Nise, although she was becoming more and more disturbed, feeling that she had landed herself in a nasty scrape which might have far-reaching consequences, nevertheless held out against all evidence. 'I assure you, mamma,' said she, in the most artless manner that she could assume, 'one sings things without knowing, just as they come into one's head.' Then Fernande, seeing her repeat her fib with all the demeanour of a genuine _gamine_, suddenly felt enlightened: 'It was Nanet who told you what you sang; it can only have been Nanet.' Nise blinked; it was indeed Nanet who had told her. But she was afraid of being again scolded and punished, as on the day when her mother had caught her returning from La Crêcherie with Paul Boisgelin and Louise Mazelle by climbing over the wall, so she persisted in her falsehood: 'Oh! Nanet, Nanet--but I haven't seen him at all since you forbade it.' Feverishly desirous of ascertaining the truth, her mother suddenly assumed great gentleness of manner. Such was her emotion that she forgot all question of scolding--Nise's escapades with Nanet being of little moment compared with the important matter on which she desired full enlightenment. 'Listen, little girl,' she said, 'it is very wrong to tell falsehoods. That day when I said that you should have no dessert it was because you wanted to make me believe that you and the others had climbed over the wall simply to fetch a ball. Well, to-day, if you tell me the truth, I promise that you shall not be punished. Come, be frank--it was Nanet?' Nise, who at bottom was a good little girl, immediately replied: 'Yes, mamma, it _was_ Nanet.' 'And he told you that Josine's real husband was Monsieur Luc?' 'Yes, mamma.' 'And, pray, what does he know about it? Why does he say that Monsieur Luc is Josine's real husband?' Thereupon Nise became perplexed, and innocently lowered her face over her cup again. 'Oh! he knows--he knows--well, he says he knows it.' Greatly as Fernande desired to obtain precise information on the subject, she felt that she could not put any further questions to her child. And by way of precaution she sought to destroy the effect of the eager curiosity which she had hitherto displayed: 'Nanet knows nothing,' she said; 'he talks foolishly, and you are a little stupid to repeat what he says. Don't go singing such silly things again, or else you shall never have any dessert at all.' Then the meal was finished in silence, the mother absorbed in what she had learnt, and the child well pleased at having escaped so lightly.