g in the
messenger, who seemed over-powered with tears.

"I am not a thief," exclaimed he. "It was given to me, but I will give
it back."

He was alluding to the louis given to him by Norbert, for the largeness
of the sum made him think that the donor had made a mistake.

"Keep the money," said the Duke; "I meant it for you; but tell me who
gave this letter to you."

"I can't tell you," answered the man. "If I ever saw him before, may my
next glass of wine choke me. He got out of a cab just as I was passing
near the bridge, and calling to me, said, 'Look at this letter; at
half-past seven take it to the Duke de Champdoce, who lives by his
stables in the road to the Forest. Do you know the place?' 'Yes,' I
says, and then he slips the letter and a five-franc piece into my hand,
got back into the cab, and off he went."

"What was the man like?" asked he.

"Well, I can hardly say. He wasn't young or old, or short or tall.
I recollect he had a gold watch-chain on, but that was about all I
noticed."

"Very well; you can be off."

At this moment Norbert's anger was turned against the writer of
the letter only, for he did not place the smallest credence in the
accusations against his wife. If he did not love her, he at any rate
respected her. "My wife," said he to himself, "is an honorable and
virtuous woman, and it is some discharged menial who has taken this
cowardly mode of revenge." A closer inspection of the letter seemed to
show him that the faults in caligraphy were intentional. The concluding
portion of the letter excited his attention, and, calling Jean, he asked
him if it was true that all the servants would be absent from the house
to-day.

"There will be none there this evening; not until late at night,"
answered the old man.

"And why, pray?"

"Have you forgotten, your Grace, that the first coachman is going to be
married, and the Duchess was good enough to say that all might go to the
wedding dinner and ball, as long as some one remained at the porter's
lodge?"

After the first outburst, Norbert affected an air of calmness, and
laughed at the idea of having permitted himself to be disturbed for so
trivial a cause. But this was mere pretence, for doubt and suspicion had
entered his soul, and no power on earth could expel them. "Why should
not my wife be unfaithful to me?" thought Norbert. "I give her credit
for being honorable and right-minded, but then all deceived husbands
have the same idea. Wh