"I will put it away in my little jewel box. How do you suppose that I can lose it?" "But you--you won't read it, either, will you? For, if I deprive myself of that happiness, it would not be fair for another to enjoy it in my place!" "Dear Bathilde! this letter, which is so priceless in your eyes, is of no value at all to another woman.--Never fear, I will not touch it.--Now I must leave you, I must go home.--You will surely do as I have told you. And first of all, my dear, to begin with, you will leave this room?" "Yes." "And you will not come here again--for ten days?" "You said a week!" "Well, so long as Comte Léodgard continues to walk this street." "I will not come here." "And your mother--will she not return soon?" "I think not. It seems that she is having litigation about her inheritance there in Normandie, where she is; for our kinswoman is dead; but our mother has all the right on her side, so she is not alarmed." "Litigation--in Normandie! That will take some time!" muttered Ambroisine, shaking her head. Then she kissed her young friend again. "Adieu! I will come to see you as soon as possible. Courage, my poor Bathilde! Your heart is heavy at this moment; but that will pass away. And then, you see, when one is doing one's duty, it gives one strength to endure sorrow." "Adieu, Ambroisine! I will try to be brave. But take good care of my letter; don't lose it on your way home. I shall never be consoled if you lose it!" "Never fear, I am no child. Au revoir!" Ambroisine ran down the staircase; and Bathilde followed her to the foot, whispering to her: "Remember that you are to give it back to me!" XXII THE BALCONY Bathilde having followed her friend's advice to the letter, Léodgard walked Rue Dauphine in vain on the evening of his meeting with the Sire de Jarnonville. And as Léodgard was very much in love, as he flattered himself that he would win a facile triumph over Landry's daughter, he remained until midnight in front of the barber's house; but the balcony was deserted, the window dark; the girl did not appear. Thereupon vexation and wrath took possession of our lover. Accustomed as he was to defy and surmount all obstacles, his desires were sharpened by the disdain with which he was treated. He was especially enraged because his note, instead of completing his conquest of Bathilde, had produced just the contrary effect. He struck the ground impatiently with his spurs and measured with his eye the height of the balcony. If some friend had been there to lend him his shoulders, he would already have tried to scale it. But, instead of a friend, Léodgard spied a patrol coming down the street; and as he was not anxious to fight a patrol single-handed, he decided to decamp. But as he walked away, he said to himself, looking back at the balcony: