She said frigidly: "Gracious me, I should like to see him come! For all that he's a lieutenant in the army, Francois will chuck him out in double-quick time!" Soon, as the lad kept returning to the subject of his brother, she ended by taking a certain interest in Philippe, and in a week's time she knew him from head to foot--knew him as very tall and very strong and merry and somewhat rough.

She learned intimate details, too, and found out that he had hair on his arms and a birthmark on his shoulder.

So thoroughly did she learn her lesson that one day, when she was full of the image of the man who was to be turned out of doors by her orders, she cried out: "I say, Zizi, your brother's not coming.

He's a base deserter!" The next day, when Georges and Nana were alone together, Francois came upstairs to ask whether Madame would receive Lieutenant Philippe Hugon.
Georges grew extremely white and murmured: "I suspected it; Mamma was talking about it this morning." And he besought the young woman to send down word that she could not see visitors.

But she was already on her feet and seemed all aflame as she said: "Why should I not see him?
He would think me afraid.