The Marquise could not help smiling.

"Ah, madame," said Nathan, looking keenly at her, "only women and
prophets know how to turn faith to account.--Du Bruel would have me go
home with him," he continued, "and we went slowly back. It was three
o'clock. Before he appeared, he heard a stir in the kitchen, saw
preparations going forward, and glanced at me as he asked the cook the
reason of this.

"'Madame ordered dinner,' said the woman. 'Madame dressed and ordered
a cab, and then she changed her mind and ordered it again for the
theatre this evening.'

"'Good,' exclaimed du Bruel, 'what did I tell you?'

"We entered the house stealthily. No one was there. We went from room
to room until we reached a little boudoir, and came upon Tullia in
tears. She dried her eyes without affectation, and spoke to du Bruel.

"'Send a note to the _Rocher de Cancale_,' she said, 'and ask your
guests to dine here.'

"She was dressed as only women of the theatre can dress, in a
simply-made gown of some dainty material, neither too costly nor too
common, graceful and harmonious in outline and coloring; there was
nothing conspicuous about her, nothing exaggerated--a word now
dropping out of use, to be replaced by the word 'artistic,' used by
fools as current coin. In short, Tullia looked like a gentlewoman. At
thirty-seven she had reached the prime of a Frenchwoman's beauty. At
this moment the celebrated oval of her face was divinely pale; she