heir husbands or gallants on
the board of his company--the dark-eyed charmer whom you ousted in the
Munich music hall and whom you foresaw to be your eternal rival, might
meet him again. With you beside him, she might be repulsed--with you
distant, he would surrender at discretion. What a triumph for your
self-conceit and banquet for your senses to make your husband love you
even more than when he was the suitor! Look out! in battling with your
husband you say you fight Conscience; with Mademoiselle Daniels, with
whom I have had twenty minutes' pleasant conversation, enlightening him,
you would conflict with Virtue. Tell your husband that the money you
offered to help him, came out of our bank, and he will not forgive you
or tolerate you this time. No, for his silence would no longer be
loftiness of soul, but complicity of which I do not think him capable,"
he grudgingly said. "He would hand you over to the police, and believe
me, the Emperor Napoleon, having a mania on the subject of artillery,
would personally instruct his _procureur_ to draw up an indictment
against you which would not miss fire. And were you to escape in France,
we should have that abstracted money's worth from you elsewhere. Now,
dear lady, for how much will you sell us the secret of M. Clemenceau?"

The woman bowed her head, like one imprisoned in a sand drift, not to be
crossed in any direction, but closing in and weighing down. She was in a
pitfall, overpowered like Gratian had been, subjugated, soon to be put
to the yoke and compelled to draw steadily the harrow of transcendental
politics. Her caprices, faults, fancies, duplicities, wiles, caresses,
impudence, conquests and delights were but straws out of which some
great diplomatist would draw supplies for his cattle. It was humiliating
to the superb creature, but logical. She gnashed her teeth, but she was
sure that her cajolery--even her tears would be thrown away on this
soldier-spy whom once she had jilted, and who at present surfeited
himself with her defeat.

"It is a crime," she moaned, "a dastardly crime that you require me to
do."

"Not your first! You robbed us for your own private ends--we want you to
rob another for ours! you must not always be selfish."

'But I had really repented--"

"Pooh! you may repent of this fresh misdeed while you are about penance.
I have no objections to you becoming a good wife! it will be a novel
sensation, and of nothing are you more fond! Suppose