. Does she know - will she
come?«
    Newman was embarrassed. »Yes, by this time she must know.«
    »Didn't you tell her?« Valentin asked. And then, in a moment: »Didn't you
bring me any message from her?« His eyes rested upon Newman's with a certain
soft keenness.
    »I didn't see her after I got your telegram,« said Newman. »I wrote to her.«
    »And she sent you no answer?«
    Newman was obliged to reply that Madame de Cintré had left Paris. »She went
yesterday to Fleurières.«
    »Yesterday - to Fleurières? Why did she go to Fleurières? What day is this?
What day was yesterday? Ah, then I shan't see her,« said Valentin sadly.
»Fleurières is too far!« And then he closed his eyes again. Newman sat silent,
summoning pious invention to his aid, but he was relieved at finding that
Valentin was apparently too weak to reason or to be curious. Bellegarde,
however, presently went on. »And my mother - and my brother - will they come?
Are they at Fleurières?«
    »They were in Paris, but I didn't see them, either,« Newman answered. »If
they received your telegram in time, they will have started this morning.
Otherwise they will be obliged to wait for the night-express, and they will
arrive at the same hour as I did.«
    »They won't thank me - they won't thank me,« Valentin murmured. »They will
pass an atrocious night, and Urbain doesn't like the early morning air. I don't
remember ever in my life to have seen him before noon - before breakfast. No one
ever saw him. We don't know how he is then. Perhaps he's different. Who knows?
Posterity, perhaps, will know. That's the time he works, in his cabinet, at the
history of the Princesses. But I had to send for them - hadn't I? And then I
want to see my mother sit there where you sit, and say good-bye to her. Perhaps,
after all, I don't know her, and she will have some surprise for me. Don't think
you know her yet, yourself; perhaps, she may surprise you. But if I can't see
Claire, I don't care for anything. I have been thinking of
