honorable men.  He said he was sorry to resort to such extremities.  His seconds declared it would be wiser in me to arrange a meeting in the usual manner among men of honor, so that Ursula Mirouet might not be known as the cause of the quarrel; to avoid all scandal it was better to make a journey to the nearest frontier.  In short, my seconds met his yesterday, and they unanimously agreed that I owed him reparation.  A week from to-day I leave for Geneva with my two friends.  Monsieur de Portenduere, Monsieur de Soulanges, and Monsieur de Trailles will meet me there.

The preliminaries of the duel are settled; we shall fight with pistols; each fires three times, and after that, no matter what happens, the affair terminates.  To keep this degrading matter from public knowledge (for I find it impossible to justify my father’s conduct) I do not go to see you now, because I dread the violence of the emotion to which you would yield and which would not be seemly.  If I am to make my way in the world I must conform to the rules of society.  If the son of a viscount has a dozen reasons for fighting a duel the son of a post master has a hundred.  I shall pass the night in Nemours on my way to Geneva, and I will bid you good-by then.

After the reading of this letter a scene took place between Zelie and Minoret which ended in the latter confessing the theft and relating all the circumstances and the strange scenes connected with it, even Ursula’s dreams.  The million fascinated Zelie quite as much as it did Minoret.

“You stay quietly here,” Zelie said to her husband, without the slightest remonstrance against his folly.  “I’ll manage the whole thing.  We’ll keep the money, and Desire shall not fight a duel.”

Madame Minoret put on her bonnet and shawl and carried her son’s letter to Ursula, whom she found alone, as it was about midday.  In spite of her assurance Zelie was discomfited by the cold look which the young girl gave her.  But she took herself to task for her cowardice and assumed an easy air.

“Here, Mademoiselle Mirouet, do me the kindness to read that and tell me what you think of it,” she cried, giving Ursula her son’s letter.

Ursula went through various conflicting emotions as she read the letter, which showed her how truly she was loved and what care Savinien took of the honor of the woman who was to be his wife; but she had too much charity and true religion to be willing to be the cause of death or suffering to her most cruel enemy.

“I promise, madame, to prevent the duel; you may feel perfectly easy, —­but I must request you to leave me this letter.”