, clenching her little hand, and stamping her foot
on the floor in a passion I could not understand. 'That is you! That is
M. de Marsac all over. You say nothing, and men think nothing of you.
You go with your hat in your hand, and they tread on you. They speak,
and you are silent! Why, if I could use a sword as you can, I would keep
silence before no man, nor let any man save the King of France cock his
hat in my presence! But you! There! go, leave me. Here is your coin.
Take it and go. Send me that lad of yours to keep me awake. At any rate
he has brains, he is young, he is a man, he has a soul, he can feel--if
he were anything but a clerk.'

She waved me off in such a wind of passion as might have amused me in
another, but in her smacked so strongly of ingratitude as to pain me
not a little. I went, however, and sent Simon to her; though I liked the
errand very ill, and no better when I saw the lad's face light up at
the mention of her name. But apparently she had not recovered her temper
when he reached her, for he fared no better than I had done; coming away
presently with the air of a whipped dog, as I saw from the yew-tree walk
where I was strolling.

Still, after that she made it a habit to talk to him more and more; and,
Monsieur and Madame de Rosny being much taken up with one another, there
was no one to check her fancy or speak a word of advice. Knowing her
pride, I had no fears for her; but it grieved me to think that the lad's
head should be turned. A dozen times I made up my mind to speak to her
on his behalf; but for one thing it was not my business, and for another
I soon discovered that she was aware of my displeasure, and valued it
not a jot. For venturing one morning, when she was in a pleasant humour,
to hint that she treated those beneath her too inhumanly, and with an
unkindness as little becoming noble blood as familiarity, she asked me
scornfully if I did not think she treated Simon Fleix well enough. To
which I had nothing to answer.

I might here remark on the system of secret intelligence by means of
which M. de Rosny, even in this remote place, received news of all that
was passing in France. But it is common fame. There was no coming or
going of messengers, which would quickly have aroused suspicion in the
neighbouring town, nor was it possible even for me to say exactly by
what channels news came. But come it did, and at all hours of the day.
In this way we heard of the danger of La Gana