honour. But she feared that she might be frustrated if she attempted too daring a project, though that which had presented itself at one time to her mind, had been shortly before carried through but too successfully in another noble house in France, where the most atrocious violence had been employed, to effect an object very similar to her own. But though fond of strong and decided measures, Madame de Chazeul was always willing to employ cunning and tortuous means; and she saw no method of ensuring success, but by pursuing the plan which she had hinted to her son: and now, as she sat there revolving all the circumstances in her mind, she applied herself to fit so neatly the various parts of her scheme together, that no flaw might mar it in the execution. Blanchette in the meantime stood before her, now bending her eyes upon the ground, in assumed modesty and diffidence, now raising them with a furtive glance, to the countenance of the Marchioness, and striving, but vainly, to read on that dark and puzzled page, that which was passing in the still darker and more intricate heart. At length Madame de Chazeul spoke, in a tone quiet and calm as if no angry passion was a guest in her bosom, saying, "How did Mademoiselle d'Albret pass the night, Blanchette? She seems weary and disturbed this morning." "I do not know, Madam," replied Blanchette. "She sent me away from her quite crossly, and I saw her no more till this morning. Then she was cross enough, Madam," continued the girl, "especially when I told her she was not to leave the room till some one came for her." "And who told you to do that?" exclaimed the Marchioness with a look of surprise, "who told you to do that, I say?" "Why you, Madam, ordered me to watch her closely every moment," answered Blanchette; "and so did the Count; and how was I to watch her, if she were to go out, wandering all about the Château?" "You are insolent, girl!" cried Madame de Chazeul, "and this is the way by your impertinent domineering, that you turn the mind of Mademoiselle d'Albret against her friends. You should have watched as if you were not watching; you should have given information to my brother, or myself, if she went out; and not have presumed to make yourself her turnkey.--Who are you, that you should dare to dictate to a lady like that, whether she should go forth or not?" The maid replied not, but coloured highly and bit her lip, looking down upon the ground with apparently no very placable endurance of the reprimand, which probably she felt the more, as she was fully conscious of having exceeded her orders, at the very time she did so, for the purpose of gratifying her own spiteful nature.