professionis
slow
,
and
in
the
intermediate
steps
the
chances
of
distinction
are
slight
and
few
,
but
more
because
he
desired
to
cast
his
lot
in
the
home
country
,
and
regarded
the
courts
of
other
lands
as
exile
.
It
was
not
true
,
however
,
as
Lemercier
had
stated
on
report
,
that
he
lived
on
his
pen
.
Curbing
all
his
old
extravagant
tastes
,
L500
a
year
amply
supplied
his
wants
.
But
he
had
by
his
pen
gained
distinction
,
and
created
great
belief
in
his
abilities
for
a
public
career
.
He
had
written
critical
articles
,
read
with
much
praise
,
in
periodicals
of
authority
,
and
had
published
one
or
two
essays
on
political
questions
which
had
created
yet
more
sensation
.
It
was
only
the
graver
literature
,
connected
more
or
less
with
his
ultimate
object
of
a
public
career
,
in
which
he
had
thus
evinced
his
talents
of
composition
.
Such
writings
were
not
of
a
nature
to
bring
him
much
money
,
but
they
gave
him
a
definite
and
solid
station
.
In
the
old
time
,
before
the
first
Reform
Bill
,
his
reputation
would
have
secured
him
at
once
a
seat
in
Parliament
;
but
the
ancient
nurseries
of
statesmen
are
gone
,
and
their
place
is
not
supplied
.
He
had
been
invited
,
however
,
to
stand
for
more
than
one
large
and
populous
borough
,
with
very
fair
prospects
of
success
;
and
,
whatever
the
expense
,
Mr.
King
had
offered
to
defray
it
.
But
Graham
would
not
have
incurred
the
latter
obligation
;
and
when
he
learned
the
pledges
which
his
supporters
would
have
exacted
,
he
would
not
have
stood
if
success
had
been
certain
and
the
cost
nothing
.
“
I
cannot
,
”
he
said
to
his
friends
,
“
go
into
the
consideration
of
what
is
best
for
the
country
with
my
thoughts
manacled
;
and
I
cannot
be
both
representative
and
slave
of
the
greatest
ignorance
of
the
greatest
number
.
I
bide
my
time
,
and
meanwhile
I
prefer
to
write
as
I
please
,
rather
than
vote
as
I
don’t
please
.
”
Three
years
went
by
,
passed
chiefly
in
England
,
partly
in
travel
;
and
at
the
age
of
thirty
,
Graham
Vane
was
still
one
of
those
of
whom
admirers
say
,
“
He
will
be
a
great
man
some
day
;
”
and
detractors
reply
,
“
Some
day
seems
a
long
way
off
.
”
The
same
fastidiousness
which
had
operated
against
that
entrance
into
Parliament
,
to
which
his
ambition
not
the
less
steadily
adapted
itself
,
had
kept
him
free
from
the
perils
of
wedlock
.
In
his
heart
he
yearned
for
love
and
domestic
life
,
but
he
had
hitherto
met
with
no
one
who
realized
the
ideal
he
had
formed
.
With
his
person
,
his
accomplishments
,
his
connections
,
and
his
repute
,
he
might
have
made
many
an
advantageous
marriage
.
But
somehow
or
other
the
charm
vanished
from
a
fair
face
,
if
the
shadow
of
a
money-bag
fell
on
it
;
on
the
other
hand
,
his
ambition
occupied
so
large
a
share
in
his
thoughts
that
he
would
have
fled
in
time
from
the
temptation
of
a
marriage
that
would
have
overweighted
him
beyond
the
chance
of
rising
.
Added
to
all
,
he
desired
in
a
wife
an
intellect
that
,
if
not
equal
to
his
own
,
could
become
so
by
sympathy
,
—
a
union
of
high
culture
and
noble
aspiration
,
and
yet
of
loving
womanly
sweetness
which
a
man
seldom
finds
out
of
books
;
and
when
he
does
find
it
,
perhaps
it
does
not
wear
the
sort
of
face
that
he
fancies
.
Be
that
as
it
may
,
Graham
was
still
unmarried
and
heart-whole
.
And
now
a
new
change
in
his
life
befell
him
.
Lady
Janet
died
of
a
fever
contracted
in
her
habitual
rounds
of
charity
among
the
houses
of
the
poor
.
She
had
been
to
him
as
the
most
tender
mother
,
and
a
lovelier
soul
than
hers
never
alighted
on
the
earth
.
His
grief
was
intense
;
but
what
was
her
husband’s
?
—
one
of
those
griefs
that
kill
.
To
the
side
of
Richard
King
his
Janet
had
been
as
the
guardian
angel
.
His
love
for
her
was
almost
worship
:
with
her
,
every
object
in
a
life
hitherto
so
active
and
useful
seemed
gone
.
He
evinced
no
noisy
passion
of
sorrow
.
He
shut
himself
up
,
and
refused
to
see
even
Graham
.
But
after
some
weeks
had
passed
,
he
admitted
the
clergyman
in
whom
on
spiritual
matters
he
habitually
confided
,
and
seemed
consoled
by
the
visits
;
then
he
sent
for
his
lawyer
and
made
his
will
;
after
which
he
allowed
Graham
to
call
on
him
daily
,
on
the
condition
that
there
should
be
no
reference
to
his
loss
.
He
spoke
to
the
young
man
on
other
subjects
,
rather
drawing
him
out
about
himself
,
sounding
his
opinion
on
various
grave
matters
,
watching
his
face
while
he
questioned
,
as
if
seeking
to
dive
into
his
heart
,
and
sometimes
pathetically
sinking
into
silence
,
broken
but
by
sighs
.
So
it
went
on
for
a
few
more
weeks
;
then
he
took
the
advice
of
his
physician
to
seek
change
of
air
and
scene
.
He
went
away
alone
,
without
even
a
servant
,
not
leaving
word
where
he
had
gone
.
After
a
little
while
he
returned
,
more
ailing
,
more
broken
than
before
.
One
morning
he
was
found
insensible
,
—
stricken
by
paralysis
.
He
regained
consciousness
,
and
even
for
some
days
rallied
strength
.
He
might
have
recovered
,
but
he
seemed
as
if
he
tacitly
refused
to
live
.
He
expired
at
last
,
peacefully
,
in
Graham’s
arms
.
At
the
opening
of
his
will
it
was
found
that
he
had
left
Graham
his
sole
heir
and
executor
.
Deducting
government
duties
,
legacies
to
servants
,
and
donations
to
public
charities
,
the
sum
thus
bequeathed
to
his
lost
wife’s
nephew
was
two
hundred
and
twenty
thousand
pounds
.
With
such
a
fortune
,
opening
indeed
was
made
for
an
ambition
so
long
obstructed
.
But
Graham
affected
no
change
in
his
mode
of
life
;
he
still
retained
his
modest
bachelor’s
apartments
,
engaged
no
servants
,
bought
no
horses
,
in
no
way
exceeded
the
income
he
had
possessed
before
.
He
seemed
,
indeed
,
depressed
rather
than
elated
by
the
succession
to
a
wealth
which
he
had
never
anticipated
.
Two
children
had
been
born
from
the
marriage
of
Richard
King
:
they
had
died
young
,
it
is
true
,
but
Lady
Janet
at
the
time
of
her
own
decease
was
not
too
advanced
in
years
for
the
reasonable
expectation
of
other
offspring
;
and
even
after
Richard
King
became
a
widower
,
he
had
given
to
Graham
no
hint
of
his
testamentary
dispositions
.
The
young
man
was
no
blood-relation
to
him
,
and
naturally
supposed
that
such
relations
would
become
the
heirs
.
But
in
truth
the
deceased
seemed
to
have
no
blood-relations
:
none
had
ever
been
known
to
visit
him
;
none
raised
a
voice
to
question
the
justice
of
his
will
.
