"Heaven be praised! She is recovering consciousness," whispered Herminie, gathering up the orphan's long tresses and securing them with her shell comb. Olivier, who had seemed deeply affected by the scene, now said to the duchess, who was standing beside the armchair, supporting Mlle. de Beaumesnil's head on her bosom: "Mlle. Herminie, I regret very much that it should be under such unfortunate circumstances that I have the honour of introducing to you my uncle, Commander Bernard." [Illustration: "'_She has fainted._'" Original etching by Adrian Marcel.] The young girl responded with an almost affectionate smile and bow, and the old officer said: "And I, mademoiselle, am doubly sorry, as I was unfortunately the cause of this accident which distresses you so much." "But how did it happen, uncle?" asked Olivier. So while Herminie, seeing that, thanks to her attentions, Ernestine was gradually regaining consciousness, made her again inhale a few drops of cologne, Commander Bernard began his explanation by saying: "I went out this morning while you were talking with one of your friends, Olivier." "Yes, uncle, Madame Barbancon told me that you had been so imprudent as to go out in spite of your extreme weakness, but she felt less anxious about you, I thought, from the fact that you had seemed in unusually good spirits when you left the house." "Yes, yes, I was unusually gay because I was happy, oh, very happy, for this morning--" But the commander, checking himself suddenly, gazed at Olivier with a peculiar expression, then added, with a sigh: "No, no, I must not tell you now. Well, as I said before, I went out--" "It was a very imprudent thing for you to do, uncle." "Perhaps it was, but I had my reasons for wanting to go; besides, I thought a walk in the open air might do me good. Still, being a little doubtful of my strength, instead of going out on the plain as usual, I followed the broad grassy terrace that borders the railroad track in this direction. Feeling tired after I had walked a short distance, I sat down to rest and sun myself on the top of a bank on the side of one of those new streets which have been graded and paved, but on which no houses have yet been erected. I sat there a quarter of an hour, perhaps, then, thinking myself sufficiently rested, I decided that I would get up and start for home. But the walk, short as it was, had exhausted my strength completely, for I had scarcely gotten upon my feet before I was seized with vertigo, my knees trembled under me, I lost my balance; the bank was steep--" "And you fell?" asked Olivier, anxiously. "I must have slidden rather than fallen to the foot of the bank, I think, and my situation would not have been at all dangerous, I suppose, if a big wagon, loaded with stones and drawn by horses which had been left to guide themselves by the driver who was walking on ahead, had not happened to come along just then." "Great God!" exclaimed Olivier.