"But our daughter; we are forgetting the dear little thing. What will become of her?"
"The prince will believe that Tekla is his daughter. There will be no question about her between him and me."
"If he should doubt it?"
"It is impossible he should. At any rate, we shall see. Meanwhile say nothing of what is happening to your mother, your sister, or anybody. It will be time enough to tell them when we know ourselves what the result is. As soon as the prince has left me, I will send for you. Come at once. And now, good-bye until to-morrow. It will be our last farewell, this; I hope it will be our last."
Then having sealed the amorous words with a last kiss, she left him at the door of her room.
Within it, she went to bed, far more to think of the man she loved than of the meeting with her husband with which she was threatened.
CHAPTER VIII.
THE REVENGE OF AN HONORABLE MAN.
Next morning at eleven o'clock, with military punctuality, Pierre Olsdorf was at his wife's home.
She awaited him in the little room where on the previous night she had tried to put some courage into Paul Meyrin.
Lise Olsdorf was calm in appearance, so that her husband could not read in her face the terror which the unlooked-for arrival of her legal judge had caused her. Her paleness could scarcely be seen under the rice powder; her large eyes were only faintly ringed with blue through sleeplessness.