ave nothing to say to!"

"There you are my dear; I had my revenge, and your husband knows it. I
proved to him clearly that he was basketed--just where he was before,
as we say. Madame Marneffe is my mistress, and when her precious
Marneffe kicks the bucket, she will be my wife."

Madame Hulot stared at Crevel with a fixed and almost dazed look.

"Hector knew it?" she said.

"And went back to her," replied Crevel. "And I allowed it, because
Valerie wished to be the wife of a head-clerk; but she promised me
that she would manage things so that our Baron should be so
effectually bowled over that he can never interfere any more. And my
little duchess--for that woman is a born duchess, on my soul!--kept
her word. She restores you your Hector, madame, virtuous in
perpetuity, as she says--she is so witty! He has had a good lesson, I
can tell you! The Baron has had some hard knocks; he will help no more
actresses or fine ladies; he is radically cured; cleaned out like a
beer-glass.

"If you had listened to Crevel in the first instance, instead of
scorning him and turning him out of the house, you might have had four
hundred thousand francs, for my revenge has cost me all of that.--But
I shall get my change back, I hope, when Marneffe dies--I have
invested in a wife, you see; that is the secret of my extravagance. I
have solved the problem of playing the lord on easy terms."

"Would you give your daughter such a mother-in-law? cried Madame
Hulot.

"You do not know Valerie, madame," replied Crevel gravely, striking
the attitude of his first manner. "She is a woman with good blood in
her veins, a lady, and a woman who enjoys the highest consideration.
Why, only yesterday the vicar of the parish was dining with her. She
is pious, and we have presented a splendid monstrance to the church.

"Oh! she is clever, she is witty, she is delightful, well informed
--she has everything in her favor. For my part, my dear Adeline, I owe
everything to that charming woman; she has opened my mind, polished my
speech, as you may have noticed; she corrects my impetuosity, and
gives me words and ideas. I never say anything now that I ought not. I
have greatly improved; you must have noticed it. And then she has
encouraged my ambition. I shall be a Deputy; and I shall make no
blunders, for I shall consult my Egeria. Every great politician, from
Numa to our present Prime Minister, has had his Sibyl of the fountain.
A score of deputies visit V