"But, monsieur, you must know where this man lives. He had the bearing of a great nobleman. You can recover our dear child."
"I have very little hope of it. This wretch assumed a brilliant costume in the hope of seducing Blanche, but he is a schemer without name, without a roof, without position."
"A schemer," said Marguerite, looking at her master in astonishment; "but, monsieur, it seemed to me that he was the same friend that you were waiting for so late some time ago."
The barber was for an instant rendered uneasy by Marguerite's remark, but soon recovering himself, he resumed,—
"You are mistaken, it was not he; I forbid you to speak to anybody of that again."
"And Urbain, monsieur,—that poor Urbain—when he comes here this evening—"
"Urbain will unite his efforts with mine to recover her whom he was about to marry."
The barber went out and Marguerite then gave free course to her tears. The good woman loved Blanche with a mother's tenderness. She could not bear to be deprived of her presence, and impatiently awaited Urbain's arrival; for it seemed to her that he would know better than anybody else how to discover and restore her lost darling.
Touquet was absent during a large part of the day. On his return, Marguerite inquired as to the success of his search, but he answered her coldly,—
"I have no hope of finding her." These words chilled the poor old woman's heart; she could not understand how anyone could be consoled at the loss of Blanche.