“My word, he’s got a phiz for it!” murmured Fauchery. “A pretty present he made his wife! Poor little thing, how he must have bored her! She knows nothing about anything, I’ll wager!” Just then the Countess Sabine was saying something to him. But he did not hear her, so amusing and extraordinary did he esteem the Muffats’ case. She repeated the question. “Monsieur Fauchery, have you not published a sketch of Monsieur de Bismarck? You spoke with him once?” He got up briskly and approached the circle of ladies, endeavoring to collect himself and soon with perfect ease of manner finding an answer: “Dear me, madame, I assure you I wrote that ‘portrait’ with the help of biographies which had been published in Germany. I have never seen Monsieur de Bismarck.” He remained beside the countess and, while talking with her, continued his meditations. She did not look her age; one would have set her down as being twenty-eight at most, for her eyes, above all, which were filled with the dark blue shadow of her long eyelashes, retained the glowing light of youth. Bred in a divided family, so that she used to spend one month with the Marquis de Chouard, another with the marquise, she had been married very young, urged on, doubtless, by her father, whom she embarrassed after her mother’s death. A terrible man was the marquis, a man about whom strange tales were beginning to be told, and that despite his lofty piety! Fauchery asked if he should have the honor of meeting him. Certainly her father was coming, but only very late; he had so much work on hand! The journalist thought he knew where the old gentleman passed his evenings and looked grave. But a mole, which he noticed close to her mouth on the countess’s left cheek, surprised him. Nana had precisely the same mole. It was curious. Tiny hairs curled up on it, only they were golden in Nana’s case, black as jet in this. Ah well, never mind! This woman enjoyed nobody’s embraces. “I have always felt a wish to know Queen Augusta,” she said. “They say she is so good, so devout. Do you think she will accompany the king?” “It is not thought that she will, madame,” he replied.