chamber.

Again we will pass over what took place between the mother and the
son; but late in that evening, after the guests had gone to bed,
Marie received a message, desiring her to wait on Madame Bauche in a
small salon which looked out from one end of the house. It was
intended as a private sitting-room should any special stranger arrive
who required such accommodation, and therefore was but seldom used.
Here she found La Mere Bauche sitting in an arm-chair behind a small
table on which stood two candles; and on a sofa against the wall sat
Adolphe. The capitaine was not in the room.

"Shut the door, Marie, and come in and sit down," said Madame Bauche.
It was easy to understand from the tone of her voice that she was
angry and stern, in an unbending mood, and resolved to carry out to
the very letter all the threats conveyed by those terrible
spectacles.

Marie did as she was bid. She closed the door and sat down on the
chair that was nearest to her.

"Marie," said La Mere Bauche--and the voice sounded fierce in the
poor girl's ears, and an angry fire glimmered through the green
glasses--"what is all this about that I hear? Do you dare to say
that you hold my son bound to marry you?" And then the august mother
paused for an answer.

But Marie had no answer to give. See looked suppliantly towards her
lover, as though beseeching him to carry on the fight for her. But
if she could not do battle for herself, certainly he could not do it