“Yes. He was so sweet to me. How is he to-day?”
“Tired, very tired. He gave me the papers.”
“The papers referring to the candidatures for the six vacant sees. You are very anxious for Abbé Guitrel to be elected, are you not?”
“My husband is anxious. Your uncle told me that the thing was settled.”
“My uncle; you should not take any notice of what he says—he is a Minister and cannot know. People are always fooling him, and then he often says what he does not mean. Why didn’t you come to me?”
With charming modesty Madame Worms-Clavelin replied in a low voice:
“Well, I do come to you!”
“And you are wise to do so,” replied the secretary-in-chief. “All the more so because the business is not going on as you wish, and it depends upon me whether it proceeds or not. My uncle told you, no doubt, that he was going to present the six applications to the Pope?”
“Yes.”