t? Could she be disturbed at having no dowry for her? Why, the rank
and beauty of Mlle. Valentine were a fortune in themselves, of which any
man might be proud.

He knew more than one man who would esteem himself only too happy if
Mlle. Valentine would accept his name, and confer upon him the sweet
duty of relieving her mother from all anxiety and care. Finally, he did
not think the situation of the countess's affairs nearly so desperate as
she imagined. How much money would be necessary to pay off the mortgages
upon La Verberie? About forty thousand francs, perhaps? Indeed! That was
but a mere trifle.

Besides, this sum need not be a gift from the son-in-law; if she chose,
it might be a loan, because the estate would be his in the end, and in
time the land would be double its present value; it would be a pity to
sell now. A man, too, worthy of Valentine's love could never let his
wife's mother want for the comforts and luxuries due to a lady of her
age, rank, and misfortunes. He would be only too glad to offer her a
sufficient income, not only to provide comfort, but even luxury.

As Andre spoke, in a tone too earnest to be assumed, it seemed to the
countess that a celestial dew was dropping upon her pecuniary wounds.
Her countenance was radiant with joy, her fierce little eyes beamed with
the most encouraging tenderness, her thin lips were wreathed in the most
friendly smiles.

One thought disturbed the young engineer.

"Does she understand me seriously?" he thought.

She certainly did, as her subsequent remarks proved. He saw that the
would-be sentimental old lady had an eye to business.

"Alas!" she sighed, "La Verberie cannot be saved by forty thousand
francs; the principal and interest of the debt amount to sixty
thousand."

"Oh, either forty or sixty thousand is nothing worth speaking of."

"Four thousand francs is not enough to support a lady respectably,"
she said after a pause. "Everything is so dear in this section of the
country! But with six thousand francs--yes, six thousand francs would
make me happy!"

The young man thought that her demands were becoming excessive, but with
the generosity of an ardent lover he said:

"The son-in-law of whom we are speaking cannot be very devoted to Mlle.
Valentine, if the paltry sum of two thousand francs were objected to for
an instant."

"You promise too much!" muttered the countess.

"The imaginary son-in-law," she finally added, "must be an honorable