Trudaine led the way in silence back to the house; the land-steward following slowly at a distance of several paces, and talking in whispers to himself.  “His father was the saving of me,” muttered Lomaque; “that is truth, and there is no getting over it; his father was the saving of me; and yet here am I—­no! it’s too late!—­too late to speak—­too late to act—­too late to do anything!”

Close to the house they were met by the old servant.

“My young lady has just sent me to call you in to coffee, monsieur,” said Guillaume.  “She has kept a cup hot for you, and another cup for Monsieur Lomaque.”

The land-steward started—­this time with genuine astonishment.  “For me!” he exclaimed.  “Mademoiselle Rose has troubled herself to keep a cup of coffee hot for me?” The old servant stared; Trudaine stopped and looked back.

“What is there so very surprising,” he asked, “in such an ordinary act of politeness on my sister’s part?”

“Excuse me, Monsieur Trudaine,” answered Lomaque; “you have not passed such an existence as mine—­you are not a friendless old man—­you have a settled position in the world, and are used to be treated with consideration.  I am not.  This is the first occasion in my life on which I find myself an object for the attention of a young lady, and it takes me by surprise.  I repeat my excuses; pray let us go in.”

Trudaine made no reply to this curious explanation.  He wondered at it a little, however, and he wondered still more when, on entering the drawing-room, he saw Lomaque walk straight up to his sister, and—­apparently not noticing that Danville was sitting at the harpsichord and singing at the time—­address her confusedly and earnestly with a set speech of thanks for his hot cup of coffee.  Rose looked perplexed, and half inclined to laugh, as she listened to him.  Madame Danville, who sat by her side, frowned, and tapped the land-steward contemptuously on the arm with her fan.

“Be so good as to keep silent until my son has done singing,” she said.  Lomaque made a low bow, and retiring to a table in a corner, took up a newspaper lying on it.  If Madame Danville had seen the expression that came over his face when he turned away from her, proud as she was, her aristocratic composure might possibly have been a little ruffled.

Danville had finished his song, had quitted the harpsichord, and was talking in whispers to his bride; Madame Danville was adding a word to the conversation every now and then; Trudaine was seated apart at the far end of the room, thoughtfully reading a letter which he had taken from his pocket, when an exclamation from Lomaque, who was still engaged with the newspaper, caused all the other occupants of the apartment to suspend their employments and look up.

“What is it?” asked Danville, impatiently.

“Shall I be interrupting if I explain?” inquired Lomaque, getting very weak in the eyes again, as he deferentially addressed himself to Madame Danville.