mfortable at being a third party with the newly-married couple,
and welcomed the arrival of the Prince and Micheline with pleasure. Her
father had left her for a moment in Cayrol's care; but she had not seen
him for more than an hour.

"Mademoiselle," said the Prince, gayly, "a little while ago, when I
was passing through the rooms, I heard these words: 'Loan, discount,
liquidation.' Your father must have been there. Shall I go and seek
him?"

"I should be very grateful," said the young girl.

"I will go."

And turning lightly on his heels, happy to escape Jeanne's looks, Serge
reentered the furnace. At once he saw Herzog seated in the corner of
a bay-window with one of the principal stock-brokers of Paris. He was
speaking. The Prince went straight up to him.

"Sorry to draw you away from the sweets of conversation," said he,
smiling; "but your daughter is waiting for you, and is anxious at your
not coming."

"Faith! My daughter, yes. I will come and see you tomorrow," said he to
his companion. "We will talk over this association: there is much to be
gained by it."

The other, a man with a bloated face, and fair Dundreary whiskers, was
eager to do business with him. Certainly the affair was good.

"Oh, my dear Prince, I am happy to be alone with you for a moment!" said
Herzog, with that familiarity which was one of his means of becoming
intimate with people. "I was going to compliment you! What a splendid
position you have reached."

"Yes; I have married a charming woman," replied the Prince, coldly.

"And what a fortune!" insisted the financier. "Ah, it is worthy of the
lot of a great lord such as you are! Oh, you are like those masterpieces
of art which need a splendidly carved frame! Well, you have your frame,
and well gilt too!"

He laughed and seemed pleased at Serge's happiness. He had taken one of
his hands and was patting it softly between his own.

"Not a very 'convenient' mother-in-law, for instance," he went on,
good-naturedly; "but you are so charming! Only you could have, coaxed
Madame Desvarennes, and you have succeeded. Oh! she likes you, my dear
Prince; she told me so only a little while ago. You have won her heart.
I don't know how you manage it, but you are irresistible! By the way, I
was not there when the marriage contract was read, and I, forgot to ask
Cayrol. Under what conditions art you married?"

The Prince looked at Herzog with a look that was hardly friendly.
But the financier