"FRANTZ."

For a month past Sidonie had been hoping for that letter, a month during
which she had brought all her coaxing and cunning into play to lure
her brother-in-law on to that written revelation of passion. She had
difficulty in accomplishing it. It was no easy matter to pervert an
honest young heart like Frantz's to the point of committing a crime;
and in that strange contest, in which the one who really loved fought
against his own cause, she had often felt that she was at the end of her
strength and was almost discouraged. When she was most confident that he
was conquered, his sense of right would suddenly rebel, and he would be
all ready to flee, to escape her once more.

What a triumph it was for her, therefore, when that letter was handed
to her one morning. Madame Dobson happened to be there. She had just
arrived, laden with complaints from Georges, who was horribly bored
away from his mistress, and was beginning to be alarmed concerning this
brother-in-law, who was more attentive, more jealous, more exacting than
a husband.

"Oh! the poor, dear fellow, the poor, dear, fellow," said the
sentimental American, "if you could see how unhappy he is!"

And, shaking her curls, she unrolled her music-roll and took from it the
poor, dear fellow's letters, which she had carefully hidden between the
leaves of her songs, delighted to be involved in this love-story, to
give vent to her emotion in an atmosphere of intrigue and mystery which
melted her cold eyes and suffused her dry, pale complexion.

Strange to say, while lending her aid most willingly to this constant
going and coming of love-letters, the youthful and attractive Dobson had
never written or received a single one on her own account.

Always on the road between Asnieres and Paris with an amorous message
under her wing, that odd carrier-pigeon remained true to her own dovecot
and cooed for none but unselfish motives.

When Sidonie showed her Frantz's note, Madame Dobson asked:

"What shall you write in reply?"

"I have already written. I consented."

"What! You will go away with that madman?"

Sidonie laughed scornfully.

"Ha! ha! well, hardly! I consented so that he may go and wait for me at
the station. That is all. The least I can do is to give him a quarter
of an hour of agony. He has made me miserable enough for the last month.
Just consider that I have changed my whole life for my gentleman! I have
had to close my doors and give u