"Oh! such a capital joke!" answered Madame Girard; "I have played the marquise such a trick. You know how anxious she always is to take the lead in the fashions, and how every body follows her. I went, two days since, to Barenne, who is dress-maker to the marquise and myself, and asked her, as I always do, if the marquise had given her any orders for this evening, when all the world was to be here at the Théâtre Français. After innumerable difficulties, I extracted the secret from her. The marquise had ordered a most original, delicious head-dress; such an one as suited her alone.--Her alone!" said Madame Girard, tossing her head proudly beneath her head-dress. "Well, at last, by dint of promises and coaxing, I obtained from dear Barenne a sight of this exquisite _coiffure_, and a promise to make me one like that of the marquise; and this is it. Look, it is called a _sobieska_. You may judge of Madame de Luceval's annoyance, when, expecting to have the first of this head-dress, she will see me wearing it." "Allow me, madame, to differ from you," said Bertha, with a gentle smile; "I should rather think that she will be very glad not to be the only person whose head is thus attired." "Oh! I assure you, my dear, that she will be furious," replied Madame Girard. "I think with you, my love," said M. Girard. "Monsieur Girard, I entreat you will not _tutoyer_ (_thee_-and-_thou_) me," said Alphonsine, with a dignified gesture; "you are just like a porter." "I meant to say, Alphonsine, that you will, perhaps, have to reproach yourself with having caused the milliner to lose the custom of the Marquise de Luceval; for, I must observe, my dearest love, that this is a breach of trust. Is it not, Brévannes,--is it not a breach of trust?" "Timoléon," said Madame Girard to her husband, without any other reply, "there are but three empty boxes in this circle; go and ask if one of them is not let to the Marquise de Luceval?" Timoléon arose as if he had been moved by a spring, and went out of the box in great haste. "Do you know M. de Gercourt, the author of the new piece? I hear he is a most delightful person." "I have often met him, and always found him very agreeable." "But why does he trouble himself with writing?" "If it were only," replied De Brévannes, "to have the pleasure of seeing you at the first representation of his piece, with so delicious a _sobi_--_sobe_----" "Sobieska," added Madame Girard, quickly. At this moment the box-door opened, and M. Girard entered. "Well?" said his wife. "Alphonsine, you are not mistaken. One of these boxes is let to the Marquise de Luceval." "Bravo!" said Alphonsine. "That is not all. You, who are always curious for news, I have a famous bit for you." "What?" "Whilst I was interrogating the box-keeper, there came up a servant, all over gold-lace, who asked for the box let to the Princess de Hansfeld. It turned out to be that next to Madame de Luceval's--there--just in front of us."