.

Marianne had only very occasionally met Lissac, but for some time she
had suspected him of being secretly hostile to her. Guy bore her a
grudge for having taken Sulpice away from Adrienne. He pitied Madame
Vaudrey and perhaps his deep compassion was blended with another
sentiment in which tenderness had taken the place of a more modified
interest. He was irritated against the blind husband because he could
not see the perfect charms of that delicate soul, so timid and at the
same time so devoted. Although he had not felt justified in showing his
annoyance to Vaudrey, he had manifested his dislike to Marianne under
cover of his jesting manner, and she had been exceedingly piqued
thereby. Wherefore did this man who could not understand her, interfere,
and why did he add to the injuries of old the mockery of to-day?

"After all, perhaps it is through jealousy," she thought. "The dolt!"

Guy did not cease to look at her through his glass.

"Does that displease you?" Jouvenet asked.

"Not at all. What is that to me?"

"This Lissac was much in love with you!"

"Ah! Monsieur le Prefet!" Marianne observed sharply. "I know that your
office inclines you to be somewhat inquisitive, but it would be polite
of you to allow my past to sleep in your dockets. They are famous
shrouds!"

Jouvenet bit his lips and in turn brought his glass to bear on Lissac.

"See," he said, "he makes a great deal of the cross of the Christ of
Portugal! It is in very bad taste! I thought he was a shrewder man!"

"The order of Christ is then in bad odor?"

"On the contrary; but as it is like the Legion of Honor in color, he is
prohibited from wearing it in his buttonhole without displaying the
small gold cross--And I see only the red there--"

"I beg your pardon, Monsieur le Prefet, there is one."

"Oh! my glass is a wretched one!--But even so, I do not believe Monsieur
de Lissac is authorized by the Grand Chancellor to wear his decoration.
That is easily ascertained!--I will nevertheless not fail to insert in
the _Officiel_ to-morrow a note relative to the illegality of wearing
certain foreign decorations--"

"Is this note directed against Lissac?"

"Not at all. But he reminds me of a step that I have wished to take for
a long time: the enforcement of the law."

The entr'acte was over. Jouvenet withdrew, repeating all kinds of
remarks with double meanings that veiled declarations of love; that if
the occasion arose, he would place him