The young woman’s tears flowed faster still and she would not speak, manifesting a confusion that sent every drop of blood coursing from her heart up to her face.  At last, throwing herself into the arms that were opened to receive her and concealing her face in the other’s bosom, she stammered: 

“Oh, darling if you but knew.  I shall never dare to tell you—­and yet I have no one but you, you alone perhaps can tell me what is best to do.”  A shiver passed through her frame, her voice was scarcely audible.  “I was with Edmond—­and then—­and then Madame Delaherche came into the room and caught me—­”

“Caught you!  What do you mean?”

“Yes, we were here in the room; he was holding me in his arms and kissing me—­” And clasping Henriette convulsively in her trembling arms she told her all.  “Oh, my darling, don’t judge me severely; I could not bear it!  I know I promised you it should never happen again, but you have seen Edmond, you know how brave he is, how handsome!  And think once of the poor young man, wounded, ill, with no one to give him a mother’s care!  And then he has never had the enjoyments that wealth affords; his family have pinched themselves to give him an education.  I could not be harsh with him.”

Henriette listened, the picture of surprise; she could not recover from her amazement.  “What! you don’t mean to say it was the little sergeant!  Why, my dear, everyone believes the Prussian to be your lover!”

Gilberte straightened herself up with an indignant air, and dried her eyes.  “The Prussian my lover?  No, thank you!  He’s detestable; I can’t endure him.  I wonder what they take me for?  What have I ever done that they should suppose I could be guilty of such baseness?  No, never!  I would rather die than do such a thing!” In the earnestness of her protestations her beauty had assumed an angry and more lofty cast that made her look other than she was.  And all at once, sudden as a flash, her coquettish gayety, her thoughtless levity, came back to her face, accompanied by a peal of silvery laughter.  “I won’t deny that I amuse myself at his expense.  He adores me, and I have only to give him a look to make him obey.  You have no idea what fun it is to bamboozle that great big man, who seems to think he will have his reward some day.”

“But that is a very dangerous game you’re playing,” Henriette gravely said.

“Oh, do you think so?  What risk do I incur?  When he comes to see he has nothing to expect he can’t do more than be angry with me and go away.  But he will never see it!  You don’t know the man; I read him like a book from the very start:  he is one of those men with whom a woman can do what she pleases and incur no danger.  I have an instinct that guides me in these matters and which has never deceived me.  He is too consumed by vanity; no human consideration will ever drive it into his head that by any possibility a woman could get the better