Jeanne was listening eagerly.  A deep wrinkle now furrowed her pale brow, and she began twisting her fingers mechanically one after the other.

“Oh!  I could entrust my patients for a few weeks to the care of a brother-physician,” explained the doctor.  “That’s to say, if I thought it would give you so much pleasure—­”

“Doctor,” interrupted Helene, “are you also of opinion that such a journey would benefit Jeanne?”

“It would be the very thing; it would thoroughly restore her to health.  Children are always the better for a change.”

“Oh! then,” exclaimed Juliette, “we can take Lucien, and we can all go together.  That will be pleasant, won’t it?”

“Yes, indeed; I’ll do whatever you wish,” he answered, smiling.

Jeanne lowered her face, wiped two big tears of passionate anger and grief from her eyes, and fell back in her chair as though she would fain hear and see no more; while Madame Deberle, filled with ecstasy by the idea of such unexpected pleasure, began chattering noisily.  Oh! how kind her husband was!  She kissed him for his self-sacrifice.  Then, without the loss of a moment, she busied herself with sketching the necessary preparations.  They would start the very next week.  Goodness gracious! she would never have time to get everything ready!  Next she wanted to draw out a plan of their tour; they would need to visit this and that town certainly; they could stay a week at Rome; they must stop at a little country place that Madame de Guiraud had mentioned to her; and she wound up by engaging in a lively discussion with Pauline, who was eager that they should postpone their departure till such time as she could accompany them with her husband.

“Not a bit of it!” exclaimed Juliette; “the wedding can take place when we come back.”

Jeanne’s presence had been wholly forgotten.  Her eyes were riveted on her mother and the doctor.  The proposed journey, indeed, now offered inducements to Helene, as it must necessarily keep Henri near her.  In fact, a keen delight filled her heart at the thought of journeying together through the land of the sun, living side by side, and profiting by the hours of freedom.  Round her lips wreathed a smile of happy relief; she had so greatly feared that she might lose him; and deemed herself fortunate in the thought that she would carry her love along with her.  While Juliette was discoursing of the scenes they would travel through, both Helene and Henri, indeed, indulged in the dream that they were already strolling through a fairy land of perennial spring, and each told the other with a look that their passion would reign there, aye, wheresoever they might breathe the same air.

In the meantime, Monsieur Rambaud, who with unconscious sadness had slowly lapsed into silence, observed Jeanne’s evident discomfort.

“Aren’t you well, my darling?” he asked in a whisper.

“No!  I’m quite ill!  Carry me up again, I implore you.”