"If madame desires to follow me, I will lead her to the apartments which have been hastily prepared for her." "I'm not madame, my name is Blanche. We are not yet married, but as soon as he arrives I hope to be his wife. Show me the way, monsieur, I will follow you." The man entered a spacious vestibule and mounted a marble staircase, then he led Blanche through some superb galleries, along one side of which were windows of stained glass, while upon the other the walls were adorned with pictures representing the most pleasing mythological subjects. In viewing all that met her sight, Blanche could not restrain her astonishment. She paused and said to Germain,--in a voice which she tried to render still more touching,-- "Monsieur, I beg of you, tell me the truth,--does this superb dwelling belong to him?" "Yes, mademoiselle, indeed this chateau does belong to him." "Ah, I thought it was a chateau! and he said he had only a little house, and this one appears to me immense; he must be very rich to have a chateau like this, and Urbain sometimes regretted that he had not a large fortune to share with me." "Perhaps he wished to surprise you, mademoiselle." "That was wrong of him; rich or poor I should love him just as much. Mon Dieu! how large it is, these galleries, these beautiful rooms, we shall be lost here; and how surprised Marguerite will be. Monsieur, are there cows and rabbits here?" "There shall be everything here that you desire, mademoiselle." "Urbain has promised me a beautiful cow, and I should like to milk her and to make butter and cheese, that would be so amusing." Germain turned away to hide his smiles, because the country taste of the young girl appeared very singular to the servant of the great nobleman, but soon he opened a door saying,-- "This is the apartment which they have prepared for you, mademoiselle; if it does not please you, you will choose any other in the chateau and they will hasten to execute your orders." "Oh, I like this above everything," said Blanche, as she entered a richly furnished room, adorned with full-length mirrors, "It is very fine here," said she, examining the hangings, draperies and candelabras which ornamented the apartment. She then passed into a second room, decorated with the same sumptuousness, in which was a bed hung with silk curtains, with silver fringe. "If he were here," said Blanche, sighing, "all this would please me much better. And these windows, what do they look on?"