Infamous as it was, the calumny he could spread abroad respecting Madame de Hansfeld was much to be dreaded. Raphael had created the infamous falsehood, and why should not the world, or rather De Morville (for he was all the world to Paula), credit it? Madame de Hansfeld did not know what course to resolve upon. Since she had been enamoured of De Morville, she had hated De Brévannes the more intensely, and thus her indignation and contempt were insufficient to describe the audacity of the latter, when he attempted to obtain an interview with her, through the mediation of Iris, who sagaciously observed to her mistress, that M. de Brévannes's anger might be dangerous, and that thus, instead of exasperating, it was policy to endeavour to get rid of him peaceably. Unfortunately the violent and headstrong love of Bertha's husband would not conform to any management. As we have seen, in his third interview with Iris, he declared positively that he would speak out, if the princess refused him an interview any longer. Iris had continued to play her double part, in order to increase De Brévannes' confidence, pretending not to be pleased with her mistress in order to remove all suspicion of collusion, and appearing very much flattered at the agreeable gallantries of M. de Brévannes. She made him believe, moreover, that Madame de Hansfeld seemed to feel for him a sort of anger, mingled with interest--a singular resentment which Iris did not attempt to explain, as she said, for she affected ignorance of what had occurred at Florence between De Brévannes and Paula. Such was the source of the secret hopes of Bertha's husband; hopes arising from his blind self-love, and increased by the treacherous confidence of Iris. This explained, we will conduct the reader to the small house which De Brévannes rented in the Rue des Martyrs, and of which he now had sole possession. It was the day after that on which Iris had given him the pretended note from the princess, on receiving which, De Brévannes had ventured for the first time to speak of the _black book_, and his desire to possess it for a moment. Iris, after innumerable difficulties, had told him, that perhaps it might be possible to abstract the book the next day for a few hours only, when the princess was going to pass the morning with Madame de Lormoy, De Morville's aunt. M. de Brévannes had requested the young girl to bring the precious volume to the Rue des Martyrs, when he would read it in her presence, and return it to her instantly, with the recompense due to such a service,--a recompense which she resolved to accept, in order that no suspicion of De Brévannes should be excited. He was thus awaiting Iris in the small saloon to which we have before referred.