ife; I take it as it
comes,--trying to put order and _possibility_ into all the occurrences
it brings to me. I an neither the frenzied passion of Louise de
Chaulieu, nor the insensible reason of Renee de Maucombe. I am a Jesuit
in petticoats, persuaded that rather wide sleeves are better than
sleeves that are tight to the wrist; and I have never gone in search of
the philosopher's stone--"

At this instant Lucas opened the door of the salon and announced,--

"Monsieur le Comte de Sallenauve."

His mistress gave him a look inquiring why he had disobeyed her orders,
to which Lucas replied by a sign implying that he did not suppose the
prohibition applied in this instance.

Madame de Camps, who had never yet seen the new deputy, now gave her
closest attention to a study of him.

Sallenauve explained his visit by his great desire to know how matters
had gone at Ville d'Avray, and whether Marie-Gaston had been deeply
affected by his return there. As for the business which detained him
in Paris, he said he had so far met with no success. He had seen
the prefect of police, who had given him a letter to Monsieur
de Saint-Esteve, the chief of the detective police. Aware of the
antecedents of that man, Monsieur de Sallenauve expressed himself as
much surprised to find a functionary with extremely good manners and
bearing; but he held out faint hope of success. "A woman hiding in
Paris," he said, "is an eel in its safest hole." He (Sallenauve) should
continue the search the next day with the help of Jacques Bricheteau;
but if nothing came of it, he should go in the evening to Ville d'Avray,
for he did not, he said, share Madame de l'Estorade's security as to
Gaston's state of mind.

As he was taking leave, Madame de l'Estorade said to him,--

"Do not forget Nais' ball which takes place the day after to-morrow.
You will affront her mortally if you fail to be present. Try to bring
Monsieur Gaston with you. It might divert his mind a little."

V. CHILDREN

On his return from the theatre Monsieur Octave de Camps declared that it
would be long before they caught him at a _fairy_ piece again. But Nais,
on the contrary, still under the spell of its marvels gave a lively
recital of the scene, which showed how much her imagination was capable
of being stirred.

As Madame de Camps and her husband walked away together, the former
remarked,--

"That child is really very disquieting. Madame de l'Estorade develops
her too m