was written.

Marneffe then wanted to take his wife home; but Hulot, believing that
he saw her for the last time, begged the favor of being allowed to speak
with her.

"Monsieur, your wife has cost me dear enough for me to be allowed to say
good-bye to her--in the presence of you all, of course."

Valerie went up to Hulot, and he whispered in her ear:

"There is nothing left for us but to fly, but how can we correspond? We
have been betrayed--"

"Through Reine," she answered. "But my dear friend, after this scandal
we can never meet again. I am disgraced. Besides, you will hear dreadful
things about me--you will believe them--"

The Baron made a gesture of denial.

"You will believe them, and I can thank God for that, for then perhaps
you will not regret me."

"He will _not_ die a second-class clerk!" said Marneffe to Hulot, as
he led his wife away, saying roughly, "Come, madame; if I am foolish to
you, I do not choose to be a fool to others."

Valerie left the house, Crevel's Eden, with a last glance at the Baron,
so cunning that he thought she adored him. The Justice of the Peace
gave Madame Marneffe his arm to the hackney coach with a flourish of
gallantry. The Baron, who was required to witness the report, remained
quite bewildered, alone with the police-officer. When the Baron had
signed, the officer looked at him keenly, over his glasses.

"You are very sweet on the little lady, Monsieur le Baron?"

"To my sorrow, as you see."

"Suppose that she does not care for you?" the man went on, "that she is
deceiving you?"

"I have long known that, monsieur--here, in this very spot, Monsieur
Crevel and I told each other----"

"Oh! Then you knew that you were in Monsieur le Maire's private
snuggery?"

"Perfectly."

The constable lightly touched his hat with a respectful gesture.

"You are very much in love," said he. "I say no more. I respect an
inveterate passion, as a doctor respects an inveterate complaint.--I saw
Monsieur de Nucingen, the banker, attacked in the same way--"

"He is a friend of mine," said the Baron. "Many a time have I supped
with his handsome Esther. She was worth the two million francs she cost
him."

"And more," said the officer. "That caprice of the old Baron's cost four
persons their lives. Oh! such passions as these are like the cholera!"

"What had you to say to me?" asked the Baron, who took this indirect
warning very ill.

"Oh! why should I deprive you of your illusi