"'The Marchioness of Brinvilliers is here, I believe,' said Gaudin to the grisette at the door. 'Will you tell her she is wanted on pressing business?' "The Marchioness appeared. A stifled scream of fear and surprise, yet sufficiently intense to show her emotion at the sight of Gaudin, broke from her lips as she recognised him. But she immediately recovered her impassibility of features--that wonderful calmness and innocent expression which afterwards was so severely put to the proof without being shaken--and she asked, with apparent unconcern: "'Well, monsieur, what do you want with me?' "'Marie!' exclaimed Gaudin, 'let me ask your business here at this hour' (it was rather late) 'unattended, and in the apartment of a scholar of the Hôtel Dieu?' "'You are mad, Sainte-Croix,' said the Marchioness. 'Am I to be accountable to you for all my actions? M. Theria is not here, and I came to see his wife on my own affairs.' "'Liar!' cried Gaudin." The lady had not told the truth, for M. Theria had no wife, and he was so near by that he heard the angry voice of M. Sainte-Croix, who so convinced the Marchioness of her perfidy that "in an instant the accustomed firmness of the Marchioness deserted her, and she fell upon her knees at his feet on the cold, damp floor of the landing." In this powerful etching nothing could surpass the beauty of the face and figure of the Marchioness; she exactly realizes our ideal. But the Chevalier, though full of passion, is, to my mind, verging on the theatrical. Finding that her entreaties to the Chevalier to "go away" have no effect, she threatens suicide. "There is but one resource left," she says, as she "springs up from her position of supplication." "Where are you going?" asked Sainte-Croix, as she rushed to the top of the flight of stairs. "Hinder me not!" returned Marie. "To the river!" But before she could reach the river--to which she would no doubt have given a very wide berth--she fainted, or pretended to faint, in the courtyard at the bottom of the staircase. Here the pair were overtaken by M. Theria. "A few hot and hurried words passed on either side, and the next instant their swords were drawn and crossed. The fight was short, and ended in Sainte-Croix thrusting his rapier completely through the fleshy part of the sword-arm of the student, whose weapon fell to the ground. "'I have it!' cried Camille. 'A peace, monsieur! I have it!' he continued, smiling, as he felt that his wound, though slight, was too serious to have been received in so unworthy a cause. "As he was speaking, Marie opened her eyes and looked around. But the instant she saw the two rivals, she shuddered convulsively, and again relapsed into insensibility. "'She is a clever actress,' continued Camille, smiling. "'We have each been duped,' answered Gaudin.