The prince, feeling the utter necessity of subduing his emotion, did the honours of his house with perfect dignity. Bertha, on her part, gradually resumed her self-possession. Paula exerted herself not to give way to the terrible ideas which had occupied her brain since her conversation with Iris. De Brévannes, who had always heard the prince mentioned as a sort of original, whimsical, strange-tempered, and half an idiot, and had asked himself how his wife could be smitten with such a man, was utterly amazed at the distinguished manners and urbane condescension of De Hansfeld, whose youthful and mild features were singularly attractive. It was then he fully comprehended Bertha's love, and his rage increased against her and De Hansfeld. From time to time he cast a furtive glance upon her, as fierce as the glare of a tiger, then he sought Paula's look with an air of intelligence, by turns gloomy and impassioned, which proved to Madame de Hansfeld that Iris had not deceived her with respect to the Black Book. After the few first commonplaces had passed, a silence succeeded that was somewhat embarrassing. The prince broke it, by saying to Bertha,-- "You must have had some trouble, madame, in finding this isolated abode in the midst of this deserted quarter?" "No, sir!" replied Bertha, blushing to her eyes; "my father lives very close by." This reply, which the young lady had made without reflection, redoubled her confusion, by recalling to her the first time she detected her love for Arnold, who added quickly,-- "That is different, madame; but for real Parisians to come to the Ile Saint Louis it is always a kind of journey." "At least," said De Brévannes, "they are recompensed for the journey, as you call it, sir, by being enabled to admire this hôtel, which is really a palace." "Indeed," said Paula, to carry on the conversation, "in the Faubourg Saint-Germain, the quarter for fine houses, where we resided for some time, we could not find any thing comparable to this really spacious residence." "We build no palaces now," said De Brévannes; "fortunes are too much divided. You gentlemen foreigners have much more sense than we have: in England, Russia, and Germany also, I presume, the right of primogeniture has wisely preserved the principle of large inheritance." "I am sure, sir," said De Hansfeld, with a smile, "you have never had brother or sister?" "True, sir; but whence do you deduce that certainty?" "From your admiration of the right of primogeniture." De Brévannes did not comprehend the amiable meaning of the prince's remark, and replied,-- "You think, then, sir, if I had not been an only son, I should have viewed the subject differently?"