Next  day  every  one  at  Madame  Garceland's  said  in  every-
one else's  ear  that  the  Eogrons  had  not  had  a  success  at  Mad-
ame Tiphaine's,  and  her  remark  about  the  inn-parlor  was
much  applauded.  Madame  Tiphaine  took  a  month  before  re-
turning Mademoiselle  Sylvie's  visit.  This  rudeness  is  much
remarked  on  in  the  country.  Then,  at  Madame  Tiphaine's,
when  playing  boston  with  the  elder  Madame  Julliard,  Sylvie
made  a  most  unpleasant  scene  about  a  splendid  misere  hand,
on  which  her  erewhile  mistress  caused  her  to  lose — ma-
liciously and  on  purpose,  she  declared.  Sylvie,  who  loved
to  play  nasty  tricks  on  others,  could  never  accept  a  return
in  kind.  Madame  Tiphaine,  therefore,  set  the  example  of
making  up  the  card-parties  before  the  Eogrons  arrived,  so  that
Sylvie  was  reduced  to  wandering  from  table  to  table,  watching
others  play,  while  they  looked  at  her  askance  with  meaning
glances.  At  old  Madame  Julliard's,  whist  was  now  the  game,
and  Sylvie  could  not  play  it.  The  old  maid  at  last  under-
stood that  she  was  an  outlaw,  but  without  understanding  the
reason.  She  believed  herself  to  be  an  object  of  jealousy  to
everybody.
Ere  long  the  Eogrons  were  asked  nowhere;  but  they  per-
sistently spent  their  evenings  at  various  houses.  Clever
people  made  game  of  them,  without  venom,  quite  mildly,  lead-
ing them  to  talk  utter  nonsense  about  the  ovolos  in  their
house,  and  about  a  certain  cellaret  for  liqueurs,  matchless  in
Provins.  Meanwhile  they  gave  themselves  the  final  blow.
