ould perceive in
her robust health, in the extraordinary phenomena of her physical
preservation, a divine life, and a species of ignorance of the earthly
existence.

Except the gay and cheery goodman Alain, all these persons had suffered;
but Monsieur Nicolas himself seemed to give the palm of martyrdom to
Madame de la Chanterie. Nevertheless, the memory of her sorrows was so
restrained by religious resignation, by her secret avocations, that she
seemed to have been always happy.

"You are the life of your friends," Godefroid said to her one day; "you
are the tie that unites them,--the house-mother, as it were, of some
great work; and, as we are all mortal, I ask myself sometimes what your
association would become without you."

"That is what frightens the others; but Providence, to whom we owe our
new book-keeper," she said, smiling, "will provide. Besides, I am on the
look-out."

"Will your new book-keeper soon be allowed to work at your business?"
asked Godefroid.

"That depends on himself," she answered, smiling. "He must be sincerely
religious, truly pious, without the least self-interest, not concerned
about the riches of our house, able to rise above all petty social
considerations on the two wings which God has given us."

"What are they?"

"Singleness of mind and purity," replied Madame de la Chanterie. "Your
ignorance shows that you have neglected the reading of our book."
she added, laughing at the innocent trick she had played to know if
Godefroid had read the "Imitation of Jesus Christ." "And, lastly," she
went on, "fill your soul with Saint Paul's epistle upon Charity. When
that is done," she added, with a sublime look, "it will not be you who
belong to us, we shall belong to you, and you will be able to count up
greater riches than the sovereigns of this world possess; you will enjoy
as we enjoy; yes, let me tell you (if you remember the 'Arabian Nights')
that the treasures of Aladdin are nothing to those we possess. And so
for the last year we have not sufficed for our affairs, and we needed,
as you see, a book-keeper."

While speaking, she studied Godefroid's face; he, on his part, did not
know how to take this extraordinary confidence. But as the scene in the
counting-room at Mongenod's came often to his mind, he hovered between
doubt and belief.

"Ah, you will be very happy!" she said.

Godefroid was so consumed with curiosity that from this moment he
determined to break through the rese