Louise put on her hideous grass-green hat and set out in high spirits. The walk from the town of Arles to the Château St. Juste was a good mile in length. Louise said to herself how thoroughly she would enjoy bowing that pride of the dreadful old man to the dust. Even in the beautiful town of Arles it was not very warm now. Winter was setting in with rigor, so the people of the south of France thought, although the hedges were covered with roses and climbing geraniums, and everywhere the air was perfect with the delicious smell of violets. Louise had made careful enquiries and knew that she would arrive at the château when Margot and _la belle_ grand'mère were out. She was not accustomed to much walking, however, and her steps went slowly. What was to become of the little shopkeeper when she had fully explained her story? She thought that at the very least _la petite_ Comtesse would be dismissed, disgraced, sent back to those Irish people, who were so wild and ugly and indifferent and even _they_ would not receive her, for she had been told that their pride was of the greatest, and Monsieur Desmond must have got her letter or certainly would get it before Margot arrived. Ah, well, truly had she earned her sixty francs and the grass-green hat was very pretty according to her own ideas. She arrived at the gates of the old château. They were opened to her by a tiny Frenchwoman, whom Madame la Comtesse had placed at the lodge. She walked up the perfectly kept avenue and smelt more strongly than ever the perfume of the violets, the scent of the roses, and the scent also of the sweet pink geraniums which fell in clusters round the trees, helping to adorn the few that were leafless, but most of the trees were olives and they were now in their bloom. Certainly the home of Monsieur le Comte was very perfect. She reached the front door and pressed the electric bell. A man in the livery of the St. Justes replied at once to her summons. Louise made her request. "Ah, _non, non, ce n'est pas possible_. Madame she is out and _la petite_ Comtesse is also out," replied the footman. "I want to see Monsieur le Comte," said Louise. "I have a message to give him of great importance with regard to his granddaughter." The man looked hard, very hard indeed at Louise. He longed to ask, "Is it a message of the serious?" but he restrained himself. "I will enquire," he said. "_Restez tranquille_, Mademoiselle, I have before now eaten of your father's sweetmeats the most superb! Ah, but they melt in the mouth! Behold, a chair, Mademoiselle! I will take your message to the Comte, if it is really not one to do him any injury." "No, no, he ought to know," said Louise. "It will save him trouble in the future. Go and, behold, if you succeed I will get my father to send you a box of his best chocolates!" The man gazed again at the queer-looking girl and finally retired into the _salon_ where M. le Comte was calmly resting.