“I hope to make her love you.”

“Good heavens! it cannot be possible!” he cried, again clasping his hands toward Camille, who was greatly moved on seeing the joy that she gave him at her own expense.

“Now listen to me carefully,” she said.  “If you break the agreement between us, if you have—­not a long conversation—­but a mere exchange of words with the marquise in private, if you let her question you, if you fail in the silent part I ask you to play, which is certainly not a very difficult one, I do assure you,” she said in a serious tone, “you will lose her forever.”

“I don’t understand the meaning of what you are saying to me,” cried Calyste, looking at Camille with adorable naivete.

“If you did understand it, you wouldn’t be the noble and beautiful Calyste that you are,” she replied, taking his hand and kissing it.

Calyste then did what he had never before done; he took Camille round the waist and kissed her gently, not with love but with tenderness, as he kissed his mother.  Mademoiselle des Touches did not restrain her tears.

“Go now,” she said, “my child; and tell your viscountess that my carriage is at her command.”

Calyste wanted to stay longer, but he was forced to obey her imperious and imperative gesture.

He went home gaily; he believed that in a week the beautiful Beatrix would love him.  The players at mouche found him once more the Calyste they had missed for the last two months.  Charlotte attributed this change to herself.  Mademoiselle de Pen-Hoel was charming to him.  The Abbe Grimont endeavored to make out what was passing in the mother’s mind.  The Chevalier du Halga rubbed his hands.  The two old maids were as lively as lizards.  The viscountess lost one hundred sous by accumulated mouches, which so excited the cupidity of Zephirine that she regretted not being able to see the cards, and even spoke sharply to her sister-in-law, who acted as the proxy of her eyes.

The party lasted till eleven o’clock.  There were two defections, the baron and the chevalier, who went to sleep in their respective chairs.  Mariotte had made galettes of buckwheat, the baroness produced a tea-caddy.  The illustrious house of du Guenic served a little supper before the departure of its guests, consisting of fresh butter, fruits, and cream, in addition to Mariotte’s cakes; for which festal event issued from their wrappings a silver teapot and some beautiful old English china sent to the baroness by her aunts.  This appearance of modern splendor in the ancient hall, together with the exquisite grace of its mistress, brought up like a true Irish lady to make and pour out tea (that mighty affair to Englishwomen), had something charming about them.  The most exquisite luxury could never have attained to the simple, modest, noble effect produced by this sentiment of joyful hospitality.

A few moments after Calyste’s departure from Les Touches, Beatrix, who had heard him go, returned to Camille, whom she found with humid eyes lying back on her sofa.