Lady
Janet
had
been
buried
at
Kensal
Green
;
her
husband’s
remains
were
placed
in
the
same
vault
.
For
days
and
days
Graham
went
his
way
lonelily
to
the
cemetery
.
He
might
be
seen
standing
motionless
by
that
tomb
,
with
tears
rolling
down
his
cheeks
;
yet
his
was
not
a
weak
nature
,
—
not
one
of
those
that
love
indulgence
of
irremediable
grief
.
On
the
contrary
,
people
who
did
not
know
him
well
said
“
that
he
had
more
head
than
heart
,
”
and
the
character
of
his
pursuits
,
as
of
his
writings
,
was
certainly
not
that
of
a
sentimentalist
.
He
had
not
thus
visited
the
tomb
till
Richard
King
had
been
placed
within
it
.
Yet
his
love
for
his
aunt
was
unspeakably
greater
than
that
which
he
could
have
felt
for
her
husband
.
Was
it
,
then
,
the
husband
that
he
so
much
more
acutely
mourned
;
or
was
there
something
that
,
since
the
husband’s
death
,
had
deepened
his
reverence
for
the
memory
of
her
whom
he
had
not
only
loved
as
a
mother
,
but
honoured
as
a
saint
?
These
visits
to
the
cemetery
did
not
cease
till
Graham
was
confined
to
his
bed
by
a
very
grave
illness
,
—
the
only
one
he
had
ever
known
.
His
physician
said
it
was
nervous
fever
,
and
occasioned
by
moral
shock
or
excitement
;
it
was
attended
with
delirium
.
His
recovery
was
slow
,
and
when
it
was
sufficiently
completed
he
quitted
England
;
and
we
find
him
now
,
with
his
mind
composed
,
his
strength
restored
,
and
his
spirits
braced
,
in
that
gay
city
of
Paris
;
hiding
,
perhaps
,
some
earnest
purpose
amid
his
participation
in
its
holiday
enjoyments
.
He
is
now
,
as
I
have
said
,
seated
before
his
writing-table
in
deep
thought
.
He
takes
up
a
letter
which
he
had
already
glanced
over
hastily
,
and
reperuses
it
with
more
care
.
The
letter
is
from
his
cousin
,
the
Duke
of
Alton
,
who
had
succeeded
a
few
years
since
to
the
family
honours
,
—
an
able
man
,
with
no
small
degree
of
information
,
an
ardent
politician
,
but
of
very
rational
and
temperate
opinions
;
too
much
occupied
by
the
cares
of
a
princely
estate
to
covet
office
for
himself
;
too
sincere
a
patriot
not
to
desire
office
for
those
to
whose
hands
he
thought
the
country
might
be
most
safely
entrusted
;
an
intimate
friend
of
Graham’s
.
The
contents
of
the
letter
are
these
:
—
MY
DEAR
GRAHAM
,
—
I
trust
that
you
will
welcome
the
brilliant
opening
into
public
life
which
these
lines
are
intended
to
announce
to
you
.
Vavasour
has
just
been
with
me
to
say
that
he
intends
to
resign
his
seat
for
the
county
when
Parliament
meets
,
and
agreeing
with
me
that
there
is
no
one
so
fit
to
succeed
him
as
yourself
,
he
suggests
the
keeping
his
intention
secret
until
you
have
arranged
your
committee
and
are
prepared
to
take
the
field
.
You
cannot
hope
to
escape
a
contest
;
but
I
have
examined
the
Register
,
and
the
party
has
gained
rather
than
lost
since
the
last
election
,
when
Vavasour
was
so
triumphantly
returned
.
The
expenses
for
this
county
,
where
there
are
so
many
outvoters
to
bring
up
,
and
so
many
agents
to
retain
,
are
always
large
in
comparison
with
some
other
counties
;
but
that
consideration
is
all
in
your
favour
,
for
it
deters
Squire
Hunston
,
the
only
man
who
could
beat
you
,
from
starting
;
and
to
your
resources
a
thousand
pounds
more
or
less
are
a
trifle
not
worth
discussing
.
You
know
how
difficult
it
is
nowadays
to
find
a
seat
for
a
man
of
moderate
opinions
like
yours
and
mine
.
Our
county
would
exactly
suit
you
.
The
constituency
is
so
evenly
divided
between
the
urban
and
rural
populations
,
that
its
representative
must
fairly
consult
the
interests
of
both
.
He
can
be
neither
an
ultra-Tory
nor
a
violent
Radical
.
He
is
left
to
the
enviable
freedom
,
to
which
you
say
you
aspire
,
of
considering
what
is
best
for
the
country
as
a
whole
.
Do
not
lose
so
rare
an
opportunity
.
There
is
but
one
drawback
to
your
triumphant
candidature
.
It
will
be
said
that
you
have
no
longer
an
acre
in
the
county
in
which
the
Vanes
have
been
settled
so
long
.
That
drawback
can
be
removed
.
It
is
true
that
you
can
never
hope
to
buy
back
the
estates
which
you
were
compelled
to
sell
at
your
father’s
death
:
the
old
manufacturer
gripes
them
too
firmly
to
loosen
his
hold
;
and
after
all
,
even
were
your
income
double
what
it
is
,
you
would
be
overhoused
in
the
vast
pile
in
which
your
father
buried
so
large
a
share
of
his
fortune
.
But
that
beautiful
old
hunting-lodge
,
the
Stamm
Schloss
of
your
family
,
with
the
adjacent
farms
,
can
be
now
repurchased
very
reasonably
.
The
brewer
who
bought
them
is
afflicted
with
an
extravagant
son
,
whom
he
placed
in
the
—
Hussars
,
and
will
gladly
sell
the
property
for
L5
,
000
more
than
he
gave
:
well
worth
the
difference
,
as
he
has
improved
the
farm-
buildings
and
raised
the
rental
.
I
think
,
in
addition
to
the
sum
you
have
on
mortgage
,
L3
,
000
will
be
accepted
,
and
as
a
mere
investment
pay
you
nearly
three
per
cent
.
But
to
you
it
is
worth
more
than
double
the
money
;
it
once
more
identifies
your
ancient
name
with
the
county
.
You
would
be
a
greater
personage
with
that
moderate
holding
in
the
district
in
which
your
race
took
root
,
and
on
which
your
father’s
genius
threw
such
a
lustre
,
than
you
would
be
if
you
invested
all
your
wealth
in
a
county
in
which
every
squire
and
farmer
would
call
you
“
the
new
man
.
”
Pray
think
over
this
most
seriously
,
and
instruct
your
solicitor
to
open
negotiations
with
the
brewer
at
once
.
But
rather
put
yourself
into
the
train
,
and
come
back
to
England
straight
to
me
.
I
will
ask
Vavasour
to
meet
you
.
What
news
from
Paris
?
Is
the
Emperor
as
ill
as
the
papers
insinuate
?
And
is
the
revolutionary
party
gaining
ground
?
Your
affectionate
cousin
,
ALTON
.
As
he
put
down
this
letter
,
Graham
heaved
a
short
impatient
sigh
.
“
The
old
Stamm
Schloss
,
”
he
muttered
,
—
“
a
foot
on
the
old
soil
once
more
!
and
an
entrance
into
the
great
arena
with
hands
unfettered
.
Is
it
possible
!
—
is
it
?
—
is
it
?
”
At
this
moment
the
door-bell
of
the
apartment
rang
,
and
a
servant
whom
Graham
had
hired
at
Paris
as
a
laquais
de
place
announced
“
Ce
Monsieur
.
”
Graham
hurried
the
letter
into
his
portfolio
,
and
said
,
“
You
mean
the
person
to
whom
I
am
always
at
home
?
”
“
The
same
,
Monsieur
.
”
“
Admit
him
,
of
course
.
