Lucan took the path that led most directly to the chateau.  She followed him with nimble step, at times humming a cavatina, at others addressing him fresh instructions as to the manner of holding her bouquet, or touching him lightly with the end of her cane, to make him admire some birds perched upon a branch.

Clotilde and Monsieur de Moras were waiting for them, seated upon a bench outside the gate of the chateau.  The anxiety depicted upon their countenances vanished at the sound of Julia’s laughing voice.

As soon as she saw them, she snatched the bouquet from Lucan’s hands, ran toward Clotilde, and throwing on her lap her fragrant harvest: 

“Mother,” she said, “we have had a delightful walk—­I had a great deal of fun; Monsieur de Lucan also, and what’s more, he has improved very much by my conversation, I opened up new horizons to him!”

She described with her hand a great curve in the air, to indicate the immensity of the horizons she had opened up to Monsieur de Lucan.  Then, drawing her mother toward the dining-room, and snuffing the air with apparent relish: 

“Oh! that kitchen of my mother’s!” she said.  “What an aroma!”

This charming humor, which was a source of great rejoicing to all the guests of the chateau, never flagged during that entire day, and, most unexpected of all, it continued during the next and the following days without perceptible change.  If Julia did still nurture any remnants of her moody cares, she had at least the kindness of keeping them to herself, and to suffer alone.  More than once, still, she was seen returning from her solitary excursions with gloomy eye and clouded brow; but she shook off these equivocal dispositions as soon as she found herself again in the family circle, and was all amiability.

Toward Monsieur de Lucan particularly she showed herself most agreeable; feeling, probably, that she had many amends to make in that direction.  She went so far as to take up a great deal of his time without much discretion, and to call him a little too often in requisition for walks or rides, for tapestry drawings, for playing duets with her, sometimes for nothing, simply to disturb him, standing in front of his windows, and asking him, in the midst of his reading, all sorts of burlesque questions.  All this was charming; Monsieur de Lucan lent himself to it with the utmost good nature, and did not surely deserve great credit for doing so.

About this time, the Baroness de Pers came to spend three days with her daughter.  She was at once advised, with full particulars, of the miraculous change that had taken place in Julia’s character, and of her behavior toward her step-father.  On witnessing the gracious attentions which she lavished upon Monsieur de Lucan, Madame de Pers manifested the liveliest satisfaction, in the midst of which, however, could be seen at times some slight traces of her former prejudices against her grand-daughter.