will be remembered Madame Tonsard
inquired of Vermichel, there was always, on the last line, the following
announcement:

"Tivoli will be illuminated with colored-glass lamps."

The town had adopted as the place for public a dance-ground created
by Socquard out of a stony garden (stony, like the rest of the hill
on which Soulanges is built, where the gardens are of made land), and
called by him a Tivoli. This character of the soil explains the peculiar
flavor of the Soulanges wine,--a white wine, dry and spirituous, very
like Madeira or the Vouvray wine, or Johannisberger,--three vintages
which resemble one another.

The powerful effect produced by the Socquard ball upon the imaginations
of the whole country-side made the inhabitants thereof very proud of
their Tivoli. Such as had ventured as far as Paris declared that
the Parisian Tivoli was superior to that of Soulanges only in size.
Gaubertin boldly declared that, for his part, he preferred the Socquard
ball to the Parisian ball.

"Well, we'll think it all over," continued Rigou. "That Parisian fellow,
the editor of a newspaper, will soon get tired of his present amusement
and be glad of a change; perhaps we could through the servants give him
the idea of coming to the fair, and he'd bring the others; I'll consider
it. Sibilet might--although, to be sure, his influence is devilishly
decreased of late--but he might get the general to think he could curry
popularity by coming."

"Find out if the beautiful countess keeps the general at arm's length,"
said Lupin; "that's the point if you want him to fall into the farce at
Tivoli."

"That little woman," cried Madame Soudry, "is too much of a Parisian not
to know how to run with the hare and hold with the hounds."

"Fourchon has got his granddaughter Catherine on good terms, he tells
me, with Charles, the Shopman's groom. That gives us one ear more in
Les Aigues--Are you sure of the Abbe Taupin," he added, as the priest
entered the room from the terrace.

"We hold him and the Abbe Mouchon, too, just as I hold Soudry," said the
queen, stroking her husband's chin; "you are not unhappy, dearest, are
you?" she said to Soudry.

"If I can plan a scandal against that Tartufe of a Brossette we can
win," said Rigou, in a low voice. "But I am not sure if the local spirit
can succeed against the Church spirit. You don't realize what that is.
I, myself, who am no fool, I can't say what I'll do when I fall ill. I
believe I