His
Excellency did not allow himself to be disturbed for so little; he
dismissed his wife in a summary manner, and hurried Signora Dessalle,
taken by surprise, into the Minister's presence. When he presented her
to his superior, she was embarrassed and almost angry.
The Minister received her with the most respectful courtesy, with the
manner of a stern man, who honours woman, but keeps her at a distance.
He had known the banker Dessalle, Jeanne's father, and immediately spoke
of him:
"A man," he said, "who had much gold in his coffers, but the purest gold
of all in his conscience!" He added that the memory of this man had
encouraged him to speak with her about a very delicate matter. When he
had spoken those words, or rather while he was speaking them, Jeanne
felt sure that this man knew the past. She could not refrain from
glancing stealthily at the Under-Secretary. She read the same knowledge
in his eyes, but the Under-Secretary's expression troubled her and
irritated her, while the Minister's gaze seemed to open a paternal heart
to her.
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