"'Our _programme_ shall be the same: breakfast at eleven, a stroll in the garden, embroidery, music, and conversation until seven o'clock, then dinner and afterwards a drive in the Bois de Boulogne in an open carriage if the evening is fine, after which I shall take you home at ten o'clock as I did yesterday. "'Answer me yes or no, but let it be a yes, and you will make very happy your devoted "'FLORENCE.'" "Your devoted Florence," repeated Madame de Luceval; then, with a half smile, she added: "It is certainly cruel in you, Valentine, to dictate such a programme to excite my envy and regret; but the time for reproaches or explanations will come presently. I will have my revenge then. Is that all, my dear Valentine?" "Put my address on the note, seal it, and have it sent to my house at once." Madame de Luceval was about to ring when she paused as if a new thought had suddenly struck her, and she said to her friend, with some slight embarrassment: "Valentine, I do hope you will not take offence at what I am about to say to you." "Go on." "If I am not mistaken, the object of this letter is to make some one suppose that we have spent several days together recently." "Yes, yes, that is it exactly. Well, what of it?" "In that case, I think it advisable to tell you that my husband is unfortunately endowed with such a prodigious amount of energy and activity that, though he is almost always out of the house, he nevertheless finds a way to be almost always in my room; in fact, he rushes in and out about a dozen times a day, so if his testimony should be invoked, he would be sure to say that he had never seen you here." "I foresaw this difficulty, but of two dangers, one must choose the least. Send this letter without delay, I beg of you, by one of your servants; but no, he might talk. You had better entrust it to the post. It will arrive in time, even then." Madame de Luceval rang the bell. A footman answered the summons. His mistress was about to give him the letter, but she changed her mind and asked instead: "Is Baptiste here?" "Yes, madame la marquise." "Send him to me at once." "Why this servant instead of the other, Florence?" inquired Madame d'Infreville. "The other man knows how to read. He is rather inquisitive, too, and he might think it singular that I wrote to you while you were here. The man I sent for cannot read, and is very stupid besides, so there is very little danger to apprehend from him." "You are right, a thousand times right, Florence. In my excitement, I did not think of all this." "Did madame la marquise send for me?" inquired Baptiste, appearing in the doorway. "Do you know the flower girl that has a shop near the Chinese bath-house?" inquired Florence. "Yes, madame la marquise." "Go there at once, and buy me two large bunches of Parma violets." "Yes, madame." The man turned to go.