orne, with his back against
the door, just then opening. A loud cry, followed by angry reproaches,
immediately resounded. It was Madame de Saint-Remy who uttered the cry
and the angry words. The unlucky Malicorne almost crushed her between
the wall and the door she was coming in at.

"It is again that good-for-nothing!" cried the old lady. "Always here!"

"Ah, madame!" replied Malicorne, in a respectful tone; "it is eight long
days since I was here."

Chapter III. In Which We at Length See the True Heroine of this History
Appear.

Behind Madame de Saint-Remy stood Mademoiselle de la Valliere. She heard
the explosion of maternal anger, and as she divined the cause of it,
she entered the chamber trembling, and perceived the unlucky Malicorne,
whose woeful countenance might have softened or set laughing whoever
observed it coolly. He had promptly intrenched himself behind a large
chair, as if to avoid the first attacks of Madame de Saint-Remy; he had
no hopes of prevailing with words, for she spoke louder than he, and
without stopping; but he reckoned upon the eloquence of his gestures.
The old lady would neither listen to nor see anything; Malicorne had
long been one of her antipathies. But her anger was too great not to
overflow from Malicorne on his accomplice. Montalais had her turn.

"And you, mademoiselle; you may be certain I shall inform madame of what
is going on in the apartment of one of her ladies of honor?"

"Oh, dear mother!" cried Mademoiselle de la Valliere, "for mercy's sake,
spare--"

"Hold your tongue, mademoiselle, and do not uselessly trouble yourself
to intercede for unworthy people; that a young maid of honor like you
should be subjected to a bad example is, certes, a misfortune great
enough; but that you should sanction it by your indulgence is what I
will not allow."

"But in truth," said Montalais, rebelling again, "I do not know under
what pretense you treat me thus. I am doing no harm, I suppose?"

"And that great good-for-nothing, mademoiselle," resumed Madame de
Saint-Remy, pointing to Malicorne, "is he here to do any good, I ask
you?"

"He is neither here for good nor harm, madame; he comes to see me, that
is all."

"It is all very well! all very well!" said the old lady. "Her royal
highness shall be informed of it, and she will judge."

"At all events, I do not see why," replied Montalais, "it should be
forbidden M. Malicorne to have intentions towards me, if his intention