say no more about her fears, which were really greater
than she had intimated, and she therefore began to talk of a matter
which reminded the countess of the object of her visit.

"I love Michaud, madame, as you know. Well, how would you like to have,
in your own house, a rival always beside you?"

"A rival?"

"Yes, madame; that swarthy girl you gave me to take care of loves
Michaud without knowing it, poor thing! The child's conduct, long a
mystery to me, has been cleared up in my mind for some days."

"Why, she is only thirteen years old!"

"I know that, madame. But you will admit that a woman who is three
months pregnant and means to nurse her child herself may have some
fears; but as I did not want to speak of this before those gentlemen,
I talked a great deal of nonsense when you questioned me," said the
generous creature, adroitly.

Madame Michaud was not really afraid of Genevieve Niseron, but for
the last three days she was in mortal terror of some disaster from the
peasantry.

"How did you discover this?" said the countess.

"From everything and from nothing