It is Valdeja who induced M. de Saint Brice to strike this great blow; so you see that the love for Sophie felt by the ex-attaché to the Embassy at St. Petersburg has not made much progress. We say the _ex-attaché,_ because during the six years he stays in Paris to attend to the affairs of his friend Darcey and those of his pupil Hippolyte, Valdeja must be no longer attached to but detached from the Embassy. During those last three years Adèle has made the acquaintance of M. Léopold, the son of a rich wine merchant, who has taken up his place as his father's successor; _but unfortunately this succession has not lasted long._ "Et tu ne l'as pas abandonné? demande Sophie. Je le voudrais, dit Adèle; je n'ose pas. Il est si violent, il me tuerait!" Besides, Adèle has discovered secrets which make her tremble: M. Léopold _entices extravagant young men and robs them._ She has no hope left except in her sister, to whom she has written. Créponne enters and gives a letter to Adèle; it is from Clarisse, who is always good and charitable and loving! Her husband has forbidden her to see her sister; but, at two o'clock, hidden by a cloak, she will come on foot. Adèle must arrange to be alone. Sophie reads the letter at the same time with Adèle. She sees in it a means of injuring Clarisse and will meditate upon it. "Adieu, dit elle à madame Darcey. Si j'ai quelque chose de nouveau, je viendrai te revoir. --Je crains que Léopold ne se fâche, et que cela ne lui déplaise. --Eh bien! par exemple! --Pour plus de sûreté, quand tu auras à me parler, ne monte pas par le grand escalier, où l'on pourrait te voir, mais viens par celui-ci, dont voici la clef." The key is just the thing Sophie wants to carry out her plan. But now that she has the key, the only thing she is in need of is some money with which to buy food. "Tu n'aurais pas quelque argent à me prêter dit elle? --J'en ai si peu! --Et, moi, je n'en ai pas du tout. Je te rendrai cela dès que j'aurai obtenu ce que je sollicite. --Bientôt? --Je te le promets. --A la bonne heure, car sans cela.... Tiens!" At this moment M. Léopold arrives; he smells the money, pounces upon it and confiscates it, as he says by _order of the police._ That will give you an idea of monsieur's ways of procedure; but you will see plenty more. He wants money, much money. Adèle must ask it from her parents. "Vous savez bien qu'ils sont morts de chagrin, lui dit Adèle. --Oui, à ce qu'ils disent, répond Léopold." This is pretty talk, too pretty, indeed. There is still M. Rialto, but Adèle refuses to apply to him. To M. Hippolyte then.... "ADÈLE. Plutôt mourir que d'avoir recours à lui! LÉOPOLD, _haussant la voix._ Il le faut, cependant; car je veux, et vous ne me connaissez pas, quand on me résiste. ADÈLE. Léopold, Léopold, vous m'effrayez!... _(a part)._ Ah! Dieu! qui m'arrachera de ses mains? LÉOPOLD.