"Pray excuse me, mademoiselle," he began; "I come to engage you for the first contra-dance that——"
The soft-spoken gentleman stopped abruptly, seeing a young man seated beside Adolphine; he rolled his eyes in the direction of the father, adding:
"Ah! mademoiselle has a visitor; we disturb her."
Monsieur Gerbault was no less surprised than he at finding a man in his daughter's room, and her with her eyes full of tears. But he soon recognized Gustave, who bowed respectfully to him and said:
"Forgive me, monsieur, for presuming to call upon your daughter; but I came to bid her good-bye, and I hoped to have the honor of paying my respects to you as well before leaving the house."
"Ah! is it you, Monsieur Gustave? I thought that you were in Spain?"
"I returned a week ago, monsieur; and to-night I start for Germany."
"Why, what's the matter, Adolphine? you look as if you had been crying. But I cannot conceive what reason you can have to be unhappy."
Monsieur Batonnin thought it advisable to intervene.
"It always saddens one to say good-bye to one's friends," he murmured. "Life is so short! When we part, we are never sure of meeting again."