om her husband, took
the family advice as to accompanying him. The marquis, delighted at an
opportunity which left him almost alone in the chateau with Madame de
Bouille, painted the journey to Paris in the most attractive colours,
and said all he could to decide her to go. The marchioness, for her
part, worked very quietly to the same end; it was more than was needed.
It was settled that the countess should go with M. de Saint-Geran. She
soon made her preparations, and a few days later they set off on the
journey together.

The marquis had no fears about declaring his passion; the conquest of
Madame de Bouille gave him no trouble; he affected the most violent
love, and she responded in the same terms. All their time was spent in
excursions and walks from which the servants were excluded; the lovers,
always together, passed whole days in some retired part of the park, or
shut up in their apartments. It was impossible for these circumstances
not to cause gossip among an army of servants, against whom they had to
keep incessantly on their guard; and this naturally happened.

The marchioness soon found herself obliged to make confidantes of
the sisters Quinet, her maids; she had no difficulty in gaining their
support, for the girls were greatly attached to her. This was the first
step of shame for Madame de Bouille, and the first step of corruption
for herself and her paramour, who soon found themselves entangled in the
blackest of plots. Moreover, there was at the chateau de Saint-Geran a
tall, spare, yellow, stupid man, just intelligent enough to perform,
if not to conceive, a bad action, who was placed in authority over the
domestics; he was a common peasant whom the old marshal had deigned to
notice, and whom the count had by degrees promoted to the service of
major-domo on account of his long service in the house, and because he
had seen him there since he himself was a child; he would not take him
away as body servant, fearing that his notions of service would not do
for Paris, and left him to the superintendence of the household. The
marquis had a quiet talk with this man, took his measure, warped his
mind as he wished, gave him some money, and acquired him body and soul.
These different agents undertook to stop the chatter of the servants'
hall, and thenceforward the lovers could enjoy free intercourse.

One evening, as the Marquis de Saint-Maixent was at supper in company
with the marchioness, a loud knocking wa