"Mon Dieu!" said the kind marquise, "I have no fault to find with you. I
have been able to appreciate with my own eyes, during the past few days,
your conduct and her own. But all this is very disagreeable. That child
has just thrown herself in my arms weeping terribly. She says you have
treated her like a creature--"

I protested: "I have repeated to you, word for word, madam, what passed
between us."

"It was not your words, it was your expression, your tone. Monsieur
George, let me speak frankly with you: are you afraid of falling in love
with Madame de Palme?"

"Not in the least, madam."

"Are you anxious that she should fall in love with you?"

"Neither, I assure you."

"Well, then, do me a favor; lay aside your pride for one day, and escort
Madame de Palme to the hunt."

"Madam!"

"The advice may seem singular to you. But rest assured that I do not offer
it without mature reflection. The repulsion which you manifest for Madame
de Palme is precisely what attracts toward you that imperious and spoilt
child. She becomes irritated and obstinate in presence of a resistance to
which she has not been accustomed. Be meek enough to yield to her fancy.
Do that for me."