Djalma, without answering, let his hands fall upon his knees, and turned towards Rodin a countenance still bathed in tears.

“I knew that Mdlle. de Cardoville was charming, and at your age it is so easy to fall in love,” continued Rodin; “I wished to spare you that misfortune, my dear prince, for your beautiful protectress passionately loves a handsome young man of this town.”

Upon these words, Djalma suddenly pressed both hands to his heart, as if he felt a piercing stab, uttered a cry of savage grief, threw back his head, and fell fainting upon the divan.

Rodin looked at him coldly for some seconds, and then said as he went away, brushing his old hat with his elbow,

“Come! it works—­it works!”

CHAPTER XLV.

The consultation.

It is night.  It has just struck nine.  It is the evening of that day on which Mdlle. de Cardoville first found herself in the presence of Djalma.  Florine, pale, agitated, trembling, with a candle in her hand, had just entered a bedroom, plainly but comfortably furnished.  This room was one of the apartments occupied by Mother Bunch, in Adrienne’s house.  They were situated on the ground-floor, and had two entrances.  One opened on the garden, and the other on the court-yard.  From this side came the persons who applied to the workgirl for succor; an ante-chamber in which they waited, a parlor in which they were received, constituted Mother Bunch’s apartments, along with the bedroom, which Florine had just entered, looking about her with an anxious and alarmed air, scarcely touching the carpet with the tips of her satin shoes, holding her breath, and listening at the least noise.

Placing the candle upon the chimney-piece, she took a rapid survey of the chamber, and approached the mahogany desk, surmounted by a well-filled bookcase.  The key had been left in the drawers of this piece of furniture, and they were all three examined by Florine.  They contained different petitions from persons in distress, and various, notes in the girl’s handwriting.  This was not what Florine wanted.  Three cardboard boxes were placed in pigeon-holes beneath the bookcase.  These also were vainly explored, and Florine, with a gesture of vexation, looked and listened anxiously; then, seeing a chest of drawers, she made therein a fresh and useless search.  Near the foot of the bed was a little door, leading to a dressing-room.  Florine entered it, and looked—­at first without success—­into a large wardrobe, in which were suspended several black dresses, recently made for Mother Bunch, by order of Mdlle. de Cardoville.  Perceiving, at the bottom of this wardrobe, half hidden beneath a cloak, a very shabby little trunk, Florine opened it hastily, and found there, carefully folded up, the poor old garments in which the work-girl had been clad when she first entered this opulent mansion.