Downstairs the terrible guardian was expressing his opinion to Madame Roulleau; for little Roulleau kept out of the way on these occasions, and madame preferred it, since she was always afraid that his cowardice might betray them. M. Deshoulieres was very grave, very determined: he had left all these minor things to be arranged by Madame Roulleau, he said; but she must quite understand that mademoiselle must have every thing that was right and _convenable_. As he spoke he looked round, and wondered if she were happy there. His own tastes were very plain, but he was not sure whether a young girl would not require something brighter than this barren abode; and madame, who watched him like a cat, read his looks without difficulty, and was very judicious in her answers. She did not say too much, but she implied that mademoiselle preferred the freedom and unconventionality of their family life to permitting changes to be made on her account. "She has had enough of luxury, monsieur," she said. Therese upstairs, shivering and trembling over that convent fancy, did not know how these two were concerned with the web and woof of her life: madame, with her covetous hands turning and twisting it to suit her purpose; Max, with his great tender heart and his quick abrupt ways, wanting to protect the little solitary figure, whose solitariness and helplessness among the crowd the day before had touched him with pity. "Poor child!" he said softly in his heart. He was not quite sure of the value of madame's professions. He made up his mind to question Therese herself at the first opportunity. When he went away it was with the understanding that Therese should take no more solitary walks. Madame would have gladly escaped the concession, but it was not possible; and her busy thoughts went off at once to the question of how the affair could be managed, at least cost; or how it might be balanced by extracting further work from the girl. She went up to her with a gloomy depressed face which terrified Therese when she opened the door. "Is there any news? What has he said?" she asked, quickly. "This all comes from your imprudence in loitering at the market yesterday, mademoiselle. M. Deshoulieres is highly displeased,-- requests that we will provide an attendant for you. An attendant!" repeated madame, with a little hoot of scorn. "When my husband toils and toils, and I pinch and pinch; and then we are reproached because you do not walk about as if you were the daughter of M. le Prefet! I saw beforehand that it would not do. You must seek another domicile, mademoiselle." "You will send me away!" said poor Therese, turning pale. "But where can I go?" Madame threw out her hands. "That is for M. Deshoulieres to decide. There is always the convent. You will be safe enough behind the _grille_," she added, with a mocking laugh.