"Maurice d'Esparvieu," continued the sweet voice, "He whom you adore as your Creator has stationed by the side of each of the faithful a good angel, whose mission it is to counsel and protect him; it is the invariable opinion of the Fathers, it is founded on many passages in the Bible, the Church admits it unanimously, without, however, pronouncing anathema upon those who hold a contrary opinion. You see before you one of these angels, yours, Maurice. I was commanded to watch over your innocence and to guard your chastity." "That may be," said Maurice; "but you are certainly no gentleman. A gentleman would not permit himself to enter a room at such a moment. To be plain, what the deuce are you doing here?" "I have assumed this appearance, Maurice, because, having henceforth to move among mankind, I have to make myself like them. The celestial spirits possess the power of assuming a form which renders them apparent to the eye and to the touch. This shape is real, because it is apparent, and all the realities in the world are but appearances." Gilberte, pacified at length, was arranging her hair on her forehead. The Angel pursued: "The celestial spirits adopt, according to their fancy, one sex or the other, or both at once. But they cannot disguise themselves at any moment, according to their caprice or fantasy. Their metamorphoses are subject to constant laws, which you would not understand. Thus I have neither desire nor power to transform myself under your eyes, for your amusement or my own, into a lion, a tiger, a fly, or into a sycamore-shaving like the young Egyptian whose story was found in a tomb. I cannot change myself into an ass as did Lucius with the pomade of the youthful Photis. For in my wisdom I had fixed beforehand the hour of my apparition to mankind, nothing could hasten or delay it." Impatient for enlightenment, Maurice asked for the second time: "Still, what are you up to here?" Joining her voice to his, Madame des Aubels asked: "Yes, indeed, what are you doing here?" The Angel replied: "Man, lend your ear. Woman, hear my voice. I am about to reveal to you a secret on which hangs the fate of the Universe. In rebellion against Him whom you hold to be the Creator of all things visible and invisible, I am preparing the Revolt of the Angels." "Do not jest," said Maurice, who had faith and did not allow holy things to be played with. But the Angel answered reproachfully: "What makes you think, Maurice, that I am frivolous and given to vain words?" "Come, come," said Maurice, shrugging his shoulders. "You are not going to revolt against----" He pointed to the ceiling--not daring to finish. But the Angel continued: "Do you not know that the sons of God have already revolted and that a great battle took place in the heavens?" "That was a long time ago," said Maurice, putting on his socks. Then the Angel replied: