explicit, to that gay and thoughtless throng of idlers, solely taken up
by their pleasure.

The servants made fun of her. One day the Prince's valet, who thought
himself a clever fellow, said before all the other servants that Mother
Damper had arrived. Of course they all roared with laughter and
exclaimed:

"Bother the old woman! Why does she come and worry us? She had far
better stop in the office and earn money; that's all she's good for!"

The disdain which the servants learned from their master grew rapidly.
So much so that one Monday morning, toward nine o'clock, Madame
Desvarennes came down to the courtyard, expecting to find the carriage
which generally took her to the station. It was the second coachman's
duty to drive her, and she did not see him. Thinking that he was a
little late, she walked to the stable-yard. There, instead of the
victoria which usually took her, she saw a large mail-coach to which two
grooms were harnessing the Prince's four bays. The head coachman, an
Englishman, dressed like a gentleman, with a stand-up collar, and a rose
in his buttonhole, stood watching the operations with an air of
importance.

Madame Desvarennes went straight to him. He had seen her coming, out of
the, corner of his eye, without disturbing himself.

"How is it that the carriage is not ready to take me to the station?"
asked the mistress.

"I don't know, Madame," answered this personage, condescendingly, without