As she spoke, the young woman ran to the door and went out, refusing to listen to what her companion said; and she, utterly unable to understand what she saw, decided to follow her, crying: "What on earth's the matter with her? What's got into her? Refuse work, when she needs it! Refuse the offers of an honorable man, who wishes her nothing but good! Faith! it's sickening! Much good it does to take an interest in folks! Excuse me, monsieur, I must follow her; but she's got to explain all this. Excuse her, monsieur; it's some crazy idea she's got in her head. Mon Dieu! mon Dieu! to refuse a gentleman like monsieur--there's no sense in it!" The concierge left the room at last. As for myself, I was so thunderstruck by Mignonne's conduct that it had not occurred to me to ask her for an explanation. Balloquet, meanwhile, had remained standing in the middle of the room, looking from one to another, unable to understand what was taking place. "Well! what in the deuce is going on here, my dear fellow?" said the young doctor, when Madame Potrelle had disappeared. "Can it be that my arrival caused all this hurly-burly and put that young woman to flight? She seemed to be a very attractive person--not the one who went out last, but the other. I didn't have time for a good look at her, but she struck me as rather _chicolo_." "You didn't recognize her, then, Balloquet?" "Recognize her? Why, do I know her? I have no remembrance of ever seeing her." "Ah! I see, I see; I understand it all now." "You are very lucky, for I don't understand a word of it." I remembered that Balloquet had been Fouvenard's friend, and it was probable that Mignonne had met him when she was with her seducer; and so, when she saw a man come into my room whom she had seen with him who had deceived her so shamefully, she concluded, doubtless, that I too was a friend of Fouvenard. That being so, was it surprising that her suspicions and her terror should have returned, and that she should have refused to work for me? Poor girl! I had succeeded in winning her confidence, and this accident had destroyed all that I had had so much difficulty in obtaining. It seemed that, with the best intentions, I was fated always to remain an object of terror to her. I kept my reflections to myself; I deemed it unnecessary to tell Balloquet that the young woman he had found in my room was she whose shame Monsieur Fouvenard had not hesitated to proclaim. My visitor was still standing in the middle of the room, and he cried at last, irritated by my silence: "Evidently I came at an inopportune moment. Excuse me. I'll come again." But I detained him and made him sit down. "No; you could never guess---- But let us say no more about this incident.--You seem in better spirits, my dear Balloquet?" "Oh! my feathers are coming out again; not enough to pay you, but that may come in time." "For heaven's sake, don't talk about that!"