"No," answered Jeanne; "I don't think anything, except that you are a charming girl, and I am merely common-place. Bijou, dear, don't make yourself wretched about it, please!" "I should be so unhappy if I were not to see anything more of you!" "But you will see me! The day after to-morrow I am coming back to Bracieux for your play. I must, you know, considering that we are both acting, M. Spiegel and I." "Why do you say, 'M. Spiegel'? Why do you not say Franz like you always do? Are you angry with him?" "On Saturday," continued Jeanne, without answering Bijou's question, "we shall see each other at the races, and then again at the Tourvilles' dance; you see we shall scarcely be separated at all." "All the same it won't be as though you were staying here," answered Bijou, with a sorrowful look, "and, then, too, I know very well that you are going away feeling different towards me." Just at this moment the maid entered the room. "Madame wishes to speak to mademoiselle in the drawing-room." "In the drawing-room at this time of day!" exclaimed Bijou, in surprise. "M. de Clagny is there." "Oh! very well! Say that I am coming at once." "Will you go down with me?" asked Bijou, turning to Mademoiselle Dubuisson. "No, I want to finish packing my trunk, as it is to be sent to Pont-sur-Loire after luncheon." * * * * * A quarter of an hour later, Bijou returned in great glee. "Ah! you don't know something. We are going to spend the evening together to-day!" "Where?" "Guess!" "Oh! I don't know. At the theatre?" "Right! How did you guess that?" "Because you said over and over again before M. de Clagny how much you wanted to go to that performance organised by the _Dames de France_. I suppose he has offered you a box?" "Two boxes! yes, just imagine it; two beautiful big boxes, each one for six persons! And so we have at once arranged with your father that you are to come--M. Spiegel as well, of course--I forgot to tell you that they are there--your father and M. Spiegel. M. de Clagny brought them with him." "But three of us will be too many for you," began Jeanne. "When I have just told you that there are twelve places! Come, now--Grandmamma and I, that makes two, and you three, that makes five; there are seven places over, and no one wants to come." "The Rueilles?" "Paul, but not Bertrade; that makes six. Neither Jean nor Henry are coming, nor Uncle Alexis either, and Pierrot has got into a scrape. Then there is M. de Clagny, and I thought of offering a place to M. Giraud, so that makes us eight altogether." Mademoiselle Dubuisson did not speak, and Bijou went on: "You do not care about spending this evening with us, or, rather, with me, and so you are trying to find a pretext?" "Oh, no, I am not trying to find anything: besides, since it is all arranged with papa--"