“Alas, what can I do?” says the judge, darting a glance sidewise at Caroline. “What you ask of me is a dereliction of duty, and I am a magistrate before I am a man.” “Oh, sir, only be a man--” “Are you aware of the full bearing of that request, fair creature?” At this point the magistrate tremblingly takes Caroline’s hand. Caroline, who remembers that the honor of her husband and children is at stake, says to herself that this is not the time to play the prude. She abandons her hand, making just resistance enough for the old man (happily he is an old man) to consider it a favor. “Come, come, my beauty,” resumes the judge, “I should be loath to cause so lovely a woman to shed tears; we’ll see about it. You shall come to-morrow evening and tell me the whole affair. We must look at the papers, we will examine them together--” “Sir--” “It’s indispensable.” “But, sir--” “Don’t be alarmed, my dear, a judge is likely to know how to grant what is due to justice and--” he puts on a shrewd look here--“to beauty.” “But, sir--” “Be quite at your ease,” he adds, holding her hand closely in his, “and we’ll try to reduce this great crime down to a peccadillo.” And he goes to the door with Caroline, who is frightened to death at an appointment thus proposed. The syndic is a lively young man, and he receives Madame Adolphe with a smile. He smiles at everything, and he smiles as he takes her round the waist with an agility which leaves Caroline no time to resist, especially as she says to herself, “Adolphe particularly recommended me not to vex the syndic.” Nevertheless Caroline escapes, in the interest of the syndic himself, and again pronounces the “Sir!” which she had said three times to the judge. “Don’t be angry with me, you are irresistible, you are an angel, and your husband is a monster: for what does he mean by sending a siren to a young man whom he knows to be inflammable!” “Sir, my husband could not come himself; he is in bed, very sick, and you threatened him so terribly that the urgency of the matter--” “Hasn’t he got a lawyer, an attorney?” Caroline is terrified by this remark which reveals Adolphe’s profound rascality. “He supposed, sir, that you would have pity upon the mother of a family, upon her children--” “Ta, ta, ta,” returns the syndic. “You have come to influence my independence, my conscience, you want me to give the creditors up to you: well, I’ll do more, I give you up my heart, my fortune! Your husband wants to save _his_ honor, _my_ honor is at your disposal!” “Sir,” cries Caroline, as she tries to raise the syndic who has thrown himself at her feet. “You alarm me!” She plays the terrified female and thus reaches the door, getting out of a delicate situation as women know how to do it, that is, without compromising anything or anybody. “I will come again,” she says smiling, “when you behave better.”