. To-night he will come and say farewell, and I
shall not complain. Only, Jack, before he comes, I thought I would have
a little talk with you."

Jack had hidden his face, and was crying. Zenaide felt a ray of hope at
this.

"You will give me back my money, Jack, will you not?" she added
entreatingly.

"But I have not got it, I assure you."

"Do not say that. You are afraid of me, but I will not reproach you.
If you have spent a little you are quite welcome, but tell me where the
rest is!"

"Listen to me, Zenaide: this is horrible. Why should every one think me
guilty?"

She went on as if he had not spoken. "Do you understand that without
this money I shall be miserable? In your mother's name I entreat you
here on my knees!"

She threw herself on the floor by the side of the bed where the boy sat,
and gave way to tears and sobs. Jack, who was as unhappy as she, tried
to take her hand. Suddenly she started up. "You will be punished. No one
will ever love you because your heart is bad!" and she left the room.
She ran hastily down the stairs to the superintendent's room, whom she
found with her father. She could not speak, for her tears choked her.

"Be comforted, my child!" said the Director. "Your father tells me that
the mother of this boy is married to a very rich man. We will write to
them. If they are good people, your dowry will be restored to you."

He wrote the following letter:--

"Madame: Your son has stolen a sum of money from the honest and
hard-working man with whom he lived. This sum represents the savings of
years. I have not yet handed him over to the authorities, hoping that he
might be induced to restore at least a portion of this money. But I am
afraid that it has all been squandered among drunken companions. If that
is the case, you should indemnify the Rondics for their loss. The amount
is six thousand francs. I await your decision before taking any further
steps."

And he signed his name.

"Poor things--it is terrible news for them!" said Pere Rondic, who amid
his own sorrows could still think of those of others.

Zenaide looked up indignantly. "Why do you pity these people? If the boy
has taken my money, let them replace it."

How pitiless is youth! The girl gave not one thought to the mother's
despair when she should hear of her son's crime. Old Rondic, on the
contrary, said to himself, "She will die of shame!"

In due time this letter written by the superintendent reached its