The cholera soon broke out, startling as a clap of thunder.  Too unhappy to fear the pestilence on her own account, Adrienne was only moved by the sorrows of others.  She was amongst the first to contribute to those charitable donations, which were now flowing in from all sides in the admirable spirit of benevolence.  Florine was suddenly attacked by the epidemic.  In spite of the danger, her mistress insisted on seeing her, and endeavored to revive her failing courage.  Conquered by this new mark of kindness, Florine could no longer conceal the treachery in which she had borne a part.  Death was about to deliver her from the odious tyranny of the people whose yoke weighed upon her, and she was at length in a position to reveal everything to Adrienne.  The latter thus learned how she had been continually betrayed by Florine, and also the cause of the sewing-girl’s abrupt departure.  At these revelations, Adrienne felt her affection and tender pity for the poor sempstress greatly increase.  By her command, the most active steps were taken to discover traces of the hunchback; but Florine’s confession had a still more important result.  Justly alarmed at this new evidence of Rodin’s machinations, Adrienne remembered the projects formed, when, believing herself beloved, the instinct of affection had revealed to her the perils to which Djalma and other members of the Rennepont family were exposed.  To assemble the race around her, and bid them rally against the common enemy, such was Adrienne’s first thought, when she heard the confession of Florine.  She regarded it as a duty to accomplish this project.  In a struggle with such dangerous and powerful adversaries as Rodin, Father d’Aigrigny, and the Princess de Saint-Dizier, and their allies, Adrienne saw not only the praiseworthy and perilous task of unmasking hypocrisy and cupidity, but also, if not a consolation, at least a generous diversion in the midst of terrible sorrows.

From this moment, a restless, feverish activity took the place of the mournful apathy in which the young lady had languished.  She called round her all the members of her family capable of answering the appeal, and, as had been mentioned in the secret note delivered to Father d’Aigrigny, Cardoville House soon became the centre of the most active and unceasing operations, and also a place of meeting, in which the modes of attack and defence were fully discussed.  Perfectly correct in all points, the secret note of which we have spoken stated, as a mere conjecture, that Mdlle. de Cardoville had granted an interview to Djalma.  This fact was untrue, but the cause which led to the supposition will be explained hereafter.  Far from such being the case, Mdlle. de Cardoville scarcely found, in attending to the great family interests now at stake, a momentary diversion from the fatal love, which was slowly undermining her health, and with which she so bitterly reproached herself.

The morning of the day on which Adrienne, at length discovering Mother Bunch’s residence, came so miraculously to rescue her from death, Agricola Baudoin had been to Cardoville House to confer on the subject of Francis Hardy, and had begged Adrienne to permit him to accompany her to the Rue Clovis, whither they repaired in haste.