After having carefully closed the drawer, she presented the purse to the young man.
"There are there two hundred and fifty onces[1] in gold," said she; "I hope that that sum will suffice; but if it is insufficient, let me know, and I will immediately place a larger sum at your disposal."
"Oh, oh! Madame, I hope not only that it will suffice, but that I shall have to give you back a part of this sum," answered he, respectfully taking the purse, and placing it carefully in his girdle. "I have now a restitution to make you."
"To me, Sir?"
"Yes, Madame," said he, drawing off the ring that he had placed on his little finger, "this ring."
"It is mine, that I wrapped up in the letter," eagerly exclaimed the young girl, with a charming heedlessness.
The young man bowed, quite confounded.
"Keep that ring, Sir," answered the marchioness, smiling, "my daughter would be vexed if you were to return it."
"I will keep it, then," said he, with secret joy, and suddenly changing the conversation; "I will only come once more, ladies," said he, "in order not to arouse suspicion; that will be to tell you when all is ready; only every day, at my usual hour, I will pass before this house. When, in the evening, on my return towards home, you shall see me holding a súchil flower or a white rose in my hand, that will be a sign that our business proceeds well; if; on the contrary, I remove my hat and wipe my forehead, then pray to God, ladies, because new embarrassments will have risen before me. In the last place, if you see me pulling asunder the flower that I hold in my hand, you must hasten your preparations for departure; the very day of my visit we shall quit the town. You will remember all these recommendations?"
"We are too much interested in remembering them," said the marchioness; "never fear, we shall forget nothing."