"Not much, monsieur," responded that damsel. "Have you seen him,—have you seen Lerouge lately?"
"No,—no," said he.
"From what I learn," remarked Mlle. Fouchette, with a precision and nonchalance that defied suspicion, "Monsieur Lerouge is probably off in some sweet solitude unknown to vulgar eye enjoying his honeymoon."
Madeleine shot one furious glance at the speaker; but not daring to trust her tongue, she suddenly excused herself and disappeared in the throng.
Jean saw that she had been cut to the quick, and her abrupt action served for the moment to dull the pain at his own heart. He concealed his resentment at this malicious—but, after all, this "child of the police" could not know. He shifted the talk to Madeleine.
"You seem to have offended her, mademoiselle."
"Bah! Madeleine is that jealous——"
"What? Lerouge?"
"Of Lerouge. Can't you see?"
"No,—that is, I didn't know that she had anything in common with Lerouge."