at last, finding her seated
in the boudoir.

"I am thinking," she replied, "of that poor girl. As the president of
the Maternity Society, I will give you fifty francs for her."

"Fifty francs!" cried Madame Granson. "But you have never given as much
as that."

"But, my dear cousin, it is so natural to have children."

That immoral speech coming from the heart of the old maid staggered the
treasurer of the Maternity Society. Du Bousquier had evidently advanced
in the estimation of Mademoiselle Cormon.

"Upon my word," said Madame Granson, "du Bousquier is not only a
monster, he is a villain. When a man has done a wrong like that, he
ought to pay the indemnity. Isn't it his place rather than ours to
look after the girl?--who, to tell you the truth, seems to me rather
questionable; there are plenty of better men in Alencon than that cynic
du Bousquier. A girl must be depraved, indeed, to go after him."

"Cynic! Your son teaches you to talk Latin, my dear, which is wholly
incomprehensible. Certainly I don't wish to excuse Monsieur du
Bousquier; but pray explain to me why a woman is depraved because she
prefers one man to another."

"My dear cousin, suppose you married my son Athanase; nothing could be
more natural. He is young and handsome, full of promise, and he will be
the glory of Alencon; and yet everybody will exclaim against you: evil
tongues will say all sorts of things; jealous women will accuse you
of depravity,--but what will that matter? you will be loved, and loved
truly. If Athanase seemed to you an idiot, my dear, it is that he has
too many ideas; extremes meet. He lives the life of a girl of fifteen;
he has never wallowed in the impurities of Paris, not he! Well, change
the terms, as my poor husband used to say; it is the same thing with du
Bousquier in connection with Suzanne. _You_ would be calumniated; but in
the case of du Bousquier, the charge would be true. Don't you understand
me?"

"No more than if you were talking Greek," replied Mademoiselle Cormon,
who opened her eyes wide, and strained all the forces of her intellect.

"Well, cousin, if I must dot all the i's, it is impossible for Suzanne
to love du Bousquier. And if the heart counts for nothing in this
affair--"

"But, cousin, what do people love with if not their hearts?"

Here Madame Granson said to herself, as the chevalier had previously
thought: "My poor cousin is altogether too innocent; such stupidity
passes all bounds!--De