the delicacy, of course, as he was the constant benefactor.

Among these three households living on the same floor, little Chebe,
with her goings and comings, formed the bond of union.

At all times of day she would slip into the workroom of the Delobelles,
amuse herself by watching their work and looking at all the insects, and,
being already more coquettish than playful, if an insect had lost a wing
in its travels, or a humming-bird its necklace of down, she would try to
make herself a headdress of the remains, to fix that brilliant shaft of
color among the ripples of her silky hair. It made Desiree and her
mother smile to see her stand on tiptoe in front of the old tarnished
mirror, with affected little shrugs and grimaces. Then, when she had had
enough of admiring herself, the child would open the door with all the
strength of her little fingers, and would go demurely, holding her head
perfectly straight for fear of disarranging her headdress, and knock at
the Rislers' door.

No one was there in the daytime but Frantz the student, leaning over his
books, doing his duty faithfully. But when Sidonie enters, farewell to
study! Everything must be put aside to receive that lovely creature with
the humming-bird in her hair, pretending to be a princess who had come to
Chaptal's school to ask his hand in marriage from the director.

It was really a strange sight to see that tall, overgrown boy playing
with that little girl of eight, humoring her caprices, adoring her as he
yielded to her, so that later, when he fell genuinely in love with her,
no one could have said at what time the change began.

Petted as she was in those two homes, little Chebe was very fond of