usin to rouse
him; and when he replied, what he said had so little apparent connection
with the subject which Pierre had expected to find uppermost in his mind,
that he was half afraid that his cousin had lost his wits.

"'My Aunt Babette is out of coffee.'

"'I am sure I do not know,' said Pierre.

"'Yes, she is. I heard her say so. Tell her that a friend of mine has
just opened a shop in the Rue Saint Antoine, and that if she will join me
there in an hour, I will supply her with a good stock of coffee, just to
give my friend encouragement. His name is Antoine Meyer, Number One
hundred and Fifty at the sign of the Cap of Liberty.'

"'I could go with you now. I can carry a few pounds of coffee better
than my mother,' said Pierre, all in good faith. He told me he should
never forget the look on his cousin's face, as he turned round, and bade
him begone, and give his mother the message without another word. It had
evidently sent him home promptly to obey his cousins command. Morin's
message perplexed Madame Babette.

"'How could he know I was out of coffee?' said she. 'I am; but I only
used the last up this morning. How could Victor know about it?'

"'I am sure I can't tell,' said Pierre, who by this time had recovered
his usual self-possession. 'All I know is, that monsieur is in a pretty
temper, and that if you are not sharp to your time at this Antoine
Meyer's you are likely to come in for some of his black looks.'

"'Well, it is very kind of him to offer to give me some coffee, to be
sure! But how could he know I was out?'

"Pierre hurried his mother off impatiently, for he was certain that the
offer of the coffee was only a blind to some hidden purpose on his
cousin's part; and he made no doubt that when his mother had been
informed of what his cousin's real intention was, he, Pierre, could
extract it from her by coaxing or bullying. But he was mistaken. Madame
Babette returned home, grave, depressed, silent, and loaded with the best
coffee. Some time afterwards he learnt why his cousin had sought for
this interview. It was to extract from her, by promises and threats, the
real name of Mam'selle Cannes, which would give him a clue to the true
appellation of The Faithful Cousin. He concealed the second purpose from
his aunt, who had been quite unaware of his jealousy of the Norman
farmer, or of his identification of him with any relation of Virginie's.
But Madame Babette instinctively shrank fr