This cruel suspicion changed the whole moral position of Julien. This idea found a beginning in his heart of love that she had no difficulty in destroying. This love was based only on the rare beauty of Mathilde, or rather on its way to beautiful queen and her toilet. In this Julien was still an upstart. A pretty woman of the world is, as we are assured, what most astonishes a peasant wit, when it comes to first classes of society. It was not the character of Mathilde, who was dreaming Julien previous days. He had enough sense to realize he did not know this character. Everything he saw might be only in appearance.

For example, for the world, Matilda would not have missed Mass on Sunday, almost every day she accompanied her mother. If, in the lounge of the Hotel de La Mole, some rash forgot where he was allowed and the most distant allusion to a joke against the real or supposed interests of the throne or the altar, to Matilda became now a serious ice. His look, that was so spicy, resumed full height impassive an old family portrait.