第187章

Mrs.Grivois guessed her embarrassment, made a sign to her to be at her ease, and said to Rose, whilst Frances was reading the letter of her confessor: "How happy your relation will be to see you, my dear young lady!'

"Our relation, madame?" said Rose, more and more astonished.

"Certainly.She knew of your arrival here, but, as she is still suffering from the effects of a long illness, she was not able to come herself to-day, and has sent me to fetch you to her.Unfortunately,"

added Mrs.Grivois, perceiving a movement of uneasiness on the part of the two sisters, "it will not be in her power, as she tells Mrs.Baudoin in her letter, to see you for more than a very short time--so you may be back here in about an hour.But to-morrow or the next day after, she will be well enough to leave home, and then she will come and make arrangements with Mrs.Baudoin and her husband, to take you into her house--for she could not bear to leave you at the charge of the worthy people who have been so kind to you."

These last words of Mrs.Grivois made a favorable impression upon the two sisters, and banished their fears of becoming a heavy burden to Dagobert's family.If it had been proposed to them to quit altogether the house in the Rue Bris-Miche, without first asking the consent of their old friend, they would certainly have hesitated; but Mrs.Grivois had only spoken of an hour's visit.They felt no suspicion, therefore, and Rose said to Frances: "We may go and see our relation, I suppose, madame, without waiting for Dagobert's return?"

"Certainly " said Frances, in a feeble voice, "since you are to be back almost directly."

"Then, madame, I would beg these dear young ladies to come with me as soon as possible, as I should like to bring them back before noon.

"We are ready, madame," said Rose.

"Well then, young ladies, embrace your second mother, and come," said Mrs.Grivois, who was hardly able to control her uneasiness, for she trembled lest Dagobert should return from one moment to the other.

Rose and Blanche embraced Frances, who, clasping in her arms the two charming and innocent creatures that she was about to deliver up, could with difficulty restrain her tears, though she was fully convinced that she was acting for their salvation.

"Come, young ladies," said Mrs.Grivois, in the most affable tone, "let us make haste--you will excuse my impatience, I am sure--but it is in the name of your relation that I speak."

Having once more tenderly kissed the wife of Dagobert, the sisters quitted the room hand in hand, and descended the staircase close behind Mrs.Grivois, followed (without their being aware of it), by Spoil-sport.

The intelligent animal cautiously watched their movements, for, in the absence of his master, he never let them out of his sight.

For greater security, no doubt, the waiting-woman of Madame de Saint-

Dizier had ordered the hackney-coach to wait for her at a little distance from the Rue Brise-Miche, in the cloister square.In a few seconds, the orphans and their conductress reached the carriage.

"Oh, missus!" said the coachman, opening the door; "no offence, I hope--

but you have the most ill-tempered rascal of a dog! Since you put him into my coach, he has never ceased howling like a roasted cat, and looks as if he would eat us all up alive!" In fact, My Lord, who detested solitude, was yelling in the most deplorable manner.

"Be quiet, My Lord! here I am," said Mrs.Grivois; then addressing the two sisters, she added: "Pray, get in, my dear young ladies."

Rose and Blanche got into the coach.Before she followed them, Mrs.

Grivois was giving to the coachman in a low voice the direction to St.

Mary's Convent, and was adding other instructions, when suddenly the pug-

dog, who had growled savagely when the sisters took their seats in the coach, began to bark with fury.The cause of this anger was clear enough; Spoil-sport, until now unperceived, had with one bound entered the carriage.

The pug, exasperated by this boldness, forgetting his ordinary prudence, and excited to the utmost by rage and ugliness of temper, sprang at his muzzle, and bit him so cruelly, that, in his turn, the brave Siberian dog, maddened by the pain, threw himself upon the teaser, seized him by the throat, and fairly strangled him with two grips of his powerful jaws-

-as appeared by one stifled groan of the pug, previously half suffocated with fat.

All this took place in less time than is occupied by the description.

Rose and Blanche had hardly opportunity to exclaim twice: "Here, Spoil-

sport! down!"

"Oh, good gracious!" said Mrs.Grivois, turning round at the noise.

"There again is that monster of a dog--he will certainly hurt my love.

Send him away, young ladies--make him get down--it is impossible to take him with us."

Ignorant of the degree of Spoil-sport's criminality, for his paltry foe was stretched lifeless under a seat, the young girls yet felt that it would be improper to take the dog with them, and they therefore said to him in an angry tone, at the same time slightly touching him with their feet: "Get down, Spoil-sport! go away!"

The faithful animal hesitated at first to obey this order.Sad and supplicatingly looked he at the orphans, and with an air of mild reproach, as if blaming them for sending away their only defender.

But, upon the stern repetition of the command, he got down from the coach, with his tail between his legs, feeling perhaps that he had been somewhat over-hasty with regard to the pug.

Mrs.Grivois, who was in a great hurry to leave that quarter of the town, seated herself with precipitation in the carriage; the coachman closed the door, and mounted his box; and then the coach started at a rapid rate, whilst Mrs.Grivois prudently let down the blinds, for fear of meeting Dagobert by the way.