as too happy to be impatient; she had gained
the main points of her case--it cost her little to yield in matters of
secondary detail.

"You will be accused of having taken a most inconsiderate step," said
her father to her. "You are little sensible to the judgment of the
world, to what people say; I am much more so. Humour my weakness or
cowardice. Let us endeavour to keep up appearances; do not let us appear
to be in a hurry, or to have something to hide; let us act with due
deliberation. Just at present no one is in Paris; let us give our
friends time to return there. We will present Count Larinski to them.
Great happiness does not fear being discussed. Your choice will be
regarded unfavourably by some, approved by others. M. Larinski has
the gift of pleasing; he will please, and all the world will pardon my
resignation, which Mme. de Lorcy esteems a crime."

"You promised me that your resignation would be mingled with
cheerfulness: I find it somewhat melancholy."

"You scarcely could expect me to be intoxicated with joy."

"Will you at least assure me that you have taken your part bravely, and
that you will think of no further appeal?"

"I swear it to you!"

"Very good; then we will honour your weakness," she replied, and she
said Amen to all that he proposed.

It was agreed that the marriage should take place during the winter,
and that two months should be allowed to elapse before proceeding to
the preliminary formalities. M. Moriaz undertook to explain matters to
Samuel Brohl, who found the arrangement little to his taste. He took
pains, however, to give no signs of this. He told M. Moriaz that he was
still in the first bewildering surprise of his happiness, that he was
not sorry to have time to recover from it; but he secretly promised
himself to devise some artifice for abridging delays, for hastening the
_denoument_. He was apprehensive of accidents, unforeseen occurrences,
squalls, storms, tornadoes, sudden blights, in short everything that
might damage or destroy a harvest; he impatiently longed to gather in
his, and to have it carefully stowed away in his granary. In the interim
he wrote to his old friend M. Guldenthal a letter at once majestic
and confidential, which produced a most striking effect. M. Guldenthal
concluded that a good marriage was much better security than a poor
gun. Besides, he had had the agreeable surprise of being completely
reimbursed for his loan, capital and interest. He was