"Yes, Madeleine, any gentleman."
Madeleine grew thoughtful.
"She often speaks of Monsieur Berthier, who is going to marry her mother. She says he's very kind to her sisters."
"And is that all, Madeleine? Doesn't she speak of any one else? Doesn't she ever speak of—of me?"
"Oh, yes, Monsieur Jules, she thinks you've been very good to her and her mother. She often speaks of that."
This was all the information that Jules could extract from Madeleine. On several occasions he tried her again, but though she seemed amused by his questions, she evaded them. Once he said to her:
"Madeleine, how would you like to go away with me—to travel—a long distance?"
Madeleine carefully considered the question. Then she replied simply:
"I should not like to leave Paris, Monsieur Jules, but, if you wanted me to go, I would go."
After that, Madeleine was less worried. She had little to say, and, like most silent people, she observed and thought a great deal. For Mademoiselle Blanche she had conceived a genuine affection, and she looked forward with regret to the time when she would have to leave the rue St. Honoré for Jules' lonely apartment.