Louis came, rubbing his hands, which for an instant he warmed at the fire.  He was elegantly dressed.  The mere sight of him somehow thrilled Rachel.  His deportment, his politeness, his charming good-nature were as striking as ever.  The one or two stripes (flesh-coloured now, not whitish) on his face were not too obvious, and, indeed, rather increased the interest of his features.  The horrible week was forgotten, erased from history, though Rachel would recollect that even at the worst crisis of it Louis had scarcely once failed in politeness of speech.  It was she who had been impolite—­not once, but often.  Louis had never raged.  She was contrite, and her penitence intensified her desire to please, to solace, to obey.  When she realized that it was she who had burnt that enormous sum in bank-notes, she went cold in the spine.

Not that she cared twopence for the enormous sum, really, now that concord was established!  No, her little flutters of honest remorse were constantly disappearing in the immense exultant joy of being alive and of contemplating her idol.  Louis sat down.  She smiled at him.  He smiled back.  But in his exquisite demeanour there was a faint reserve of melancholy which persisted.  She had not yet that morning been able to put it to flight; she counted, however, on doing so very soon, and in the meantime it did not daunt her.  After all, was it not natural?

She began—­

“I say, what do you think?  Mrs. Tams has given me notice.”

She pretended to be aggrieved and to be worried, but essential joy shone through these absurd masks.  Moreover, she found a certain naive satisfaction in being a mistress with cares, a mistress to whom “notice” had to be given, and who would have to make serious inquiry into the character of future candidates for her employment.

Louis raised his eyebrows.

“Don’t you think it’s a shame?”

“Oh,” said he cautiously, “you’ll get somebody else as good, and better.  What’s she leaving for?”

Rachel repeated Mrs. Tams’s rigmarole.

“Ah!” murmured Louis.

He was rather sorry for Mrs. Tams.  His good-nature was active enough this morning.  But he was glad that she had taken the initiative.  And he was content that she should go.  After the scene of the previous night, their relations could not again have been exactly what the relations between master and servant ought to be.  And further, “you never knew what women wouldn’t tell one another,” even mistress and maid, maid and mistress.  Yes, he preferred that she should leave.  He admired her and regretted the hardship on the old woman—­and that was an end of it!  What could he do to ease her?  The only thing to do would be to tell her privately that so far as he was concerned she might stay.  But he had no intention of doing aught so foolish.  It was strange, but he was entirely unconscious of any obligation to her for the immense service she had rendered him.  His conclusion was that some people have to be martyrs.  And in this he was deeply right.