“You will have the first vacant appointment as assistant judge at Paris, you are serving the King himself in this affair; I have proof of it; you will not be forgotten,” she said, lowering her voice in his ear.  “This young man that you see here is the Duchesse de Maufrigneuse; you must never have seen her, and do all that you can for the young Count boldly.”

“Gentlemen,” said Camusot, “even if the preliminary examination is conducted to prove the young Count’s innocence, can I answer for the view the court may take?  M. Chesnel, and you also, my sweet, know what M. le President wants.”

“Tut, tut, tut!” said Mme. Camusot, “go yourself to M. Michu this morning, and tell him that the Count has been arrested; you will be two against two in that case, I will be bound. Michu comes from Paris, and you know he is devoted to the noblesse.  Good blood cannot lie.”

At that very moment Mlle. Cadot’s voice was heard in the doorway.  She had brought a note, and was waiting for an answer.  Camusot went out, and came back again to read the note aloud: 

“M. le Vice-President begs M. Camusot to sit in audience to-day and for the next few days, so that there may be a quorum during M. le President’s absence.”

“Then there is an end of the preliminary examination!” cried Mme. Camusot.  “Did I not tell you, dear, that they would play you some ugly trick?  The President has gone off to slander you to the public prosecutor and the President of the Court-Royal.  You will be changed before you can make the examination.  Is that clear?”

“You will stay, monsieur,” said the Duchess.  “The public prosecutor is coming, I hope, in time.”

“When the public prosecutor arrives,” little Mme. Camusot said, with some heat, “he must find all over.—­Yes, my dear, yes,” she added, looking full at her amazed husband.—­“Ah! old hypocrite of a President, you are setting your wits against us; you shall remember it!  You have a mind to help us to a dish of your own making, you shall have two served up to you by your humble servant Cecile Amelie Thirion!—­Poor old Blondet!  It is lucky for him that the President has taken this journey to turn us out, for now that great oaf of a Joseph Blondet will marry Mlle. Blandureau.  I will let Father Blondet have some seeds in return.—­As for you, Camusot, go to M. Michu’s, while Mme. la Duchesse and I will go to find old Blondet.  You must expect to hear it said all over the town to-morrow that I took a walk with a lover this morning.”

Mme. Camusot took the Duchess’ arm, and they went through the town by deserted streets to avoid any unpleasant adventure on the way to the old Vice-President’s house.  Chesnel meanwhile conferred with the young Count in prison; Camusot had arranged a stolen interview.  Cook-maids, servants, and the other early risers of a country town, seeing Mme. Camusot and the Duchess taking their way through the back streets, took the young gentleman for an adorer from Paris.  That evening, as Cecile Amelie had said, the news of her behavior was circulated about the town, and more than one scandalous rumor was occasioned thereby.  Mme. Camusot and her supposed lover found old Blondet in his greenhouse.  He greeted his colleague’s wife and her companion, and gave the charming young man a keen, uneasy glance.