”
There
entered
a
wonderfully
thin
man
,
middle-aged
,
clothed
in
black
,
his
face
cleanly
shaven
,
his
hair
cut
very
short
,
with
one
of
those
faces
which
,
to
use
a
French
expression
,
say
“
nothing
.
”
It
was
absolutely
without
expression
:
it
had
not
even
,
despite
its
thinness
,
one
salient
feature
.
If
you
had
found
yourself
anywhere
seated
next
to
that
man
,
your
eye
would
have
passed
him
over
as
too
insignificant
to
notice
;
if
at
a
cafe
,
you
would
have
gone
on
talking
to
your
friend
without
lowering
your
voice
.
What
mattered
it
whether
a
bete
like
that
overheard
or
not
?
Had
you
been
asked
to
guess
his
calling
and
station
,
you
might
have
said
,
minutely
observing
the
freshness
of
his
clothes
and
the
undeniable
respectability
of
his
tout
ensemble
,
“
He
must
be
well
off
,
and
with
no
care
for
customers
on
his
mind
,
—
a
ci-devant
chandler
who
has
retired
on
a
legacy
.
”
Graham
rose
at
the
entrance
of
his
visitor
,
motioned
him
courteously
to
a
seat
beside
him
,
and
waiting
till
the
laquais
had
vanished
,
then
asked
,
“
What
news
?
”
“
None
,
I
fear
,
that
will
satisfy
Monsieur
.
I
have
certainly
hunted
out
,
since
I
had
last
the
honour
to
see
you
,
no
less
than
four
ladies
of
the
name
of
Duval
,
but
only
one
of
them
took
that
name
from
her
parents
,
and
was
also
christened
Louise
.
”
“
Ah
—
Louise
!
”
“
Yes
,
the
daughter
of
a
perfumer
,
aged
twenty-eight
.
She
,
therefore
,
is
not
the
Louise
you
seek
.
Permit
me
to
refer
to
your
instructions
.
”
Here
M
.
Renard
took
out
a
note-book
,
turned
over
the
leaves
,
and
resumed
,
“
Wanted
,
Louise
Duval
,
daughter
of
Auguste
Duval
,
a
French
drawing-master
,
who
lived
for
many
years
at
Tours
,
removed
to
Paris
in
1845
,
lived
at
No.
12
,
Rue
de
S
—
—
at
Paris
for
some
years
,
but
afterwards
moved
to
a
different
guartier
of
the
town
,
and
died
1848
,
in
Rue
I
—
—
,
No.
39.
Shortly
after
his
death
,
his
daughter
Louise
left
that
lodging
,
and
could
not
be
traced
.
In
1849
official
documents
reporting
her
death
were
forwarded
from
Munich
to
a
person
(
a
friend
of
yours
,
Monsieur
)
.
Death
,
of
course
,
taken
for
granted
;
but
nearly
five
years
afterwards
,
this
very
person
encountered
the
said
Louise
Duval
at
Aix-la-Chapelle
,
and
never
heard
nor
saw
more
of
her
.
Demande
submitted
,
to
find
out
said
Louise
Duval
or
any
children
of
hers
born
in
1848-9
;
supposed
in
1852-3
to
have
one
child
,
a
girl
,
between
four
and
five
years
old
.
Is
that
right
,
Monsieur
?
”
“
Quite
right
.
”
“
And
this
is
the
whole
information
given
to
me
.
Monsieur
on
giving
it
asked
me
if
I
thought
it
desirable
that
he
should
commence
inquiries
at
Aix-la-Chapelle
,
where
Louise
Duval
was
last
seen
by
the
person
interested
to
discover
her
.
I
reply
,
No
;
pains
thrown
away
.
Aix-la-Chapelle
is
not
a
place
where
any
Frenchwoman
not
settled
there
by
marriage
would
remain
.
Nor
does
it
seem
probable
that
the
said
Duval
would
venture
to
select
for
her
residence
Munich
,
a
city
in
which
she
had
contrived
to
obtain
certificates
of
her
death
.
A
Frenchwoman
who
has
once
known
Paris
always
wants
to
get
back
to
it
;
especially
,
Monsieur
,
if
she
has
the
beauty
which
you
assign
to
this
lady
.
I
therefore
suggested
that
our
inquiries
should
commence
in
this
capital
.
Monsieur
agreed
with
me
,
and
I
did
not
grudge
the
time
necessary
for
investigation
.
”
“
You
were
most
obliging
.
Still
I
am
beginning
to
be
impatient
if
time
is
to
be
thrown
away
.
”
“
Naturally
.
Permit
me
to
return
to
my
notes
.
Monsieur
informs
me
that
twenty-one
years
ago
,
in
1848
,
the
Parisian
police
were
instructed
to
find
out
this
lady
and
failed
,
but
gave
hopes
of
discovering
her
through
her
relations
.
He
asks
me
to
refer
to
our
archives
;
I
tell
him
that
is
no
use
.
However
,
in
order
to
oblige
him
,
I
do
so
.
No
trace
of
such
inquiry
:
it
must
have
been
,
as
Monsieur
led
me
to
suppose
,
a
strictly
private
one
,
unconnected
with
crime
or
with
politics
;
and
as
I
have
the
honour
to
tell
Monsieur
,
no
record
of
such
investigations
is
preserved
in
our
office
.
Great
scandal
would
there
be
,
and
injury
to
the
peace
of
families
,
if
we
preserved
the
results
of
private
inquiries
intrusted
to
us
—
by
absurdly
jealous
husbands
,
for
instance
.
Honour
,
—
Monsieur
,
honour
forbids
it
.
Next
I
suggest
to
Monsieur
that
his
simplest
plan
would
be
an
advertisement
in
the
French
journals
,
stating
,
if
I
understand
him
right
,
that
it
is
for
the
pecuniary
interest
of
Madame
or
Mademoiselle
Duval
,
daughter
of
Auguste
Duval
,
artiste
en
dessin
,
to
come
forward
.
Monsieur
objects
to
that
.
”
“
I
object
to
it
extremely
;
as
I
have
told
you
,
this
is
a
strictly
confidential
inquiry
;
and
an
advertisement
which
in
all
likelihood
would
be
practically
useless
(
it
proved
to
be
so
in
a
former
inquiry
)
would
not
be
resorted
to
unless
all
else
failed
,
and
even
then
with
reluctance
.
”
“
Quite
so
.
Accordingly
,
Monsieur
delegates
to
me
,
who
have
been
recommended
to
him
as
the
best
person
he
can
employ
in
that
department
of
our
police
which
is
not
connected
with
crime
or
political
surveillance
,
a
task
the
most
difficult
.
I
have
,
through
strictly
private
investigations
,
to
discover
the
address
and
prove
the
identity
of
a
lady
bearing
a
name
among
the
most
common
in
France
,
and
of
whom
nothing
has
been
heard
for
fifteen
years
,
and
then
at
so
migratory
an
endroit
as
Aix-la-Chapelle
.
You
will
not
or
cannot
inform
me
if
since
that
time
the
lady
has
changed
her
name
by
marriage
.
”
“
I
have
no
reason
to
think
that
she
has
;
and
there
are
reasons
against
the
supposition
that
she
married
after
1849.
”
“
Permit
me
to
observe
that
the
more
details
of
information
Monsieur
can
give
me
,
the
easier
my
task
of
research
will
be
.
”
“
I
have
given
you
all
the
details
I
can
,
and
,
aware
of
the
difficulty
of
tracing
a
person
with
a
name
so
much
the
reverse
of
singular
,
I
adopted
your
advice
in
our
first
interview
,
of
asking
some
Parisian
friend
of
mine
,
with
a
large
acquaintance
in
the
miscellaneous
societies
of
your
capital
,
to
inform
me
of
any
ladies
of
that
name
whom
he
might
chance
to
encounter
;
and
he
,
like
you
,
has
lighted
upon
one
or
two
,
who
alas
!
resemble
the
right
one
in
name
and
nothing
more
.
