At last, as if her mind was fully made up, she rang, and almost immediately Madame Laine, her governess, entered, with an eager, almost obsequious, air. "Does mademoiselle desire anything?" she asked. "Sit down, my dear Laine." "Mademoiselle is too kind." "Sit down, I beg. There is something I wish to say to you." "Only to obey mademoiselle," said the governess, much surprised at this familiarity on the part of her young mistress, who had always treated her heretofore with marked reserve. "My dear Laine," said Mlle. de Beaumesnil, in an almost affectionate tone, "you have often told me that I could count upon your attachment." "Oh, yes, mademoiselle." "And upon your devotion as well?" "In life and in death, mademoiselle." "And also upon your discretion?" "I only ask that mademoiselle will put me to the test, then she can judge," replied the governess, more and more delighted with this truly promising beginning. "Very well, I am about to put you to the test." "How rejoiced I am at such a mark of confidence on mademoiselle's part!" "Yes, a mark of great confidence, of which I hope you will be found deserving." "I swear to mademoiselle that--" "Oh, I believe you," said Ernestine, interrupting these protestations on the part of her governess; "but tell me, nearly a week ago you asked me to give you to-morrow evening, in order that you might attend a small reunion which takes place every Sunday night at the house of one of your friends named--What is the name? I have forgotten it." "Her name is Madame Herbaut, mademoiselle. This friend of mine has two daughters, and every Sunday she invites a few people of their age to her house. I think I said as much to mademoiselle when I asked her permission to attend the entertainment." "And who are these young people?" "The young girls who visit Madame Herbaut are mostly shop-girls, or young women who give music and drawing lessons. There are also several bookkeepers among them. As for the men, they are, for the most part, shop-keepers, or musicians, or lawyer's clerks,--all very respectable young men, I assure you, for Madame Herbaut is very particular about the people she invites, and very naturally, as she has daughters to marry off, and between you and me, mademoiselle, it is to establish them in life that she gives these little reunions." "My dear Laine," said Ernestine, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, "I want to attend one of these reunions at Madame Herbaut's." "Mademoiselle!" exclaimed the governess, thinking her ears must have deceived her, "what did mademoiselle say?" "I said I wished to attend one of Madame Herbaut's entertainments,--to-morrow evening, for instance." "Good heavens! Is mademoiselle really in earnest?" "Decidedly so." "What, you, mademoiselle, go to the house of such a very humble person! Impossible! Mademoiselle cannot even be thinking of such a thing?" "Impossible, and why, my good Laine?"