Her husband, an old military officer, had died a few months before, leaving her totally unprovided for.

Henriette engaged her, and told her to keep herself ready to start whenever M.Dubois should give her notice.

The day before the one fixed for our departure, M.d'Antoine dined with us, and, before taking leave of us, he gave Henriette a sealed letter for Geneva.
We left Parma late in the evening, and stopped only two hours in Turin, in order to engage a manservant whose services we required as far as Geneva.

The next day we ascended Mont Cenis in sedan-chairs, and we descended to the Novalaise in mountain-sledges.

On the fifth day we reached Geneva, and we put up at the Hotel des Balances.