”
“
You
will
do
wisely
to
keep
him
on
the
watch
as
well
as
myself
.
If
it
were
but
a
murderess
or
a
political
incendiary
,
then
you
might
trust
exclusively
to
the
enlightenment
of
our
corps
,
but
this
seems
an
affair
of
sentiment
,
Monsieur
.
Sentiment
is
not
in
our
way
.
Seek
the
trace
of
that
in
the
haunts
of
pleasure
.
”
M
.
Renard
,
having
thus
poetically
delivered
himself
of
that
philosophical
dogma
,
rose
to
depart
.
Graham
slipped
into
his
hand
a
bank-note
of
sufficient
value
to
justify
the
profound
bow
he
received
in
return
.
When
M
.
Renard
had
gone
,
Graham
heaved
another
impatient
sigh
,
and
said
to
himself
,
“
No
,
it
is
not
possible
,
—
at
least
not
yet
.
”
Then
,
compressing
his
lips
as
a
man
who
forces
himself
to
something
he
dislikes
,
he
dipped
his
pen
into
the
inkstand
,
and
wrote
rapidly
thus
to
his
kinsman
:
MY
DEAR
COUSIN
,
—
I
lose
not
a
post
in
replying
to
your
kind
and
considerate
letter
.
It
is
not
in
my
power
at
present
to
return
to
England
.
I
need
not
say
how
fondly
I
cherish
the
hope
of
representing
the
dear
old
county
some
day
.
If
Vavasour
could
be
induced
to
defer
his
resignation
of
the
seat
for
another
session
,
or
at
least
for
six
or
seven
months
,
why
then
I
might
be
free
to
avail
myself
of
the
opening
;
at
present
I
am
not
.
Meanwhile
I
am
sorely
tempted
to
buy
back
the
old
Lodge
;
probably
the
brewer
would
allow
me
to
leave
on
mortgage
the
sum
I
myself
have
on
the
property
,
and
a
few
additional
thousands
.
I
have
reasons
for
not
wishing
to
transfer
at
present
much
of
the
money
now
invested
in
the
Funds
.
I
will
consider
this
point
,
which
probably
does
not
press
.
I
reserve
all
Paris
news
till
my
next
;
and
begging
you
to
forgive
so
curt
and
unsatisfactory
a
reply
to
a
letter
so
important
that
it
excites
me
more
than
I
like
to
own
,
believe
me
your
affectionate
friend
and
cousin
,
GRAHAM
.
CHAPTER
II
.
AT
about
the
same
hour
on
the
same
day
in
which
the
Englishman
held
the
conference
with
the
Parisian
detective
just
related
,
the
Marquis
de
Rochebriant
found
himself
by
appointment
in
the
cabinet
d’affaires
of
his
avoue
M
.
Gandrin
that
gentleman
had
hitherto
not
found
time
to
give
him
a
definite
opinion
as
to
the
case
submitted
to
his
judgment
.
The
avoue
received
Alain
with
a
kind
of
forced
civility
,
in
which
the
natural
intelligence
of
the
Marquis
,
despite
his
inexperience
of
life
,
discovered
embarrassment
.
“
Monsieur
le
Marquis
,
”
said
Gandrin
,
fidgeting
among
the
papers
on
his
bureau
,
“
this
is
a
very
complicated
business
.
I
have
given
not
only
my
best
attention
to
it
,
but
to
your
general
interests
.
To
be
plain
,
your
estate
,
though
a
fine
one
,
is
fearfully
encumbered
—
fearfully
—
frightfully
.
”
“
Sir
,
”
said
the
Marquis
,
haughtily
,
“
that
is
a
fact
which
was
never
disguised
from
you
.
”
“
I
do
not
say
that
it
was
,
Marquis
;
but
I
scarcely
realized
the
amount
of
the
liabilities
nor
the
nature
of
the
property
.
It
will
be
difficult
—
nay
,
I
fear
,
impossible
—
to
find
any
capitalist
to
advance
a
sum
that
will
cover
the
mortgages
at
an
interest
less
than
you
now
pay
.
As
for
a
Company
to
take
the
whole
trouble
off
your
hands
,
clear
off
the
mortgages
,
manage
the
forests
,
develop
the
fisheries
,
guarantee
you
an
adequate
income
,
and
at
the
end
of
twenty-one
years
or
so
render
up
to
you
or
your
heirs
the
free
enjoyment
of
an
estate
thus
improved
,
we
must
dismiss
that
prospect
as
a
wild
dream
of
my
good
friend
M
.
Hebert
.
People
in
the
provinces
do
dream
;
in
Paris
everybody
is
wide
awake
.
”
“
Monsieur
,
”
said
the
Marquis
,
with
that
inborn
imperturbable
loftiness
of
sang
froid
which
has
always
in
adverse
circumstances
characterized
the
French
noblesse
,
“
be
kind
enough
to
restore
my
papers
.
I
see
that
you
are
not
the
man
for
me
.
Allow
me
only
to
thank
you
,
and
inquire
the
amount
of
my
debt
for
the
trouble
I
have
given
.
”
“
Perhaps
you
are
quite
justified
in
thinking
I
am
not
the
man
for
you
,
Monsieur
le
Marquis
;
and
your
papers
shall
,
if
you
decide
on
dismissing
me
,
be
returned
to
you
this
evening
.
But
as
to
my
accepting
remuneration
where
I
have
rendered
no
service
,
I
request
M
.
le
Marquis
to
put
that
out
of
the
question
.
Considering
myself
,
then
,
no
longer
your
avoue
,
do
not
think
I
take
too
great
a
liberty
in
volunteering
my
counsel
as
a
friend
,
—
or
a
friend
at
least
to
M
.
Hebert
,
if
you
do
not
vouchsafe
my
right
so
to
address
yourself
.
”
M
.
Gandrin
spoke
with
a
certain
dignity
of
voice
and
manner
which
touched
and
softened
his
listener
.
“
You
make
me
your
debtor
far
more
than
I
pretend
to
repay
,
”
replied
Alain
.
“
Heaven
knows
I
want
a
friend
,
and
I
will
heed
with
gratitude
and
respect
all
your
counsels
in
that
character
.
”
“
Plainly
and
briefly
,
my
advice
is
this
:
M
.
Louvier
is
the
principal
mortgagee
.
He
is
among
the
six
richest
capitalists
of
Paris
.
He
does
not
,
therefore
,
want
money
,
but
,
like
most
self-made
men
,
he
is
very
accessible
to
social
vanities
.
He
would
be
proud
to
think
he
had
rendered
a
service
to
a
Rochebriant
.
Approach
him
,
either
through
me
,
or
,
far
better
,
at
once
introduce
yourself
,
and
propose
to
consolidate
all
your
other
liabilities
in
one
mortgage
to
him
,
at
a
rate
of
interest
lower
than
that
which
is
now
paid
to
some
of
the
small
mortgagees
.
This
would
add
considerably
to
your
income
and
would
carry
out
M
.
Hebert’s
advice
.
”
“
But
does
it
not
strike
you
,
dear
M
.
Gandrin
,
that
such
going
cap-in-hand
to
one
who
has
power
over
my
fate
,
while
I
have
none
over
his
,
would
scarcely
be
consistent
with
my
self-respect
,
not
as
Rochebriant
only
,
but
as
Frenchman
?
”
“
It
does
not
strike
me
so
in
the
least
;
at
all
events
,
I
could
make
the
proposal
on
your
behalf
,
without
compromising
yourself
,
though
I
should
be
far
more
sanguine
of
success
if
you
addressed
M
.
Louvier
in
person
.
