"You consent?" she said; "you really consent? And may I take your answer to him?" "Yes, but you had better change the text of it," said Julia, laughing. "Oh! my darling, darling dear!" exclaimed Clotilde, covering Julia's hands with kisses; "but repeat again that it is all true--that by to-morrow you will not have changed your mind." "I will not change my mind," said Julia, firmly, in her grave and musical voice. She meditated for a moment and then resumed: "Really, he loves me, that big fellow!" "Like a madman." "Poor man! And he is waiting for an answer?" "With the utmost anxiety." "Well, go and quiet his fears. We will take up the subject again to-morrow. I require to put a little order in my thoughts after all this confusion and excitement, you understand; but you may rest easy. I have decided." When Madame de Lucan returned home, Pierre de Moras was waiting for her in the parlor. He turned very pale when he saw her. "Pierre!" she said, all panting still, "come and kiss me, you are my son! Respectfully, if you please, respectfully!" she added laughingly as he lifted her up and clasped her to his heart. A little later, he had the gratification of treating in the same manner the Baroness de Pers, who had been sent for in haste. "My dear friend," said the baroness, "I am delighted, really delighted, but you are choking me--yes, yes, it is all for the best, my dear fellow--but you are literally choking me, I tell you! Reserve yourself, my friend, reserve yourself!--The dear child! that's quite nice of her, quite nice! In point of fact, she has a heart of gold! And then she has good taste, too, for you are very handsome yourself, very handsome, _mon cher_, very handsome! To be perfectly candid, I always had an idea that, at the moment of cutting off her hair, she would think the matter over. And she has such beautiful hair, the poor child!" And the baroness melted into tears; then addressing the count in the midst of her sobs: "You'll not be very unhappy either, by the way; she is a goddess!"