rose to her feet as she spoke. "Why," she
cried, "why did not that fire burn me to death? I should have suffered
less than from this flame which devours my heart!"

She leaned her head against the wall, and burst into passionate weeping.

Maslenes, too, had tears in his eyes. It was plain that he cherished a
mysterious affection for this beautiful woman, who was tortured by some
secret sorrow.

"Jane,--Miss Jane," he corrected himself quickly. "I have never seen
you like this before. Some one must have insulted you!"

His eyes flashed as he said this.

"No," murmured Jane. "No, nothing of the kind."

"Then you are over-excited by this accident. Pray, try and control
yourself. I know that there are sad thoughts, which you cannot drive
from your mind, but you are young; you have the future before you, you
will forget the past. You must!"

Jane dried her tears with her lace handkerchief, and her face became
suddenly calm.

"Yes, I will forget," she replied, firmly. "You are right, I must do so.
Forgive me!"

She extended her hand.

He hesitated and, drawing back, replied:

"We will talk together to-morrow. You know that you may rely on me."

"Yes, and I am very weary."

The intendant left the room. When outside the room, he caught at the
railing, and with almost a sob, exclaimed: "How miserable I am!"

"Well!" asked Madame, from the foot of the stairs, "is the poor child
any better?"

"Yes, thank you. There was an accident; her dress took fire."

"What a pity! A new dress, too. But I can offer her another in its
place--one that has just come into my hands."

"You can talk with her about it to-morrow. At present I am worn out."

He hurried to his room, which was in the attic under the eaves,
furnished with the most excessive simplicity: an iron bedstead, a table,
and one chair. A trunk with a large lock upon it was also in the room.

Maslenes locked the door, and then dropped on the one chair the place
contained. He sat for some minutes buried in thought.

"What am I to do? What am I to do?"

Then he rose, and opened the trunk of which we have spoken, with a key
that he took from his pocket. He took out a bag, and a portfolio. He
tried the weight of the bag and shrugged his shoulders. He then loosened
the cord that held the bag together, and produced ten louis, at which he
looked sadly. The portfolio contained three bank notes of one hundred
francs each.

"And in two days I have five hundred fra