”
“
I
should
nevertheless
prefer
leaving
it
in
your
hands
;
but
even
for
that
I
must
take
a
few
days
to
consider
.
Of
all
the
mortgagees
M
.
Louvier
has
been
hitherto
the
severest
and
most
menacing
,
the
one
whom
Hebert
dreads
the
most
;
and
should
he
become
sole
mortgagee
,
my
whole
estate
would
pass
to
him
if
,
through
any
succession
of
bad
seasons
and
failing
tenants
,
the
interest
was
not
punctually
paid
.
”
“
It
could
so
pass
to
him
now
.
”
“
No
;
for
there
have
been
years
in
which
the
other
mortgagees
,
who
are
Bretons
and
would
be
loath
to
ruin
a
Rochebriant
,
have
been
lenient
and
patient
.
”
“
If
Louvier
has
not
been
equally
so
,
it
is
only
because
he
knew
nothing
of
you
,
and
your
father
no
doubt
had
often
sorely
tasked
his
endurance
.
Come
,
suppose
we
manage
to
break
the
ice
easily
.
Do
me
the
honour
to
dine
here
to
meet
him
;
you
will
find
that
he
is
not
an
unpleasant
man
.
”
The
Marquis
hesitated
,
but
the
thought
of
the
sharp
and
seemingly
hopeless
struggle
for
the
retention
of
his
ancestral
home
to
which
he
would
be
doomed
if
he
returned
from
Paris
unsuccessful
in
his
errand
overmastered
his
pride
.
He
felt
as
if
that
self-conquest
was
a
duty
he
owed
to
the
very
tombs
of
his
fathers
.
“
I
ought
not
to
shrink
from
the
face
of
a
creditor
,
”
said
he
,
smiling
somewhat
sadly
,
“
and
I
accept
the
proposal
you
so
graciously
make
.
”
“
You
do
well
,
Marquis
,
and
I
will
write
at
once
to
Louvier
to
ask
him
to
give
me
his
first
disengaged
day
.
”
The
Marquis
had
no
sooner
quitted
the
house
than
M
.
Gandrin
opened
a
door
at
the
side
of
his
office
,
and
a
large
portly
man
strode
into
the
room
,
—
stride
it
was
rather
than
step
,
—
firm
,
self-assured
,
arrogant
,
masterful
.
“
Well
,
mon
ami
,
”
said
this
man
,
taking
his
stand
at
the
hearth
,
as
a
king
might
take
his
stand
in
the
hall
of
his
vassal
,
“
and
what
says
our
petit
muscadin
?
”
“
He
is
neither
petit
nor
muscadin
,
Monsieur
Louvier
,
”
replied
Gandrin
,
peevishly
;
“
and
he
will
task
your
powers
to
get
him
thoroughly
into
your
net
.
But
I
have
persuaded
him
to
meet
you
here
.
What
day
can
you
dine
with
me
?
I
had
better
ask
no
one
else
.
”
“
To-morrow
I
dine
with
my
friend
O
—
—
-
,
to
meet
the
chiefs
of
the
Opposition
,
”
said
M
.
Louvier
,
with
a
sort
of
careless
rollicking
pomposity
.
“
Thursday
with
Pereire
;
Saturday
I
entertain
at
home
.
Say
Friday
.
Your
hour
?
”
“
Seven
.
”
“
Good
!
Show
me
those
Rochebriant
papers
again
;
there
is
something
I
had
forgotten
to
note
.
Never
mind
me
.
Go
on
with
your
work
as
if
I
were
not
here
.
”
Louvier
took
up
the
papers
,
seated
himself
in
an
armchair
by
the
fireplace
,
stretched
out
his
legs
,
and
read
at
his
ease
,
but
with
a
very
rapid
eye
,
as
a
practised
lawyer
skims
through
the
technical
forms
of
a
case
to
fasten
upon
the
marrow
of
it
.
“
Ah
!
as
I
thought
.
The
farms
could
not
pay
even
the
interest
on
my
present
mortgage
;
the
forests
come
in
for
that
.
If
a
contractor
for
the
yearly
sale
of
the
woods
was
bankrupt
and
did
not
pay
,
how
could
I
get
my
interest
?
Answer
me
that
,
Gandrin
.
”
“
Certainly
you
must
run
the
risk
of
that
chance
.
”
“
Of
course
the
chance
occurs
,
and
then
I
foreclose
,
seize
,
—
Rochebriant
and
its
seigneuries
are
mine
.
”
As
he
spoke
he
laughed
,
not
sardonically
,
—
a
jovial
laugh
,
—
and
opened
wide
,
to
reshut
as
in
a
vice
,
the
strong
iron
hand
which
had
doubtless
closed
over
many
a
man’s
all
.
“
Thanks
.
On
Friday
,
seven
o’clock
.
”
He
tossed
the
papers
back
on
the
bureau
,
nodded
a
royal
nod
,
and
strode
forth
imperiously
as
he
had
strode
in
.
CHAPTER
III
.
MEANWHILE
the
young
Marquis
pursued
his
way
thoughtfully
through
the
streets
,
and
entered
the
Champs
Elysees
.
Since
we
first
,
nay
,
since
we
last
saw
him
,
he
is
strikingly
improved
in
outward
appearances
.
He
has
unconsciously
acquired
more
of
the
easy
grace
of
the
Parisian
in
gait
and
bearing
.
You
would
no
longer
detect
the
Provincial
—
perhaps
,
however
,
because
he
is
now
dressed
,
though
very
simply
,
in
habiliments
that
belong
to
the
style
of
the
day
.
Rarely
among
the
loungers
in
the
Champs
Elysees
could
be
seen
a
finer
form
,
a
comelier
face
,
an
air
of
more
unmistakable
distinction
.
The
eyes
of
many
a
passing
fair
one
gazed
on
him
,
admiringly
or
coquettishly
.
But
he
was
still
so
little
the
true
Parisian
that
they
got
no
smile
,
no
look
in
return
.
He
was
wrapped
in
his
own
thoughts
;
was
he
thinking
of
M
.
Louvier
?
He
had
nearly
gained
the
entrance
of
the
Bois
de
Boulogne
,
when
he
was
accosted
by
a
voice
behind
,
and
turning
round
saw
his
friend
Lemercier
arm-in-arm
with
Graham
Vane
.
“
Bonjour
,
Alain
,
”
said
Lemercier
,
hooking
his
disengaged
arm
into
Rochebriant’s
.
“
I
suspect
we
are
going
the
same
way
.
”
Alain
felt
himself
change
countenance
at
this
conjecture
,
and
replied
coldly
,
“
I
think
not
;
I
have
got
to
the
end
of
my
walk
,
and
shall
turn
back
to
Paris
;
”
addressing
himself
to
the
Englishman
,
he
said
with
formal
politeness
,
“
I
regret
not
to
have
found
you
at
home
when
I
called
some
weeks
ago
,
and
no
less
so
to
have
been
out
when
you
had
the
complaisance
to
return
my
visit
.
”
“
At
all
events
,
”
replied
the
Englishman
,
“
let
me
not
lose
the
opportunity
of
improving
our
acquaintance
which
now
offers
.
It
is
true
that
our
friend
Lemercier
,
catching
sight
of
me
in
the
Rue
de
Rivoli
,
stopped
his
coupe
and
carried
me
off
for
a
promenade
in
the
Bois
.
The
fineness
of
the
day
tempted
us
to
get
out
of
his
carriage
as
the
Bois
came
in
sight
.
But
if
you
are
going
back
to
Paris
I
relinquish
the
Bois
and
offer
myself
as
your
companion
.
”
Frederic
(
the
name
is
so
familiarly
English
that
the
reader
might
think
me
pedantic
did
I
accentuate
it
as
French
)
looked
from
one
to
the
other
of
his
two
friends
,
half
amused
and
half
angry
.
