"Thank you, madame," replied Mariette, "I am very careless, indeed."
"You must be more careful, my dear," returned the woman warningly.
"Heavens! how pale you are—are you ill?"
"I feel a little faint, madame," said the girl, feeling a painful dizziness come over her, "but it will pass away."
"Lean on me, then. You are, no doubt, just recovering from a serious illness?"
"Yes—that's it, madame," responded Mariette, passing her hand over her brow, "but where am I?"
"At the Pont au Change—Are you a stranger in Paris?" asked the woman, curiously.
"No, madame; but I was overcome with a strange feeling of dizziness a few moments ago. It is passing over now, and I recognize the surroundings."
"You had better take my arm, you are trembling so," suggested the kind-hearted woman.
"Thank you, madame; it's not necessary, I live only a few steps from here."
"Well, good-bye, and be very cautious."