to discover the maid's opinion of the
establishment in which she served; for while she brandished her broom
and duster, this girl, exasperated undoubtedly by the increase of work
she saw in store for her, growled and cursed the old barrack where one
was worked to death, where one never had enough to eat, and where the
wages were always in arrears. Mademoiselle Marguerite was doing her
best to aid the maid, who was greatly surprised to find this handsome,
queenly young lady so obliging, when Evariste, the same who had received
warning an hour before, made his appearance, and announced in an
insolent tone that "Madame la Comtesse was served."

For Madame de Fondege exacted this title. She had improvised it, as
her husband had improvised his title of General, and without much more
difficulty. By a search in the family archives she had discovered--so
she declared to her intimate friends--that she was the descendant of a
noble family, and that one of her ancestors had held a most important
position at the court of Francis I. or of Louis XII. Indeed, she
sometimes confounded them. However, people who had not known her father,
the wood merchant, saw nothing impossible in the statements.

Evariste was dressed as a butler should be dressed when he announces
dinner to a person of rank. In the daytime when he discharged the duties
of footman, he was gorgeous in gold lace; but in the evening, he arrayed
himself in severe black, such as is appropriate to the butler of an
aristocratic household. Immediately after his announcement everybody
repaired to the sumptuous dining-room which, with its huge side-boards,
loaded with silver and rare china, looked not unlike a museum. Such was
the display, indeed, that when Mademoiselle Marguerite took a seat at
the table, between the General and his wife, and opposite Madame Leon,
she asked herself if she had not been the victim of that dangerous
optical delusion known as prejudice. She noticed that the supply of
knives and forks was rather scanty; but many economical housewives keep
most of their silver under lock and key; besides the china was very
handsome and marked with the General's monogram, surmounted by his
wife's coronet.

However, the dinner was badly cooked and poorly served. One might have
supposed it to be a scullery maid's first attempt. Still the General
devoured it with delight. He partook ravenously of every dish, a flush
rose to his cheeks, and an expression of profound sat