“
And
am
I
to
be
left
alone
to
achieve
a
conquest
,
in
which
,
if
I
succeed
,
I
shall
change
into
hate
and
envy
the
affection
of
my
two
best
friends
?
Be
it
so
.
“
’
Un
veritable
amant
ne
connait
point
d’amis.’
”
“
I
do
not
comprehend
your
meaning
,
”
said
the
Marquis
,
with
a
compressed
lip
and
a
slight
frown
.
“
Bah
!
”
cried
Frederic
;
“
come
,
franc
jeu
;
cards
on
the
table
.
M
.
Gram
Varn
was
going
into
the
Bois
at
my
suggestion
on
the
chance
of
having
another
look
at
the
pearl-coloured
angel
;
and
you
,
Rochebriant
,
can’t
deny
that
you
were
going
into
the
Bois
for
the
same
object
.
”
“
One
may
pardon
an
enfant
terrible
,
”
said
the
Englishman
,
laughing
,
“
but
an
ami
terrible
should
be
sent
to
the
galleys
.
Come
,
Marquis
,
let
us
walk
back
and
submit
to
our
fate
.
Even
were
the
lady
once
more
visible
,
we
have
no
chance
of
being
observed
by
the
side
of
a
Lovelace
so
accomplished
and
so
audacious
!
”
“
Adieu
,
then
,
recreants
:
I
go
alone
.
Victory
or
death
.
”
The
Parisian
beckoned
his
coachman
,
entered
his
carriage
,
and
with
a
mocking
grimace
kissed
his
hand
to
the
companions
thus
deserting
or
deserted
.
Rochebriant
touched
the
Englishman’s
arm
,
and
said
,
“
Do
you
think
that
Lemercier
could
be
impertinent
enough
to
accost
that
lady
?
”
“
In
the
first
place
,
”
returned
the
Englishman
,
“
Lemercier
himself
tells
me
that
the
lady
has
for
several
weeks
relinquished
her
walks
in
the
Bois
,
and
the
probability
is
,
therefore
,
that
he
will
not
have
the
opportunity
to
accost
her
.
In
the
next
place
,
it
appears
that
when
she
did
take
her
solitary
walk
,
she
did
not
stray
far
from
her
carriage
,
and
was
in
reach
of
the
protection
of
her
laquais
and
coachman
.
But
to
speak
honestly
,
do
you
,
who
know
Lemercier
better
than
I
,
take
him
to
be
a
man
who
would
commit
an
impertinence
to
a
woman
unless
there
were
viveurs
of
his
own
sex
to
see
him
do
it
?
”
Alain
smiled
.
“
No.
Frederic’s
real
nature
is
an
admirable
one
,
and
if
he
ever
do
anything
that
he
ought
to
be
ashamed
of
,
‘twill
be
from
the
pride
of
showing
how
finely
he
can
do
it
.
Such
was
his
character
at
college
,
and
such
it
still
seems
at
Paris
.
But
it
is
true
that
the
lady
has
forsaken
her
former
walk
;
at
least
I
—
I
have
not
seen
her
since
the
day
I
first
beheld
her
in
company
with
Frederic
.
Yet
—
yet
,
pardon
me
,
you
were
going
to
the
Bois
on
the
chance
of
seeing
her
.
Perhaps
she
has
changed
the
direction
of
her
walk
,
and
—
and
—
”
The
Marquis
stopped
short
,
stammering
and
confused
.
The
Englishman
scanned
his
countenance
with
the
rapid
glance
of
a
practised
observer
of
men
and
things
,
and
after
a
short
pause
said
:
“
If
the
lady
has
selected
some
other
spot
for
her
promenade
,
I
am
ignorant
of
it
;
nor
have
I
ever
volunteered
the
chance
of
meeting
with
her
,
since
I
learned
—
first
from
Lemercier
,
and
afterwards
from
others
—
that
her
destination
is
the
stage
.
Let
us
talk
frankly
,
Marquis
.
I
am
accustomed
to
take
much
exercise
on
foot
,
and
the
Bois
is
my
favourite
resort
:
one
day
I
there
found
myself
in
the
allee
which
the
lady
we
speak
of
used
to
select
for
her
promenade
,
and
there
saw
her
.
Something
in
her
face
impressed
me
;
how
shall
I
describe
the
impression
?
Did
you
ever
open
a
poem
,
a
romance
,
in
some
style
wholly
new
to
you
,
and
before
you
were
quite
certain
whether
or
not
its
merits
justified
the
interest
which
the
novelty
inspired
,
you
were
summoned
away
,
or
the
book
was
taken
out
of
your
hands
?
If
so
,
did
you
not
feel
an
intellectual
longing
to
have
another
glimpse
of
the
book
?
That
illustration
describes
my
impression
,
and
I
own
that
I
twice
again
went
to
the
same
allee
.
The
last
time
I
only
caught
sight
of
the
young
lady
as
she
was
getting
into
her
carriage
.
As
she
was
then
borne
away
,
I
perceived
one
of
the
custodians
of
the
Bois
;
and
learned
,
on
questioning
him
,
that
the
lady
was
in
the
habit
of
walking
always
alone
in
the
same
allee
at
the
same
hour
on
most
fine
days
,
but
that
he
did
not
know
her
name
or
address
.
A
motive
of
curiosity
—
perhaps
an
idle
one
—
then
made
me
ask
Lemercier
,
who
boasts
of
knowing
his
Paris
so
intimately
,
if
he
could
inform
me
who
the
lady
was
.
He
undertook
to
ascertain
.
”
“
But
,
”
interposed
the
Marquis
,
“
he
did
not
ascertain
who
she
was
;
he
only
ascertained
where
she
lived
,
and
that
she
and
an
elder
companion
were
Italians
;
—
whom
he
suspected
,
without
sufficient
ground
,
to
be
professional
singers
.
”
“
True
;
but
since
then
I
ascertained
more
detailed
particulars
from
two
acquaintances
of
mine
who
happen
to
know
her
,
—
M
.
Savarin
,
the
distinguished
writer
,
and
Mrs.
Morley
,
an
accomplished
and
beautiful
American
lady
,
who
is
more
than
an
acquaintance
.
I
may
boast
the
honour
of
ranking
among
her
friends
.
As
Savarin’s
villa
is
at
A
—
—
—
,
I
asked
him
incidentally
if
he
knew
the
fair
neighbour
whose
face
had
so
attracted
me
;
and
Mrs.
Morley
being
present
,
and
overhearing
me
,
I
learned
from
both
what
I
now
repeat
to
you
.
“
The
young
lady
is
a
Signorina
Cicogna
,
—
at
Paris
,
exchanging
(
except
among
particular
friends
)
,
as
is
not
unusual
,
the
outlandish
designation
of
Signorina
for
the
more
conventional
one
of
Mademoiselle
.
Her
father
was
a
member
of
the
noble
Milanese
family
of
the
same
name
,
therefore
the
young
lady
is
well
born
.
Her
father
has
been
long
dead
;
his
widow
married
again
an
English
gentleman
settled
in
Italy
,
a
scholar
and
antiquarian
;
his
name
was
Selby
.
This
gentleman
,
also
dead
,
bequeathed
the
Signorina
a
small
but
sufficient
competence
.
She
is
now
an
orphan
,
and
residing
with
a
companion
,
a
Signora
Venosta
,
who
was
once
a
singer
of
some
repute
at
the
Neapolitan
Theatre
,
in
the
orchestra
of
which
her
husband
was
principal
performer
;
but
she
relinquished
the
stage
several
years
ago
on
becoming
a
widow
,
and
gave
lessons
as
a
teacher
.
She
has
the
character
of
being
a
scientific
musician
,
and
of
unblemished
private
respectability
.
Subsequently
she
was
induced
to
give
up
general
teaching
,
and
undertake
the
musical
education
and
the
social
charge
of
the
young
lady
with
her
.
