Mademoiselle Bourienne knew a story, heard from her aunt but finished in her own way, which she liked to repeat to herself.
It was the story of a girl who had been seduced, and to whom her poor mother (sa pauvre mere) appeared, and reproached her for yielding to a man without being married.
Mademoiselle Bourienne was often touched to tears as in imagination she told this story to him, her seducer.
And now he, a real Russian prince, had appeared.
He would carry her away and then sa pauvre mere would appear and he would marry her.