ch; but 'tis more than I could master. At sight of those people, my
blood is all up."

"And yet, believe me, you have been too hasty in your judgment. The
person who was just now here--"

"Too hasty, madame! I do not see him to-day for the first time. He was
with that renegade the Abbe d'Aigrigny--"

"No doubt!--and yet he is an honest and excellent man."

"He!" cried Dagobert.

"Yes; for at this moment he is busy about only one thing restoring to you
those dear children!"

"He!" repeated Dagobert, as if he could not believe what he heard. "He
restore me my children?"

"Yes; and sooner, perhaps, than you think for."

"Madame," said Dagobert, abruptly, "he deceives you. You are the dupe of
that old rascal."

"No," said Adrienne, shaking her head, with a smile. "I have proofs of
his good faith. First of all, it is he who delivers me from this house."

"Is it true?" said Dagobert, quite confounded.

"Very true; and here is, perhaps, something that will reconcile you to
him," said Adrienne, as she delivered the small parcel which Rodin had
given her as he went out. "Not wishing to exasperate you by his presence,
he said to me: 'Give this to that brave soldier; it is my revenge.'"

Dagobert looked at Mdlle. de Cardoville with surprise, as he mechanically
opened the little parcel. When he had unfolded it, and discovered his own
silver cross, black with age, and the old red, faded ribbon, treasures
taken from him at the White Falcon Inn, at the same time as his papers,
he exclaimed in a broken voice: "My cross! my cross! It is my cross!" In
the excitement of his joy, he pressed the silver star to his gray
moustache.

Adrienne and the other were deeply affected by the emotion of the old
soldier, who continued, as he ran towards the door by which Rodin had
gone out: "Next to a service rendered to Marshal Simon, my wife, or son,
nothing could be more precious to me. And you answer for this worthy man,
madame, and I have ill used him in your presence! Oh! he is entitled to
reparation, and he shall have it."

So saying, Dagobert left the room precipitately, hastened through two
other apartments, gained the staircase, and descending it rapidly,
overtook Rodin on the lowest step.

"Sir," said the soldier to him, in an agitated voice, as he seized him by
the arm, "you must come upstairs directly."

"You should make up your mind to one thing or the other, my dear sir,"
said Rodin, stopping good-naturedly; "one momen