This
girl
is
said
to
have
early
given
promise
of
extraordinary
excellence
as
a
singer
,
and
excited
great
interest
among
a
coterie
of
literary
critics
and
musical
cognoscenti
.
She
was
to
have
come
out
at
the
Theatre
of
Milan
a
year
or
two
ago
,
but
her
career
has
been
suspended
in
consequence
of
ill-health
,
for
which
she
is
now
at
Paris
under
the
care
of
an
English
physician
,
who
has
made
remarkable
cures
in
all
complaints
of
the
respiratory
organs
.
—
—
—
,
the
great
composer
,
who
knows
her
,
says
that
in
expression
and
feeling
she
has
no
living
superior
,
perhaps
no
equal
since
Malibran
.
”
“
You
seem
,
dear
Monsieur
,
to
have
taken
much
pains
to
acquire
this
information
.
”
“
No
great
pains
were
necessary
;
but
had
they
been
I
might
have
taken
them
,
for
,
as
I
have
owned
to
you
,
Mademoiselle
Cicogna
,
while
she
was
yet
a
mystery
to
me
,
strangely
interested
my
thoughts
or
my
fancies
.
That
interest
has
now
ceased
.
The
world
of
actresses
and
singers
lies
apart
from
mine
.
”
“
Yet
,
”
said
Alain
,
in
a
tone
of
voice
that
implied
doubt
,
“
if
I
understand
Lemercier
aright
,
you
were
going
with
him
to
the
Bois
on
the
chance
of
seeing
again
the
lady
in
whom
your
interest
has
ceased
.
”
“
Lemercier’s
account
was
not
strictly
accurate
.
He
stopped
his
carriage
to
speak
to
me
on
quite
another
subject
,
on
which
I
have
consulted
him
,
and
then
proposed
to
take
me
on
to
the
Bois
.
I
assented
;
and
it
was
not
till
we
were
in
the
carriage
that
he
suggested
the
idea
of
seeing
whether
the
pearly-robed
lady
had
resumed
her
walk
in
the
allee
.
You
may
judge
how
indifferent
I
was
to
that
chance
when
I
preferred
turning
back
with
you
to
going
on
with
him
.
Between
you
and
me
,
Marquis
,
to
men
of
our
age
,
who
have
the
business
of
life
before
them
,
and
feel
that
if
there
be
aught
in
which
noblesse
oblige
it
is
a
severe
devotion
to
noble
objects
,
there
is
nothing
more
fatal
to
such
devotion
than
allowing
the
heart
to
be
blown
hither
and
thither
at
every
breeze
of
mere
fancy
,
and
dreaming
ourselves
into
love
with
some
fair
creature
whom
we
never
could
marry
consistently
with
the
career
we
have
set
before
our
ambition
.
I
could
not
marry
an
actress
,
—
neither
,
I
presume
,
could
the
Marquis
de
Rochebriant
;
and
the
thought
of
a
courtship
which
excluded
the
idea
of
marriage
to
a
young
orphan
of
name
unblemished
,
of
virtue
unsuspected
,
would
certainly
not
be
compatible
with
‘devotion
to
noble
objects.’
”
Alain
involuntarily
bowed
his
head
in
assent
to
the
proposition
,
and
,
it
may
be
,
in
submission
to
an
implied
rebuke
.
The
two
men
walked
in
silence
for
some
minutes
,
and
Graham
first
spoke
,
changing
altogether
the
subject
of
conversation
.
“
Lemercier
tells
me
you
decline
going
much
into
this
world
of
Paris
,
the
capital
of
capitals
,
which
appears
so
irresistibly
attractive
to
us
foreigners
.
”
“
Possibly
;
but
,
to
borrow
your
words
,
I
have
the
business
of
life
before
me
.
”
“
Business
is
a
good
safeguard
against
the
temptations
to
excess
in
pleasure
,
in
which
Paris
abounds
.
But
there
is
no
business
which
does
not
admit
of
some
holiday
,
and
all
business
necessitates
commerce
with
mankind
.
A
propos
,
I
was
the
other
evening
at
the
Duchese
de
Tarascon’s
,
—
a
brilliant
assembly
,
filled
with
ministers
,
senators
,
and
courtiers
.
I
heard
your
name
mentioned
.
”
“
Mine
?
”
“
Yes
;
Duplessis
,
the
rising
financier
—
who
rather
to
my
surprise
was
not
only
present
among
these
official
and
decorated
celebrities
,
but
apparently
quite
at
home
among
them
—
asked
the
Duchess
if
she
had
not
seen
you
since
your
arrival
at
Paris
.
She
replied
,
‘No
;
that
though
you
were
among
her
nearest
connections
,
you
had
not
called
on
her
;
’
and
bade
Duplessis
tell
you
that
you
were
a
monstre
for
not
doing
so
.
Whether
or
not
Duplessis
will
take
that
liberty
I
know
not
;
but
you
must
pardon
me
if
I
do
.
She
is
a
very
charming
woman
,
full
of
talent
;
and
that
stream
of
the
world
which
reflects
the
stars
,
with
all
their
mythical
influences
on
fortune
,
flows
through
her
salons
.
”
“
I
am
not
born
under
those
stars
.
I
am
a
Legitimist
.
”
“
I
did
not
forget
your
political
creed
;
but
in
England
the
leaders
of
opposition
attend
the
salons
of
the
Prime
Minister
.
A
man
is
not
supposed
to
compromise
his
opinions
because
he
exchanges
social
courtesies
with
those
to
whom
his
opinions
are
hostile
.
Pray
excuse
me
if
I
am
indiscreet
,
I
speak
as
a
traveller
who
asks
for
information
:
but
do
the
Legitimists
really
believe
that
they
best
serve
their
cause
by
declining
any
mode
of
competing
with
its
opponents
?
Would
there
not
be
a
fairer
chance
of
the
ultimate
victory
of
their
principles
if
they
made
their
talents
and
energies
individually
prominent
;
if
they
were
known
as
skilful
generals
,
practical
statesmen
,
eminent
diplomatists
,
brilliant
writers
?
Could
they
combine
,
—
not
to
sulk
and
exclude
themselves
from
the
great
battle-field
of
the
world
,
but
in
their
several
ways
to
render
themselves
of
such
use
to
their
country
that
some
day
or
other
,
in
one
of
those
revolutionary
crises
to
which
France
,
alas
!
must
long
be
subjected
,
they
would
find
themselves
able
to
turn
the
scale
of
undecided
councils
and
conflicting
jealousies
.
”
“
Monsieur
,
we
hope
for
the
day
when
the
Divine
Disposer
of
events
will
strike
into
the
hearts
of
our
fickle
and
erring
countrymen
the
conviction
that
there
will
be
no
settled
repose
for
France
save
under
the
sceptre
of
her
rightful
kings
.
But
meanwhile
we
are
,
—
I
see
it
more
clearly
since
I
have
quitted
Bretagne
,
—
we
are
a
hopeless
minority
.
”
“
Does
not
history
tell
us
that
the
great
changes
of
the
world
have
been
wrought
by
minorities
,
—
but
on
the
one
condition
that
the
minorities
shall
not
be
hopeless
?
It
is
almost
the
other
day
that
the
Bonapartists
were
in
a
minority
that
their
adversaries
called
hopeless
,
and
the
majority
for
the
Emperor
is
now
so
preponderant
that
I
tremble
for
his
safety
.
When
a
majority
becomes
so
vast
that
intellect
disappears
in
the
crowd
,
the
date
of
its
destruction
commences
;
for
by
the
law
of
reaction
the
minority
is
installed
against
it
.
It
is
the
nature
of
things
that
minorities
are
always
more
intellectual
than
multitudes
,
and
intellect
is
ever
at
work
in
sapping
numerical
force
.
