hat was enough. Adrienne recoiled before this avowal.

He loved her. He told her so!

It is true, she could not leave the mansion on his arm.

She rested her glance on Lissac and extended her hand to him, saying, as
she felt suddenly recalled to herself:

"You are an honest man!"

"According to my moods," said Guy, with a sad smile.

The door of the little salon opened, and Ramel entered.

"I have called in a doctor," he said.

"For me?" asked Adrienne. "Thanks! I am quite strong!"

Then boldly going to Ramel:

"Will you have the goodness to take me to Rue de la Chaussee-d'Antin,
Monsieur Ramel?"

"Why?"

"Because I will not remain one hour longer in a house where my husband
has the right to receive his mistress!--Monsieur de Lissac refuses to
accompany me. Your arm, Ramel!"

"Madame," Ramel answered gently, "I knew that Monsieur de Lissac was a
man of intelligence. It seems to me that he is a man of heart. You
should remain here for your own sake, for your name's sake, for your
husband's. It is your duty. As to Mademoiselle Kayser, you can return to
the salons, for she has just left with Monsieur de Rosas."

Adrienne remained for a moment with her sad eyes fixed on Ramel; then
shaking her head:

"You knew it also? Everybody knew it then, except me?"

"Well!" said Ramel, a good-natured smile playing in his white mustache,
"now it is necessary to forget."

"Never!" replied Adrienne.

Then proudly drawing herself up, she took Denis's arm and without even
glancing in her mirror, she went off toward the salons.

"Your bouquet, madame," said Lissac, who was still pale and his voice
trembled.

"True!" said Adrienne.

She fastened her bouquet of drooping roses to her corsage and without
daring to look at Lissac again, she re-entered, leaning on Ramel's arm.

Left alone in the salon, Guy remained a moment to shake his head.

"Poor, dear creature!" he said. "If I had been young enough not to
understand the position in which her madness placed me, or base enough
to profit by it, what a pretty little preface to a great folly she was
about to commit this evening! Well! this attack of morality will perhaps
count in my favor some day."

He stooped down and picked up a rose that had fallen from Adrienne's
bouquet to the carpet.

He smiled as he took up the flower and looked at it.

"One learns at any age!" he thought, as he put the flower in his coat.
"That, at least, is a love souvenir that they will