"Enough, I understand," said Madame Lefrette; and, rising, she approached her daughter, who had paused suddenly, in surprise at seeing him already present. Her mother took her hand, and placed it in his.
"This is her answer," she said, and glided from the room, leaving the pair, with joined hands, gazing bewildered into each other's eyes. De Cheville was the first to recover himself; with a sudden and passionate gesture, he caught her to his bosom. Madame Lefrette closed the door.
To her infinite surprise, almost at the threshold, she met Monsieur Le Vert and Mr. Beman! To the latter she gave her hand; to the former, a salutation as stately, though not so eager, as his own.
"Walk into this room, gentlemen," said she, leading them away from the parlor, which she deemed already sufficiently tenanted.
"I have called to-day," M. Le Vert commenced, as soon as they were seated, "to correct a mistake into which I unfortunately fell yesterday; and I do so at the request of Napoleon, who is very much distressed———"
"Indeed!" said Madame Lefrette, in surprise.
"He is, indeed, Madame: Mr. Beman will confirm it."
"I believe what he says is quite true," said that gentleman, with, however, an equivocal smile.
"I asked him to accompany me," continued Le Vert, "in order to avouch the distress of my son———"
"And to be a witness of your conversation," interpolated Beman.
"And—yes—to hear me acknowledge how much mistaken I have been," the anxious father continued, "and to propose, for the happiness of my son, and, I trust, of your daughter, that the engagement between them may be reinstated on its former footing. Napoleon would have come in person; but he insisted that I should first undo the evil I alone had done."
"Is there any thing behind all this, Mr. Beman?" asked the widow, appealing to him as if at a loss what to say.
"Only half-a-million of dollars," drily answered the lawyer.
"Villain!" exclaimed Le Vert, springing to his feet as if to strike him.
