"Well," said the abbe to Madame de Portenduere in his most insinuating
voice, "I shall go and tell the doctor of your visit, and you will
come--"

The old mother did not yield till after an hour's discussion, during
which the abbe was forced to repeat his arguments at least ten times.
And even then the proud Kergarouet was not vanquished until he used the
words, "Savinien would go."

"It is better that I should go than he," she said.

CHAPTER XI. SAVINIEN SAVED

The clock was striking nine when the little door made in the large door
of Madame de Portenduere's house closed on the abbe, who immediately
crossed the road and hastily rang the bell at the doctor's gate. He fell
from Tiennette to La Bougival; the one said to him, "Why do you come so
late, Monsieur l'abbe?" as the other had said, "Why do you leave Madame
so early when she is in trouble?"

The abbe found a numerous company assembled in the green and brown
salon; for Dionis had stopped at Massin's on his way home to re-assure
the heirs by repeating their uncle's words.

"I believe Ursula has a love-affair," said he, "which will be nothing
but pain and trouble to her; she seems romantic" (extreme sensibility
is so called by notaries), "and, you'll see, she won't marry soon.
Therefore, don't show her any distrust; be very attentive to her and
very respectful to your uncle, for he is slyer than fifty Goupils,"
added the notary--without being aware that Goupil is a corruption of the
word vulpes, a fox.

So Mesdames Massin and Cremiere with their husbands, the post master and
Desire, together with the Nemours doctor and Bongrand, made an unusual
and noisy party in the doctor's salon. As the abbe entered he heard
the sound of the piano. Poor Ursula was just finishing a sonata of
Beethoven's. With girlish mischief she had chosen that grand music,
which must be studied to be understood, for the purpose of disgusting
these women with the thing they coveted. The finer the music the less
ignorant persons like it. So, when the door opened and the abbe's
venerable head appeared they all cried out: "Ah! here's Monsieur
l'abbe!" in a tone of relief, delighted to jump up and put an end to
their torture.

The exclamation was echoed at the card-table, where Bongrand, the
Nemours doctor, and old Minoret were victims to the presumption with
which the collector, in order to propitiate his great-uncle, had
proposed to take the fourth hand at whist. Ursula left the pian