A woman floated down the staircase and approached the door. Her demeanor was expressive of the wildest emotion. She clung to the door-handle, half-fainting, and listened breathlessly to the chevalier's song. She seemed a vision of wonderful grace, with her rich dressing-robe huddled up in her arms, and her long, light tresses sweeping over her shoulders, and, with her soul standing in her passion-darkened eyes, and her scarlet lips apart, she embodied the spirit of a Sabrina listening to the voice of the gods. Suddenly the fire died out of her face, and a weary change came over it--fear, anger, and doubt struggled for the mastery--and at last she dropped her hand, wrung it in its lovely fellow, and swiftly fled up stairs again. "Now, who is this woman?" mused St. Udo, "and what does she know of my friend, the chevalier? Shall I interfere? No--I think he would scarcely brook my meddling. In his place, I should not." He made no remark, therefore; and when the chevalier's song came to an end, Madam Estvan entered the room. What a transformation! St. Udo stood in speechless surprise. A woman with a stout figure, keen, dark face, and pale, green eyes. Where were the graceful, lissome figure, the dainty complexion, the passion-darkened eyes. And madam's hair was gray as Thoms' grizzly locks--no waving tresses of serpentine gold saw he. Madam's lips were blue with fright, no longer thin, scarlet beauty-lines with a string of pearls between. Madam was old, awkward, and spoke nothing but French. Puzzled in the extreme, St. Udo was obliged to content himself by watching the next incident of interest, Madam Estvan's behavior to Colonel Calembours. They met--he with round, suspicious eyes snapping with eagerness, she with downcast lids and brassy brow, and each performed a charming obeisance. "Le Chevalier de Calembours," says he. "Madam Estvan, at your service, messieurs," returns she. They bow again, retire a pace, their eyes meet--they both smile a little; but Calembours' color fades to a sickly yellow, and madam's face reddens under the brown. "We are forced to request your house for a temporary hospital," remarks St. Udo, breaking the utter silence. The spell dissolves--they both turn to him, and both become natural, and that is all St. Udo can discover in the meeting. Madam Estvan immediately set her house at their disposal. Nothing would give her more gratification than to be of use to the Federal soldiers, for that she was not of the South they both must see. She led them through the whole house, assisting them with charming graciousness to select the most suitable apartments, and bewailing the meagerness of her domestic force which would compel the soldiers to wait upon themselves. But do what she would, St. Udo could not divest himself of the conviction that she and the fair Sabrina figure were identical. At last they returned to the lower hall and essayed to depart.