it is a shame for me to have thus cowardly abused you both."

And, raising his mother's hand to his lips:
"Forgive, mother," he continued, his eyes overflowing with tears;
"forgive him who swears to you to redeem his past, and to become
your support, instead of being a crushing burden--"

He was interrupted by the noise of steps on the stairs, and the
shrill sound of a whistle.

"My husband!" exclaimed Mme. Favoral,--"your father, my children!"

"Well," said Mlle. Gilberte coldly.

"Don't you hear that he is whistling? and do you forget that it is
a proof that he is furious? What new trial threatens us again?"

XIII

Mme. Favoral spoke from experience. She had learned, to her cost,
that the whistle of her husband, more surely than the shriek of the
stormy petrel, announces the storm.--And she had that evening more
reasons than usual to fear. Breaking from all his habits, M. Favoral
had not come home to dinner, and had sent one of the clerks of the
Mutual Credit Society to say that they should not wait for him.

Soon his latch-key grated in the lock; the door swung open; he came
in; and, seeing his son:

"Well, I am glad to find you here," he exclaimed with a giggle, which
with him was the utmost expression of anger.

Mme. Favoral shuddered. Still under the impression of the scene
which had just taken place, his heart heavy, and his eyes full of
tears, Maxence did not answer.

"It is doubtless a wager," resumed the father, "and you wish to know
how far my patience may go."

"I do not understand you," stammered the young man.

"The money that you used to get, I know not where, doubtless fails
you now, or at least is no longer sufficient, and you go on making
debts right and left--at the tailor's, the shirt maker's, the
jeweler's. Of course, it's simple enough. We earn nothing; but
we wish to dress in the latest style, to wear a gold chain across
our vest, and then we make dupes."

"I have never made any dupes, father."

"Bah! And what, then, do you call all these people who came this
very day to present me their bills? For they did dare to come to
my office! They had agreed to come together, expecting thus to
intimidate me more easily. I told them that you were of age, and
that your business was none of mine. Hearing this, they became
insolent, and commenced speaking so loud, that their voices could
be heard in the adjoining rooms. At that very moment, the manager,
M. de Thaller, happen