"So far from that, she herself has made the suggestion."

This time, Maxime raised his head suddenly, and looked stupefied.

"Then your friend must be very rich."

"He is immensely rich."

"He bears a great name, and holds a high position?"

"His name is one of the oldest and noblest in the province of Anjou."

"And he is a very old man?"

"He is sixty-five."

Brevan struck the marble slab of the mantlepiece with his fist so that
it shook, and exclaimed,--

"Ah, she told me she would succeed!"

And then he added in a very low tone of voice, as if speaking to himself
with an indescribable accent of mingled admiration and hatred,--

"What a woman! Oh, what a woman!"

Daniel, who was himself greatly excited, and far too busy with his own
thoughts to observe what was going on, did not notice the excitement of
his friend; he continued quietly,--