both families?"

The time that Paul took to reply to this question was occupied by
Madame Evangelista in asking herself, "What is he thinking of?" for
women possess in an eminent degree the art of reading thoughts from
the play of countenance. She divined the instigations of the
great-aunt in the embarrassed glance and the agitated tone of voice
which betrayed an inward struggle in Paul's mind.

"At last," she thought to herself, "the fatal day has come; the crisis
begins--how will it end? My notary is Monsieur Solonet," she said,
after a pause. "Yours, I think you said, is Monsieur Mathias; I will
invite them to dinner to-morrow, and they can come to an understanding
then. It is their business to conciliate our interests without our
interference; just as good cooks are expected to furnish good food
without instructions."

"Yes, you are right," said Paul, letting a faint sigh of relief escape
from him.

By a singular transposition of parts, Paul, innocent of all
wrong-doing, trembled, while Madame Evangelista, though a prey to
the utmost anxiety, was outwardly calm.

The widow owed her daughter one-third of the fortune left by Monsieur
Evangelista,--namely, nearly twelve hundred thousand francs,--and she
knew herself unable to pay it, even by taking the whole of her
property to do so. She would therefore be placed at the mercy of a
son-in-law. Though she might be able to control Paul if left to
himself, would he, when enlightened by his notary, agree to release