"Will it please you, my lady, to see Madame Ashton and my young lady?"
Madame d'Harville made an affirmative gesture of assent, and a little girl slowly entered the room.
The child was about four years old, and her countenance would have been a very charming one but for its sickly pallor and extreme meagreness. Madame Ashton, the governess, held her by the hand, but, directly Claire (that was the name of the little girl) saw her mother, she opened her arms, and, spite of her feebleness, ran towards her. Her light brown hair was plaited, and tied at each side of her forehead with bows of cherry-coloured riband. Her health was so delicate that she wore a wrapping-dress of dark brown silk instead of one of those pretty little white muslin frocks trimmed with ribands of a similar colour as those in the hair, and well cut over the bosom to show the plump, pinky arms, and smooth, fair shoulders, so lovely in healthy children. So sunken were the cheeks of poor Claire that her large dark eyes looked quite enormous. But, spite of every appearance of weakness, a sweet and gentle smile lit up her small features when she was placed on the lap of her mother, whom she kissed and embraced with intense yet mournful affection.
"How has she been of late, Madame Ashton?" inquired Madame d'Harville of the governess.
"Tolerably well, madame; although at one time I feared."
"Again!" cried Clémence, pressing her daughter to her heart with a movement of involuntary horror.
"Fortunately, madame, I was mistaken," said the governess, "and the whole passed away without any further alarm; Mademoiselle Claire became composed, and merely suffered from a momentary feeling of weakness. She has not slept much this afternoon, but I could not coax her to bed without allowing her the pleasure of paying a visit to you."
"Dear little angel!" cried Madame d'Harville, covering her daughter with kisses.
The interesting child repaid her mother's caresses with infantine delight, when the groom of the chambers entered and announced:
"His royal highness the Grand Duke of Gerolstein."