Mademoiselle de Guerchi had hitherto succeeded in controlling her
indignation, and had tried to force herself to drink the bitter cup of
humiliation to the dregs; but now she could bear it no longer. Having
thrown a look expressive of her suffering at the young chevalier, who
continued to ogle her with great pertinacity, she decided on bursting
into tears, and in a voice broken by sobs she exclaimed that she was
miserable at being treated in this manner, that she did not deserve it,
and that Heaven was punishing her for her error in yielding to the
entreaties of the commander. One would have sworn she was sincere and
that the words came from her heart. If Maitre Quennebert had not
witnessed the scene with Jeannin, if he had not known how frail was the
virtue of the weeping damsel, he might have been affected by her touching
plaint. The chevalier appeared to be deeply moved by Angelique's grief,
and while his, uncle was striding up and down the room and swearing like
a trooper, he gradually approached her and expressed by signs the
compassion he felt.

Meantime the notary was in a strange state of mind. He had not yet made
up his mind whether the whole thing was a joke arranged between de Jars
and Jeannin or not, but of one thing he was quite convinced, the sympathy
which Chevalier de Moranges was expressing by passionate sighs and
glances was the merest hypocrisy. Had he been alone, nothing would have
prevented his dashing head foremost into this imbroglio, in scorn of
consequence, convinced that his appearance would be as terrible in its
effect as the head of Medusa. But the presence of the widow restrained
him. Why ruin his future and dry up the golden spring which had just
begun to gush before his eyes, for the sake of taking part in a
melodrama? Prudence and self-interest kept him in the side scenes.

The tears of the fair one and the glances of the chevalier awoke no