d horror. "It makes one's hair stand on end."

"I merely alluded to her by way of saying that we are now quite without
a servant, and that, if you should chance to hear of a well-disposed,
honest, and industrious young person, I should take it as a favour if
you would send her to us. Upon my word, girls of good character are so
difficult to be met with that one had need search in twenty places at
once to find one."

"Depend upon it, Madame Seraphin, that, should I hear of anybody likely
to suit you, I will let you know; but, in my opinion, good situations
are more rare even than good servants." Then, again relapsing into a fit
of abstraction, Anastasie added, though mentally, "A likely story that I
should send any young girl to be starved to death in your dungeon of a
house; your master is too stingy and hard-hearted! The idea of throwing
that poor Louise and M. Germain both in prison!"

"I need not tell you," continued Madame Seraphin, "what a still, quiet
house ours is; any young person must be improved by living in a family
where there is continually something to be learned; and that Louise must
have been naturally a depraved creature, to turn out badly spite of the
good and religious advice bestowed on her by M. Ferrand."

"No doubt; but depend upon it that, directly I hear of a young person
likely to suit you, I will be sure to let you know."

"There is just one thing more I should like to mention," resumed Madame
Seraphin, "and that is, that M. Ferrand would greatly prefer taking a
person who had no relatives or friends, because then, you understand,
having no motive for wishing to go out, she would be less exposed to
danger, neither would her mind be so likely to be upset; so that, if you
should happen to meet with an orphan, I think M. Ferrand would prefer
taking her, in the first place, because it would be doing a good action;
and, secondly, as, having neither friends nor followers, she could not
have any excuse for wishing to go out. I assure you that wretched girl,
Louise, gave M. Ferrand a severe lesson, I can tell you, Madame Pipelet,
and one that will make him very careful what sort of a servant he
engages. Only imagine such a scandalous affair occurring in a house like
ours! Dreadful! Well, then, I will call again this evening to see M.
Bradamanti, and, at the same time, I can have a little conversation with
Mother Burette."

"Then I will say adieu, Madame Seraphin, till this evening, when you
will