lamation of joy. The
duchess gave D'Harmental her hand to kiss; the men pressed his. It was
agreed that the next day at two o'clock the duchess, Pompadour, Laval,
Valef, Malezieux, and Brigaud, should meet at No. 15, Faubourg Saint
Antoine, a house occupied by D'Avranches' mother, and that they should
there await the event.

The result was to be announced to them by D'Avranches himself, who, at
three o'clock, should be at the Barriere du Trone with two horses, one
for himself, the other for the chevalier. He was to follow D'Harmental
at a distance, and return to announce what had passed. Five other
horses, saddled and bridled, were to be ready in the stables of the
house in the Faubourg Saint Antoine, so that the conspirators might fly
at once in case of the chevalier's failure.

These plans settled, the duchess forced the chevalier to seat himself
beside her. The duchess wished to drive him home, but he told her that
the appearance of a carriage at Madame Denis's door would produce too
much sensation, and that, flattering as it would be to him, it would be
too dangerous for all. In consequence, the duchess set D'Harmental down
in the Place des Victoires, after repeatedly expressing her gratitude
for his devotion. It was ten o'clock in the evening. D'Harmental had
scarcely seen Bathilde during the day; he wished to see her again; he
was sure to find her at her window, but that was not sufficient, for
what he had to say was too serious to be thus spoken from one side to
the other of the street.

He was thinking under what pretext he could present himself at such a
late hour, when he thought he saw a woman at the door of her house. He
advanced and recognized Nanette, who was there by Bathilde's order. The
poor girl was dreadfully uneasy, Buvat not having returned. All the
evening she had remained at the window to watch for D'Harmental, but had
not seen him. It seemed to Bathilde that there must be some connection
between Buvat's strange disappearance and the melancholy which she had
remarked the day before in D'Harmental's face. Nanette was waiting at
the door for Buvat and D'Harmental; she now waited for Buvat, and
D'Harmental went up to Bathilde.

Bathilde had heard and recognized his step, and ran to open the door. At
the first glance she noticed the pensive expression of his face.

"Oh! mon Dieu, Raoul!" she exclaimed, "has anything happened to you?"

"Bathilde," said D'Harmental, with a melancholy smile, "you h