ence to her mother a proof of his love for her. As to the
mistress, she understood the advantage this clever manoeuvre gave to the
Prince. At the same time she felt the great distance which henceforth
separated her from the world in which her daughter lived.

The insolence of that servant was a revelation to her. They despised her.
The Prince's coachman would not condescend to drive a plebeian like her.
She paid the wages of these servants to no purpose. Her plebeian origin
and business habits were a vice. They submitted to her; they did not
respect her.

Although her son-in-law and daughter were perfect toward her in their
behavior, she became gloomy and dull, and but seldom went now to Cernay.
She felt in the way, and uncomfortable. The smiling and superficial
politeness of the visitors irritated her nerves. These people were too
well bred to be rude toward Panine's mother-in-law, but she felt that
their politeness was forced. Under their affected nicety she detected
irony. She began to hate them all.

Serge, sovereign lord of Cernay, was really happy. Every moment he
experienced new pleasure in gratifying his taste for luxury. His love for
horses grew more and more. He gave orders to have a model stud-house
erected in the park amid the splendid meadows watered by the Oise; and
bought stallions and breeding mares from celebrated English breeders. He
contemplated starting a racing stable.

One day when Madame Desvarennes arrived at Cernay, she was surprised to
see the greensward bordering the woods marked out with white stakes. She
asked inquiringly what these stakes meant? Micheline answered in an easy
tone:

"Ah! you saw them? That is the track for training. We made Mademoiselle
de Cernay gallop there to-day. She's a level-going filly with which Serge
hopes to win the next Poule des Produits."

The mistress was amazed. A child who had been brought up so simply, in
spite of her large fortune, a little commoner, speaking of level-going
fillies and the Poule des Produits! What a change had come over her and
what incredible influence this frivolous, vain Panine had over that young
and right-minded girl! And that in a few months! What would it be later?
He would succeed in imparting to her his tastes and would mould her to
his whims, and the young modest girl whom he had received from the mother
would become a horsey and fast woman.

Was it possible that Micheline could be happy in that hollow and empty
life? The