and white
shade, it appeared very bright to Perrine. Not only was the office
assigned to her cheerful, but she found that by leaving the door open
she could see and occasionally hear what was going on in the other
offices.

Monsieur Vulfran's nephews, Theodore and Casimir, had their rooms on the
right and on the left of his; after theirs came the counting house, then
lastly, there was Fabry, the engineer's, office. This one was opposite
hers. Fabry's office was a large room where several draughtsmen were
standing up before their drawings, arranged on high inclined desks.

Having nothing to do and not liking to take M. Bendit's chair, Perrine
took a seat by the door. She opened one of the dictionaries which were
the only kind of books the office contained. She would have preferred
anything else but she had to be contented with what was there.

The hours passed slowly, but at last the bell rang for luncheon. Perrine
was one of the first to go out. On the way she was joined by Fabry and
Mombleux. They also were going to Mother Francoise's house.

"So then you are a comrade of ours, Mademoiselle," said Mombleux, who
had not forgotten his humiliation at Saint-Pipoy, and he wanted to make
the one who was the cause of it pay for it.

She felt the sarcasm of his words and for a moment she was disconcerted,
but she recovered herself quickly.

"No, Monsieur," she said quietly, "not of yours but of William's."

The tone of her reply evidently pleased the engineer, for turning to
Perrine he gave her an encouraging smile.

"But if you are replacing Mr. Bendit?" said Mombleux obstinately.

"Say that Mademoiselle is keeping his job for him," retorted Fabry.

"It's the same thing," answered Mombleux.

"Not at all, for in a week or two, when he'll be better, he'll come back
in his old place. He certainly would not have had it if Mademoiselle had
not been here to keep it for him."

"It seems to me that you and I also have helped to keep it for him,"
said Mombleux.

"Yes, but this little girl has done her share; he'll have to be grateful
to all three of us," said Fabry, smiling again at Perrine.

If she had misunderstood the sense of Mombleux's words, the way in which
she was treated at Mother Francoise's would have enlightened her. Her
place was not set at the boarders' table as it would have been if she
had been considered their equal, but at a little table at the side. And
she was served after everyone else had taken fr