34 THE FLOWERS

not take away my book—my lovely little
book—do not take my poor little book !”

“Dear child,” I replied, “dear child, wipe
away your tears ; to-morrow I will meet you
in the church; you shall confess all to me
about your little book ; and do not fear, you
shall have justice done to you.” And thus
I dismissed the whole party, though I felt
that I had not given satisfaction to either
side by the manner in which I had answered
the appeal. Neither was I mistaken in this
my opinion, for Mademoiselle returned in a
very illbhumour to the house; and though
Aimée and the affair of the book were
spoken of no more that evening, yet the
young ladies began to quarrel with each
other upon these grounds: namely, tha
Mademoiselle Victoire had promised to one
a prince and a coach and six; a duke to
another ; a barouche and a marquis to an-
other; a simple baron to another; a rich
burgher to another; and to a less favoured
one a mere roturier. As I had suspected,
and I afterwards learned, Mademoiselle had
been telling her pupils their fortunes, or
rather, had taken this way of giving them