Gerald bowed respectfully, and Berthe, his pretty sister, whispered delightedly to her mother:
"Mlle. Herminie's sentiments certainly harmonise with her charming and noble face, do they not, mamma?"
"Certainly, oh, certainly," replied Madame de Senneterre, absently; for she was saying to herself all the while: "By this delicacy of feeling, my daughter-in-law, little suspecting that the marquis intends to make her so rich, has virtually settled all her property upon herself, entirely independent of my son; but she loves him so much that, when she finds that she is rich, she is sure to change this state of affairs."
The notary continued: "'It is also hereby agreed that any male offspring that may result from this marriage shall add to their name of Senneterre that of Haut-Martel. This clause has been consented to by the parties aforesaid, at the request of Louis Auguste, Marquis de Maillefort, Prince Duc de Haut-Martel.'"
Herminie having made a slight movement as if of surprise, the hunchback said to her, glancing at Gerald:
"My dear child, this is a slight concession to ancestral pride, to which Gerald has given his consent, certain that you would have no objection to seeing your son bear, in addition to his own illustrious name, the name of a man who regards you and loves you as his own daughter."
A look of respectful tenderness and gratitude from Herminie was sufficient answer, and the hunchback, turning to the notary, said:
"That is the concluding clause of the contract, is it not?"
"Yes, M. le marquis."
"Then we can now proceed with the reading of Mlle. Ernestine's contract, can we not," asked the hunchback, "and sign both contracts at the same time, afterwards."