carried lighted up his face; it was Colonel
Raynal.

She stared at him stupidly, but never moved from her knees, and the
candle began to shake violently in her hand, as she herself trembled
from head to foot.

Then Raynal concluded she was in the plot; but, scorning to reproach a
servant, he merely said, "Well, what do you kneel there for, gaping at
me like that? Take this, I tell you, and carry it out of the house."

He shoved the cradle roughly down into her hands, then turned on his
heel without a word.

Jacintha collapsed on the stairs, and the cradle beside her, for all
the power was driven out of her body; she could hardly support her own
weight, much less the cradle.

She rocked herself, and moaned out, "Oh, what's this? oh, what's this?"

A cold perspiration came over her whole frame.

"What could this mean? What on earth had happened?"

She took up the candle, for it was lying burning and guttering on the
stairs; scraped up the grease with the snuffers, and by force of habit
tried to polish it clean with a bit of paper that shook between her
fingers; she did not know what she was doing. When she recovered her
wits, she took the child out of the cradle, and wrapped it carefully in
her shawl; then went slowly down the stairs; and holding him close to
her bosom, with a furtive eye, and brain confused, and a heart like
lead, stole away to the tenantless cottage, where Madame Jouvenel
awaited her.

Meantime, Rose, with quaking heart, had encountered the baroness. She
found her pale and agitated, and her first question was, "What is the
matter? what have you been all doing over my head?"

"Darling mother," replied Rose, evasively, "something has happened that
will rejoice your heart. Somebody has come home."

"My son? eh, no! impossible! We cannot be so happy."

"He will be with you directly."

The old lady now trembled with joyful agitation.

"In five minutes I will bring him to you. Shall you be dressed? I will
ring for the girl to help you."

"But, Rose, the scream, and that terrible fall. Ah! where is Josephine?"

"Can't you guess, mamma? Oh, the fall was only the screen; they stumbled
over it in the dark."

"They! who?"

"Colonel Raynal, and--and Edouard. I will tell you, mamma, but don't be
angry, or even mention it; they wanted to surprise us. They saw a light
burning, and they crept on tiptoe up to the tapestried room, where
Josephine and I were, and they did give us a great fright."