Madame de Camps, who had never yet seen the new deputy, now gave her closest attention to a study of him.

Sallenauve explained his visit by his great desire to know how matters had gone at Ville d’Avray, and whether Marie-Gaston had been deeply affected by his return there.  As for the business which detained him in Paris, he said he had so far met with no success.  He had seen the prefect of police, who had given him a letter to Monsieur de Saint-Esteve, the chief of the detective police.  Aware of the antecedents of that man, Monsieur de Sallenauve expressed himself as much surprised to find a functionary with extremely good manners and bearing; but he held out faint hope of success.  “A woman hiding in Paris,” he said, “is an eel in its safest hole.”  He (Sallenauve) should continue the search the next day with the help of Jacques Bricheteau; but if nothing came of it, he should go in the evening to Ville d’Avray, for he did not, he said, share Madame de l’Estorade’s security as to Gaston’s state of mind.

As he was taking leave, Madame de l’Estorade said to him,—­

“Do not forget Nais’ ball which takes place the day after to-morrow.  You will affront her mortally if you fail to be present.  Try to bring Monsieur Gaston with you.  It might divert his mind a little.”

V

CHILDREN

On his return from the theatre Monsieur Octave de Camps declared that it would be long before they caught him at a fairy piece again.  But Nais, on the contrary, still under the spell of its marvels gave a lively recital of the scene, which showed how much her imagination was capable of being stirred.

As Madame de Camps and her husband walked away together, the former remarked,—­

“That child is really very disquieting.  Madame de l’Estorade develops her too much; I should not be surprised if she gave her a great deal of trouble in future years.”

It would be difficult to mark the precise moment in our contemporary habits and customs when a new species of religion, which might be called child-idolatry, appeared.  Nor shall we find it easier to discover by what species of influence this worship has reached its present enormous development among us.  But, although unexplained, the fact exists and ought to be recorded by every faithful historian of the great and the little movements of society.  In the family of to-day children have taken the place of the household gods of the ancients, and whoever does not share this worship is not a morose and sour spirit, nor a captious and annoying reasoner,—­he is simply an atheist.

Try to amuse one of these beloved adored ones, all puffed up, as they naturally are, by a sense of their importance, with dolls and toys and Punch-and-Judys, as in the days of our unsophisticated innocence!  Nonsense!  Boys must have ponies and cigarettes, and the reading of novelettes; and girls, the delight of playing hostess, giving afternoon dances, and evening parties at which the real Guignol of the Champs Elysees and Robert Houdin appear,—­the entertainment being announced on the invitation cards.  Sometimes, as now in the case of Nais de l’Estorade, these little sovereigns obtain permission to give a ball in grown-up style,—­so much so, that policemen are stationed about the doors, and Delisle, Nattier, and Prevost provide the toilets and the decorations.