"It was very simple," explained Maurice. "You stayed too long with your head hanging down during the rehearsal, and as you were tired it made you ill. Albert brought you here and you have been asleep for five hours. Now you are your charming self again. We will leave you so that you can dress, and then if you feel like it we will take you for a drive." "I will be very quick; in ten minutes I will be with you." The young people did not know what to think. It would now be very difficult to suggest that Esperance should withdraw from the fête, as apparently every trace of her indisposition had disappeared. Then Albert spoke: "I am going to ask Esperance to give up appearing at this performance as a favour to me," he said. "I shall contribute largely to the charitable fund, and we can go back to Penhouet." He had hardly finished speaking when Esperance came into the little salon. "Here I am you see and the ten minutes is not yet up!" A discreet tap at the door made them all turn round. The Dowager Duchess appeared. "Ah! my dear child, what a joy to see you so restored." "I must apologize, Madame, for the trouble I gave you. It is all over, all over," she said, shaking her pretty head; "and I am as well as possible." "I am more than delighted," said the Duchess, sitting down. "You have no idea, my dear Albert, of the perfect disaster Esperance's absence would have caused. She is the star of our bill, as they say, and on whom we all rely. You know that my son wants to be elected Deputy, and this fête will secure him the votes of the whole community. More than fifteen hundred people have taken tickets. The local livery stable men count on making a fortune. All the villagers are getting their rooms ready to let. If that adorable child had failed us nothing could have made it up to them, and my son would have been ruined." She rose up. "But," she added, with the sweet smile that won all hearts, "you see me so happy, so reassured, that you must all be joyful with me." The young people led her to the foot of the stair. The carriage was waiting to take them for their drive. The visit from the amiable Duchess rather disconcerted Albert, and Jean, and Maurice and Genevieve. Everything seemed like the warring of an implacable destiny. All four felt absolutely impotent. The drive was stimulating. Esperance drew life at every breath. They could watch the colour coming back into her cheeks. As the carriage came out into a clearing, the Duke de Morlay rode wildly by. His horse was covered with sweat and trembling so that he had some difficulty in mastering it. The Duke inquired for Esperance's health and decided that it must be excellent from her looks. "But my dear Albert," he said, laughing, "you almost knocked me over this morning, however, I do not blame you, I would have done as much myself in your place. However, I must be off, my horse is fagged. I shall see you later." And he was gone. "How pale the Duke looked," exclaimed Esperance.