"You imagine that Monsieur de Bismarck will make war on us and beat us! Oh, that's unbearable!" Indeed, they were laughing round Mme Chantereau, who had just repeated an assertion she had heard made in Alsace, where her husband owned a foundry.
"We have the emperor, fortunately," said Count Muffat in his grave, official way.
It was the last phrase Fauchery was able to catch.

He closed the door after casting one more glance in the direction of the Countess Sabine.

She was talking sedately with the chief clerk and seemed to be interested in that stout individual's conversation.

Assuredly he must have been deceiving himself.

There was no "little rift" there at all.