t, a
little before nine, they heard steps in the hall.

Marius de Tregars appeared almost immediately.

He was pale; and his face bore the trace of the crushing fatigues of
the day, of the cares which oppressed him, of the reflections which
had been suggested to his mind by the quarrel of which he had nearly
been the victim a few moments since.

"Maxence is not here?" he asked at once.

"We have not seen him," answered Mlle. Gilberte.

He seemed so much surprised, that Mme. Favoral was frightened.

"What is the matter again, good God!" she exclaimed.

"Nothing, madame," said M. de Tregars,--"nothing that should alarm
you. Compelled, about two hours ago, to part from Maxence, I was to
have met him here. Since he has not come, he must have been
detained. I know where; and I will ask your permission to run and
join him."

He went out; but Mlle. Gilberte followed him in the hall, and,
taking his hand,

"How kind of you!" she began, "and how can we ever sufficiently
thank you?"

He interrupted her.

"You owe me no thanks, my beloved; for, in what I am doing, there
is more selfishness than you think. It is my own cause, more than
yours, that I am defending. Any way, every thing is going on well."

And, without giving any more explanations, he started again. He
had no doubt that Maxence, after leaving him, had run to the Hotel
des Folies to give to Mlle. Lucienne an account of the day's work.
And, though somewhat annoyed that he had tarried so long, on second
thought, he was not surprised.

It was, therefore, to the Hotel des Folies that he was going. Now
that he had unmasked his batteries and begun the struggle, he was
not sorry to meet Mlle. Lucienne.

In less than five minutes he had reached the Boulevard du Temple.
In front of the Fortins' narrow corridor a dozen idlers were
standing, talking.

M. de Tregars was listening as he went along.

"It is a frightful accident," said one,--"such a pretty girl, and
so young too!"

"As to me," said another, "it is the driver that I pity the most;
for after all, if that pretty miss was in that carriage, it was for
her own pleasure; whereas, the poor coachman was only attending to
his business."

A confused presentiment oppressed M. de Tregars' heart. Addressing
himself to one of those worthy citizens,

"Have you heard any particulars?"

Flattered by the confidence,

"Certainly I have," he replied. "I didn't see the thing with my
own proper eyes;