anoeuvres.

"The instinct of preservation stimulating my perspicacity I had
penetrated their intentions, and I was struggling with all my might.
Every day, to make myself more indispensable, I invented some novel
attention.

"They only came once a week to La Jonchere: I was there all the time.
I had the advantage. I struggled successfully, and was probably
approaching the end of my troubles, when my poor old mistress was
taken sick. After forty-eight hours, she was very low. She was
fully conscious, but for that very reason she could appreciate the
danger; and the fear of death made her crazy.

"Her nieces had come to sit by her bedside; and I was expressly
forbidden to enter the room. They had understood that this was an
excellent opportunity to get rid of me forever.

"Evidently gained in advance, the physicians declared to my poor
benefactress that the air of La Jonchere was fatal to her, and
that her only chance of recovery was to establish herself in Paris.
One of her nephews offered to have her taken to his house in a
litter. She would soon get well, they said; and she could then go
to finish her convalescence in some southern city.

"Her first word was for me. She did not wish to be separated from
me, she protested, and insisted absolutely upon taking me with her.
Her nephews represented gravely to her that this was an
impossibility; that she must not think of burdening herself with
me; that the simplest thing was to leave me at La Jonchere; and
that, moreover, they would see that I should get a good situation.

"The sick woman struggled for a long time, and with an energy of
which I would not have thought her capable.

"But the others were pressing. The physicians kept repeating that
they could not answer for any thing, if she did not follow their
advice. She was afraid of death. She yielded, weeping.

"The very next morning, a sort of litter, carried by eight men,
stopped in front of the door. My poor mistress was laid into it;
and they carried her off, without even permitting me to kiss her
for the last time.

"Two hours later, the cook and the chambermaid were dismissed. As
to myself, the nephew who had promised to look after me put a
twenty-franc-piece in my hand saying, 'Here are your eight days in
advance. Pack up your things immediately, and clear out!'"

It was impossible that Mlle. Lucienne should not be deeply moved
whilst thus stirring the ashes of her past. She showed no evi