I did not hear anything else, for I was beside myself with joy. I did not stay to thank anyone, but bounded to the door. “_Ma petite dame!_ Mademoiselle! I have passed!” I exclaimed, and when they shook hands and asked me no end of questions I could only reply: “Oh, it’s quite true—I have passed, I have passed!” I was surrounded and questioned. “How do you know that you have passed? No one knows beforehand.” “Yes, yes, I know, though. M. Auber told me. I am to go into M. Provost’s class. M. Beauvallet wanted me, but his voice is too loud for me!” A disagreeable girl exclaimed: “Can’t you stop that? And so they all want you!” A pretty girl, who was too dark, though, for my taste, came nearer and asked me gently what I had recited. “The fable of the ‘Two Pigeons,’” I replied. She was surprised, and so was everyone; while, as for me, I was wildly delighted to surprise them all. I tossed my hat on my head, shook my frock out, and dragging my two friends along, ran away dancing. They wanted to take me to the confectioner’s to have something, but I refused. We got into a cab, and I should have liked to push that cab along myself. I fancied I saw the words “I have passed” written up over all the shops. When, on account of the crowded streets, the cab had to stand, it seemed to me that the people stared at me, and I caught myself tossing my head as though telling them all that it was quite true I had passed my examination. I never thought any more about the convent, and only experienced a feeling of pride at having succeeded in my first venturesome enterprise. Venturesome, but the success had depended only on me. It seemed to me as though the cabman would never arrive at 265 Rue St. Honoré. I kept putting my head out of the window and saying: “Faster, cabby; faster, please!” At last we reached the house, and I sprang out of the cab and hurried along to tell the good news to my mother. On the way I was stopped by the daughter of the hall porter. She was a staymaker, and worked in a little room on the top floor of the house, the window of which was opposite our dining-room where I used to do my lessons with my governess, so that I could not help seeing her ruddy, wide-awake face constantly. I had never spoken to her, but I knew who she was. “Well, Mlle. Sarah, are you satisfied?” she called out.