Madame—­Yes, yes, with little cross-bars, which is an idea of my own—­I have not seen it anywhere else; I think it will not look badly.

Her Friend—­Madame Savain told me that you had suppressed the shoulders of the corsage.

Madame—­Ah! the gossip!  Yes, I will have nothing on the shoulders but a ribbon, a trifle, just enough to fasten a jewel to—­I was afraid that the corsage would look a little bare.  Madame Savain had laid on, at intervals, some ridiculous frippery.  I wanted to try something else—­my plan of crossbars, there and then—­and I missed the dear Abbe Gelon’s lecture.  He was charming, it seems.

Her Friend—­Oh! charming.  He spoke against bad books; there was a large crowd.  He demolished all the horrible opinions of Monsieur Renan.  What a monster that man is!

Madame—­You have read his book?

Her Friend—­Heaven forbid!  Don’t you know it is impossible for one to find anything more—­well, it must be very bad ‘Messieurs de l’OEuvre’ for the Abbe Gelon, in speaking to one of these friends of my husband, uttered the word——­

Madame—­Well, what word?

Her Friend—­I dare not tell you, for, really, if it is true it would make one shudder.  He said that it was (whispering in her ear) the Antichrist!  It makes one feel aghast, does it not!  They sell his photograph; he has a satanic look. (Looking at the clock.) Half-past two—­I must run away; I have given no orders about dinner.  These three fast-days in the week are to me martyrdom.  One must have a little variety; my husband is very fastidious.  If we did not have water-fowl I should lose my head.  How do you get on, dear?

Madame—­Oh! with me it is very simple, provided I do not make my husband leaner; he eats anything.  You know, Augustus is not very much—­

Her Friend—­Not very much!  I think that he is much too spare; for, after all, if we do not in this life impose some privations upon ourselves—­no, that would be too easy.  I hope, indeed, that you have a dispensation?

Madame—­Oh! yes, I am safe as to that.

Her Friend—­I have one, of course, for butter and eggs, as vice-chancellor of the Association.  The Abbe Gelon begged me to accept a complete dispensation on account of my headaches, but I refused.  Yes!  I refused outright.  If one makes a compromise with one’s principles—­but then there are people who have no principles.

Madame—­If you mean that to apply to my husband, you are wrong.  Augustus is not a heathen—­he has excellent principles.

Her Friend—­Excellent principles!  You make my blood boil.  But there, I must go.  Well, it is understood, I count upon you for Tuesday; he will preach upon authority, a magnificent subject, and we may expect allusions—­Ah!  I forgot to tell you; I am collecting and I expect your mite, dear.  I take as low a sum as a denier (the twelfth of a penny).  I have an idea of collecting with my little girl on my praying-stool.  Madame de K. collected on Sunday at St. Thomas’s and her baby held the alms-bag.  The little Jesus had an immense success—­immense!