it. He found another girl who had all her senses and rather more land
than Genevieve, and he forsook Genevieve for her. Then the poor thing
lost the little intelligence that love had developed in her; she can do
nothing now but cut grass and look after the cattle. My niece and the
poor girl are in some sort bound to each other by the invisible chain of
their common destiny, and by their madness due to the same cause. Just
come here a moment; look!" and Stephanie's uncle led the Marquis d'Albon
to the window.

There, in fact, the magistrate beheld the pretty Countess sitting on the
ground at Genevieve's knee, while the peasant girl was wholly absorbed
in combing out Stephanie's long, black hair with a huge comb. The
Countess submitted herself to this, uttering low smothered cries that
expressed her enjoyment of the sensation of physical comfort. A shudder
ran through M. d'Albon as he saw her attitude of languid abandonment,
the animal supineness that revealed an utter lack of intelligence.

"Oh! Philip, Philip!" he cried, "past troubles are as nothing. Is it
quite hopeless?" he asked.

The doctor raised his eyes to heaven.

"Good-bye, monsieur," said M. d'Albon, pressing the old man's hand. "My
friend is expecting me; you will see him here before long."

"Then it is Stephanie herself?" cried Sucy when the Marquis had spoken
the first few words. "Ah! until now I did not feel sure!" he added.
Tears filled the dark eyes that were wont to wear a stern expression.

"Yes; she is the Comtesse de Vandieres," his friend replied.

The colonel started up, and hurriedly began to dress.

"Why, Philip!" cried the horrified magistrate. "Are you going mad?"

"I am quite well now," said the colonel simply. "This news has soothed
all my bitterest grief; what pain could hurt me while I think of
Stephanie? I am going over to the Minorite convent, to see her and speak
to her, to restore her to health again. She is free; ah, surely, surely,
happiness will smile on us, or there is no Providence above. How can
you think she could hear my voice, poor Stephanie, and not recover her
reason?"

"She has seen you once already, and she did not recognize you," the
magistrate answered gently, trying to suggest some wholesome fears to
this friend, whose hopes were visibly too high.

The colonel shuddered, but he began to smile again, with a slight
involuntary gesture of incredulity. Nobody ventured to oppose his plans,
and a few hours l