“You are very kind, Madame la comtesse. Excuse me for leaving you a little abruptly. Now that we have come to an arrangement, I shall be able to get to Narbonne this very evening; the archbishop is expecting me there impatiently. Good-bye!”
He took both the Countess’s hands in his and, with his head thrown back, looked at her fixedly:
“Good-bye, Countess de Saint-Prix!” Then, with a finger on his lips:
“Remember that a word of yours may ruin everything.”
He had no sooner left the house than the Countess flew to the bell-pull.
“Amélie, tell Pierre that I shall want the barouche directly after lunch to drive into Pau. Oh, and wait a minute!... Tell Germain to get his bicycle at once and take a note to Madame Fleurissoire. I’ll write it now.”
And leaning on the bureau which she had not shut, she wrote as follows:
“Dear Madame Fleurissoire,
“I shall be coming to see you this afternoon. Please expect me at about two o’clock. I have something of the greatest importance to tell you. Will you arrange for us to be alone?”
She signed the note, then sealed the envelope and handed it to Amélie.