"And two days later saw the Countess and her daughter in the great big travelling carriage, which had made but few journeys since the good Count's death, on their way to the Chateau de Sarinet. They were accompanied by Nanette and her uncle Ludovic, who had long been a sort of steward in the house, and could not make up his mind to see his lady go to Paris without him. Poor old Francoise would gladly have gone too, but at her age it was out of the question, so she remained, with many tears, at Valmont, where she kept all in the most perfect order, so that, as she used to say, `if my lady comes back at any moment, there will be nothing to do but light the fire.' And on the box, between the rather fat coachman and Ludovic, Pierre Germain managed to squeeze himself in. He had begged hard to accompany them all the way to Sarinet, but the Countess had judged it better not. Her regard for the boy and his parents was very sincere, and it would have pained her for him to have been treated at her brother's house like a common servant-boy, as, indeed, no servant-boy was ever treated at Valmont. So Pierre bade his dear ladies farewell at Machard, a little village where they stopped for the first night, whence he returned by himself to his home, for twenty or thirty miles on foot were nothing to the sturdy boy. "It was a sad farewell--sadder my mother has often told me, than the actual circumstances really warranted, and many times, on looking back to it, she has thought that some foreboding of the terrible events to come must have been on their spirits. "`Good-bye, my faithful little friend,' were the Countess's last words to poor Pierre, as he reverently kissed her hand; `you are the true son of your good father and mother--I can wish no better thing for you, my boy, than that you may grow up to resemble them.' "`My lady,' said Pierre, the tears coursing down his face, `I can never, never thank you for all your goodness to me, but my life--everything I possess--is yours and my little lady's. I would give my life for you if it would do you good.' "And the future showed that his words said no more than the truth. As for Edmee, she was sobbing too much to say farewell to her childhood's friend at all. But the last view he had of her face was drowned in tears--the dear little face that had so seldom been aught but radiant and sunny.