t the sight of his child's pale, suffering looks,
and, spite of his previous resolution, the prince found himself
compelled to turn away his head to conceal his deep emotion.

"My poor child!" said Madame d'Harville, striving to divert the
attention of Fleur-de-Marie, "you are still very weak!" and, leading her
to a large gilded armchair, she made her sit down, while the astonished
Goualeuse seemed almost to shrink from touching the elegant cushions
with which it was lined. But she did not recover herself; on the
contrary, she seemed oppressed. She strove to speak, but her voice
failed her, and her heart reproached her with not having said one word
to her venerated benefactor of the deep gratitude which filled her whole
soul.

At length, at a sign from Madame d'Harville, who, leaning over
Fleur-de-Marie, held one of the poor girl's thin, wasted hands in hers,
the prince gently approached the side of the chair, and now, more
collected, he said to Fleur-de-Marie, as she turned her sweet face to
welcome him:

"At last, my child, your friends have recovered you, and be sure it is
not their intention ever to part with you again. One thing you must
endeavour to do, and that is to banish for ever from your mind all your
past sufferings."

"Yes, my dear girl," said Clemence, "you can in no way so effectually
prove your affection for your friends as by forgetting the past."

"Ah, M. Rodolph, and you, too, madame, pray believe that if, spite of
myself, my thoughts do revert to the past, it will be but to remind me
that but for you that wretched past would still be my lot."

"But we shall take pains to prevent such mournful reminiscences ever
crossing your mind. Our tenderness will not allow you time to look back,
my dear Marie," said Rodolph; "you know I gave you that name at the
farm."

"Oh, yes, M. Rodolph, I well remember you did. And Madame Georges, who
was so good as even to permit me to call her mother, is she quite well?"

"Perfectly so, my child; but I have some most important news for you.
Since I last saw you some great discoveries have been made respecting
your birth. We have found out who were your parents, and your father is
known to us."

The voice of Rodolph trembled so much while pronouncing these words
that Fleur-de-Marie, herself deeply affected, turned quickly towards
him, but, fortunately, he managed to conceal his countenance from her.

A somewhat ridiculous occurrence also served at this instant