d the chances of their situation. M. de Saint-Maixent
brought before the marchioness the enormous injury which this event
would bring them. He then said that even supposing the news to be true,
there were many rocks ahead to be weathered before the succession could
be pronounced secure.

"The child may die," he said at last.

And he uttered some sinister expressions on the slight damage caused
by the loss of a puny creature without mind, interest, or consequence;
nothing, he said, but a bit of ill-organised matter, which only came
into the world to ruin so considerable a person as the marchioness.

"But what is the use of tormenting ourselves?" he went on impatiently;
"the countess is not pregnant, nor can she be."

A gardener working near them overheard this part of the conversation,
but as they walked away from him he could not hear any more.

A few days later, some outriders, sent before him by the count, entered
the chateau, saying that their master and mistress were close at hand.
In fact, they were promptly followed by brakes and travelling-carriages,
and at length the countess's litter was descried, which M. de
Saint-Geran, on horse back, had never lost sight of during the journey.
It was a triumphal reception: all the peasants had left their work, and
filled the air with shouts of welcome; the servants ran to meet their
mistress; the ancient retainers wept for joy at seeing the count so
happy and in the hope that his noble qualities might be perpetuated in
his heir. The marquis and Madame de Bouille did their best to tune up to
the pitch of this hilarity.

The dowager countess, who had arrived at the chateau the same day,
unable to convince herself as to this news, had the pleasure of
satisfying herself respecting it. The count and countess were much
beloved in the Bourbonnais province; this event caused therein a general
satisfaction, particularly in the numerous houses attached to them
by consanguinity. Within a few days of their return, more than twenty
ladies of quality flocked to visit them in great haste, to show the
great interest they took in this pregnancy. All these ladies, on one
occasion or another, convinced themselves as to its genuineness, and
many of them, carrying the subject still further, in a joking manner
which pleased the countess, dubbed themselves prophetesses, and
predicted the birth of a boy. The usual symptoms incidental to the
situation left no room for doubt: the country physic