that she would not dread him. When they asked her, therefore, she
smiled and said very little. What did her aunt think?

Her aunt thought that the marriage should be settled for the
earliest possible day,--though she never quite expressed her
thoughts. Madame Voss, though she did not generally obtain much
credit for clear seeing, had a clearer insight to the state of her
niece's mind than had her husband. She still believed that Marie's
heart was not with Adrian Urmand. But, attributing perhaps no very
great importance to a young girl's heart, and fancying that she knew
that in this instance the young girl's heart could not have its own
way, she was quite in favour of the Urmand marriage. And if they
were to be married, the sooner the better. Of that she had no
doubt. 'It's best to have it over always as soon as possible,' she
said to her husband in private, nodding her head, and looking much
wiser than usual.

'I won't have Marie hurried,' said Michel.

'We had better say some day next month, my dear,' said Madame Voss,
again nodding her head. Michel, struck by the peculiarity of her
voice, looked into her face, and saw the unaccustomed wisdom. He
made no answer, but after a while nodded his head also, and went out
of the room a man convinced. There were matters between women, he
thought, which men can never quite understand. It would be very bad
if there should be any slip here between the cup and the lip; and,
no doubt, his wife was right.

It was Madame Voss at last who settled the day,--the 15th of
October, just four weeks from the present time. This she did in