"Marshal Simon!" said Adrienne, quickly, with an expression of much surprise.
"Do you know the marshal, madame?"
"I do not personally know him, but he married a lady of our family."
"What joy!" exclaimed the blacksmith, "then the two young ladies, his daughters, whom my father has brought from Russia, are your relations!"
"Has Marshal Simon two daughters?" asked Adrienne, more and more astonished and interested.
"Yes, madame, two little angels of fifteen or sixteen, and so pretty, so sweet; they are twins so very much alike, as to be mistaken for one another.Their mother died in exile; and the little she possessed having been confiscated, they have come hither with my father, from the depths of Siberia, travelling very wretchedly; but he tried to make them forget so many privations by the fervency of his devotion and his tenderness.
My excellent father! you will not believe, madame, that, with the courage of a lion, he has all the love and tenderness of a mother."
"And where are the dear children, sir?" asked Adrienne.
"At our home, madame.It is that which renders my position so very hard;
that which has given me courage to come to you; it is not but that my labor would be sufficient for our little household, even thus augmented;
but that I am about to be arrested."
"About to be arrested? For what?"
"Pray, madame, have the goodness to read this letter, which has been sent by some one to Mother Bunch."
Agricola gave to Miss de Cardoville the anonymous letter which had been received by the workwoman.
After having read the letter, Adrienne said to the blacksmith, with surprise, "It appears, sir, you are a poet!"