d not hear, and if she had heard
would not have understood. "It is heroic!" some said. Others answered,
"It is the height of impudence."

The Princess was talking with Suzanne and was looking at her husband who,
leaning against a door, was following Jeanne with his eyes.

At a sign from Cayrol, Marechal left the room. The secretary joined
Madame Desvarennes, who had come with Pierre and had remained in Cayrol's
private office. During this party matters of moment were to be discussed,
and a consultation was about to take place between the interested
parties. On seeing Marechal enter, Madame only uttered one word:

"Cayrol?"

"Here he is," answered the secretary.

Cayrol came in, hurriedly.

"Well," he asked, with great anxiety, "have you any news?"

"Pierre has just come from London," answered the mistress. "What we
feared is true. Herzog, conjointly with my son-in-law, has made use of
the ten millions belonging to the European Credit."

"Do you think that Herzog has really bolted?" inquired Marechal.

"No! he is too deep for that," replied Cayrol. "He will return. He knows
that in compromising the Prince it is as if he had compromised the firm
of Desvarennes, therefore he is quite easy on the matter."

"Can the one be saved without the other?" asked the mistress.

"It is impossible. Herzog has so firmly bound up his interests with those
of the Prince that it will be necessary to extricate both or let both
perish together."

"Well, we must save Herzog into the bargain, then!" said Madame
Desvarennes, coldly. "But by what means?"

"These," answered Cayrol. "The shares taken away by Herzog, under the
security of the Prince's signature, were deposited by the shareholders.
When the Universal Credit removed to its new offices, these shares were
taken away by mistake. It will suffice to replace the scrip. I will give
back the receipt to the Prince and all trace of this deplorable affair
will be wiped out."

"But the numbers of the shares will not be the same," said Madame
Desvarennes, accustomed to minute regularity in all operations.

"We can explain the change by feigning a sale when they were high, and
buying them up when low. We will show a profit, and the shareholders will
not quarrel. Besides, I reserve the right of divulging Herzog's fraud
without implicating Panine, if the shareholders insist. Trust me, I will
catch Herzog another time. It is my stupid confidence in that man which
has been partly the