sort who are bound to find their way into the police courts, and
from that to Melun--and the--who knows--?"

"To the prison yard!" said Josepha.

"Well, madame, you know everything," said the old woman, smiling. "Well,
if my girl had never known that scamp, she would now be--Still, she was
in luck, all the same, you will say, for Monsieur Grenouville fell so
much in love with her that he married her--"

"And what brought that about?"

"Olympe was desperate, madame. When she found herself left in the lurch
for that little actress--and she took a rod out of pickle for her, I can
tell you; my word, but she gave her a dressing!--and when she had lost
poor old Thoul, who worshiped her, she would have nothing more to say to
the men. 'Wever, Monsieur Grenouville, who had been dealing largely
with us--to the tune of two hundred embroidered China-crape shawls every
quarter--he wanted to console her; but whether or no, she would not
listen to anything without the mayor and the priest. 'I mean to be
respectable,' said she, 'or perish!' and she stuck to it. Monsieur
Grenouville consented to marry her, on condition of her giving us all
up, and we agreed--"

"For a handsome consideration?" said Josepha, with her usual
perspicacity.

"Yes, madame, ten thousand francs, and an allowance to my father, who is
past work."

"I begged your daughter to make old Thoul happy, and she has thrown
me over. That is not fair. I will take no interest in any one for the
future! That is what comes of trying to do good! Benevolence certainly
does not answer as a speculation!--Olympe ought, at least, to have given
me notice of this jobbing. Now, if you find the old man Thoul within a
fortnight, I will give you a thousand francs."

"It will be a hard task, my good lady; still, there are a good many
five-franc pieces in a thousand francs, and I will try to earn your
money."

"Good-morning, then, Madame Bijou."

On going into the boudoir, the singer found that Madame Hulot had
fainted; but in spite of having lost consciousness, her nervous
trembling kept her still perpetually shaking, as the pieces of a snake
that has been cut up still wriggle and move. Strong salts, cold water,
and all the ordinary remedies were applied to recall the Baroness to her
senses, or rather, to the apprehension of her sorrows.

"Ah! mademoiselle, how far has he fallen!" cried she, recognizing
Josepha, and finding that she was alone with her.

"Take heart, madame,