It was hardly an hour after Joseph and I had begun preparing for my
departure, when there was a violent ring at the door.
"Shall I go to the door?" said Joseph.
"Go," I said, asking myself who it could be at such an hour, and not
daring to believe that it was Marguerite.
"Sir," said Joseph coming back to me, "it is two ladies."
"It is we, Armand," cried a voice that I recognised as that of Prudence.
I came out of my room. Prudence was standing looking around the place;
Marguerite, seated on the sofa, was meditating. I went to her, knelt
down, took her two hands, and, deeply moved, said to her, "Pardon."
She kissed me on the forehead, and said: "This is the third time that I have forgiven you."
"I should have gone away to-morrow."
"How can my visit change your plans? I have not come to hinder you from
leaving Paris. I have come because I had no time to answer you during
the day, and I did not wish to let you think that I was angry with you.
Prudence didn't want me to come; she said that I might be in the way."
"You in the way, Marguerite! But how?"
"Well, you might have had a woman here," said Prudence, "and it would
hardly have been amusing for her to see two more arrive."
During this remark Marguerite looked at me attentively.
"My dear Prudence," I answered, "you do not know what you are saying."
"What a nice place you've got!" Prudence went on. "May we see the
bedroom?"
"Yes."
Prudence went into the bedroom, not so much to see it as to make up for
the foolish thing which she had just said, and to leave Marguerite and
me alone.
"Why did you bring Prudence?" I asked her.
"Because she was at the theatre with me, and because when I leave here I
want to have some one to see me home."
"Could not I do?"
"Yes, but, besides not wishing to put you out, I was sure that if you
came as far as my door you would want to come up, and as I could not let
you, I did not wish to let you go away blaming me for saying 'No.'"
"And why could you not let me come up?"
"Because I am watched, and the least suspicion might do me the greatest
harm."