act traitorously toward
you, but I warn you that if I often find your wife melancholy, as she is
to-day, I will tell her that I adore her. Yes! yes! your wife is
charming. I would give all the orders in the world for a lock of her
hair. Adieu, Monsieur le Ministre."

"Great idiot," said Vaudrey, giving him a little friendly, gentle tap on
the neck.

"Be it so, but if you do not love her well enough, I shall fall in love
with her, and I forewarn you that it is much better that I should than
any other. Au revoir."

"Au revoir!" Sulpice repeated.

He tried now to force a smile and went down to his cabinet, where he
found heaped-up reports awaiting his attention and he turned the pages
over nervously and read them in a very bad humor.

* * * * *

_She was quite pale as she looked
over Sulpice's shoulder and saw him rapidly write several lines on the
paper, then she spelled:

"Adolphe Gochard--Go-go-ch-a-r-d."_

[Illustration: SULPICE BECOMES SURETY FOR MARIANNE]

II

Madame Vaudrey drew no real pleasure from the commonplace receptions at
the ministry, or at her Wednesday _at homes_, except when by chance,
Denis Ramel permitted himself to abandon the Batignolles to call at
Place Beauvau, or when Guy enlivened this dull spot by recounting the
happenings of the outside world.

Adrienne felt herself terribly isolated; she knew hardly any one in
Paris. Since Vaudrey had installed himself in Rue de la
Chaussee-d'Antin, she had not had time to form acquaintances among the
wives of the deputies to the Assembly, the majority of whom lived in the
provinces or dwelt at Versailles for economical reasons.

Evidently the residence at the ministry had only brought her ready-made
relations, depressingly inevitable visitors who resembled office-seekers
or clients. These official receptions filled her with sadness. The
conversation always took the same hackneyed tone, disgusting in its
flattery or disquieting by reason of its allusions. People discussed
coming interpellations of ministers; government majorities, projected
legislation; the same phrases, as dreary as showers, fell with all the
regularity of drops of rain. Even young girls, brought up in this centre
of infuriated politicians, spoke of the breaking up of the majority,
reports or ballots, in the same manner as shopkeepers talk of their
trade.

Poor Adrienne exerted herself to acquire an interest in these matters.
Since h