What
your
party
want
is
hope
;
because
without
hope
there
is
no
energy
.
I
remember
hearing
my
father
say
that
when
he
met
the
Count
de
Chambord
at
Ems
,
that
illustrious
personage
delivered
himself
of
a
belle
phrase
much
admired
by
his
partisans
.
The
Emperor
was
then
President
of
the
Republic
,
in
a
very
doubtful
and
dangerous
position
.
France
seemed
on
the
verge
of
another
convulsion
.
A
certain
distinguished
politician
recommended
the
Count
de
Chambord
to
hold
himself
ready
to
enter
at
once
as
a
candidate
for
the
throne
.
And
the
Count
,
with
a
benignant
smile
on
his
handsome
face
,
answered
,
‘All
wrecks
come
to
the
shore
:
the
shore
does
not
go
to
the
wrecks.’
”
“
Beautifully
said
!
”
exclaimed
the
Marquis
.
“
Not
if
‘Le
beau
est
toujours
le
vrai.’
My
father
,
no
inexperienced
nor
unwise
politician
,
in
repeating
the
royal
words
,
remarked
:
‘The
fallacy
of
the
Count’s
argument
is
in
its
metaphor
.
A
man
is
not
a
shore
.
Do
you
not
think
that
the
seamen
on
board
the
wrecks
would
be
more
grateful
to
him
who
did
not
complacently
compare
himself
to
a
shore
,
but
considered
himself
a
human
being
like
themselves
,
and
risked
his
own
life
in
a
boat
,
even
though
it
were
a
cockleshell
,
in
the
chance
of
saving
theirs
?
”
Alain
de
Rochebriant
was
a
brave
man
,
with
that
intense
sentiment
of
patriotism
which
characterizes
Frenchmen
of
every
rank
and
persuasion
,
unless
they
belong
to
the
Internationalists
;
and
,
without
pausing
to
consider
,
he
cried
,
“
Your
father
was
right
.
”
The
Englishman
resumed
:
“
Need
I
say
,
my
dear
Marquis
,
that
I
am
not
a
Legitimist
?
I
am
not
an
Imperialist
,
neither
am
I
an
Orleanist
nor
a
Republican
.
Between
all
those
political
divisions
it
is
for
Frenchmen
to
make
their
choice
,
and
for
Englishmen
to
accept
for
France
that
government
which
France
has
established
.
I
view
things
here
as
a
simple
observer
.
But
it
strikes
me
that
if
I
were
a
Frenchman
in
your
position
,
I
should
think
myself
unworthy
my
ancestors
if
I
consented
to
be
an
insignificant
looker-on
.
”
“
You
are
not
in
my
position
,
”
said
the
Marquis
,
half
mournfully
,
half
haughtily
,
“
and
you
can
scarcely
judge
of
it
even
in
imagination
.
”
“
I
need
not
much
task
my
imagination
;
I
judge
of
it
by
analogy
.
I
was
very
much
in
your
position
when
I
entered
upon
what
I
venture
to
call
my
career
;
and
it
is
the
curious
similarity
between
us
in
circumstances
,
that
made
me
wish
for
your
friendship
when
that
similarity
was
made
known
to
me
by
Lemercier
,
who
is
not
less
garrulous
than
the
true
Parisian
usually
is
.
Permit
me
to
say
that
,
like
you
,
I
was
reared
in
some
pride
of
no
inglorious
ancestry
.
I
was
reared
also
in
the
expectation
of
great
wealth
.
Those
expectations
were
not
realized
:
my
father
had
the
fault
of
noble
natures
,
—
generosity
pushed
to
imprudence
:
he
died
poor
and
in
debt
.
You
retain
the
home
of
your
ancestors
;
I
had
to
resign
mine
.
”
The
Marquis
had
felt
deeply
interested
in
this
narrative
,
and
as
Graham
now
paused
,
took
his
hand
and
pressed
it
.
“
One
of
our
most
eminent
personages
said
to
me
about
that
time
,
‘Whatever
a
clever
man
of
your
age
determines
to
do
or
to
be
,
the
odds
are
twenty
to
one
that
he
has
only
to
live
on
in
order
to
do
or
to
be
it.’
Don’t
you
think
he
spoke
truly
?
I
think
so
.
”
“
I
scarcely
know
what
to
think
,
”
said
Rochebriant
;
“
I
feel
as
if
you
had
given
me
so
rough
a
shake
when
I
was
in
the
midst
of
a
dull
dream
,
that
I
am
not
yet
quite
sure
whether
I
am
asleep
or
awake
.
”
Just
as
he
said
this
,
and
towards
the
Paris
end
of
the
Champs
Elysees
,
there
was
a
halt
,
a
sensation
among
the
loungers
round
them
;
many
of
them
uncovered
in
salute
.
A
man
on
the
younger
side
of
middle
age
,
somewhat
inclined
to
corpulence
,
with
a
very
striking
countenance
,
was
riding
slowly
by
.
He
returned
the
salutations
he
received
with
the
careless
dignity
of
a
Personage
accustomed
to
respect
,
and
then
reined
in
his
horse
by
the
side
of
a
barouche
,
and
exchanged
some
words
with
a
portly
gentleman
who
was
its
sole
occupant
.
The
loungers
,
still
halting
,
seemed
to
contemplate
this
parley
—
between
him
on
horseback
and
him
in
the
carriage
—
with
very
eager
interest
.
Some
put
their
hands
behind
their
ears
and
pressed
forward
,
as
if
trying
to
overhear
what
was
said
.
“
I
wonder
,
”
quoth
Graham
,
“
whether
,
with
all
his
cleverness
,
the
Prince
has
in
any
way
decided
what
he
means
to
do
or
to
be
.
”
“
The
Prince
!
”
said
Rochebriant
,
rousing
himself
from
revery
;
“
what
Prince
?
”
“
Do
you
not
recognize
him
by
his
wonderful
likeness
to
the
first
Napoleon
,
—
him
on
horseback
talking
to
Louvier
,
the
great
financier
.
”
“
Is
that
stout
bourgeois
in
the
carriage
Louvier
,
—
my
mortgagee
,
Louvier
?
”
“
Your
mortgagee
,
my
dear
Marquis
?
Well
,
he
is
rich
enough
to
be
a
very
lenient
one
upon
pay-day
.
”
“
Hein
!
—
I
doubt
his
leniency
,
”
said
Alain
.
“
I
have
promised
my
avoue
to
meet
him
at
dinner
.
Do
you
think
I
did
wrong
?
”
“
Wrong
!
of
course
not
;
he
is
likely
to
overwhelm
you
with
civilities
.
Pray
don’t
refuse
if
he
gives
you
an
invitation
to
his
soiree
next
Saturday
;
I
am
going
to
it
.
One
meets
there
the
notabilities
most
interesting
to
study
,
—
artists
,
authors
,
politicians
,
especially
those
who
call
themselves
Republicans
.
He
and
the
Prince
agree
in
one
thing
;
namely
,
the
cordial
reception
they
give
to
the
men
who
would
destroy
the
state
of
things
upon
which
Prince
and
financier
both
thrive
.
Hillo
!
here
comes
Lemercier
on
return
from
the
Bois
.
”
Lemercier’s
coupe
stopped
beside
the
footpath
.
“
What
tidings
of
the
Belle
Inconnue
?
”
asked
the
Englishman
.
“
None
;
she
was
not
there
.
But
I
am
rewarded
:
such
an
adventure
!
a
dame
of
the
haute
volee
;
I
believe
she
is
a
duchess
.
She
was
walking
with
a
lap-dog
,
a
pure
Pomeranian
.
A
strange
poodle
flew
at
the
Pomeranian
,
I
drove
off
the
poodle
,
rescued
the
Pomeranian
,
received
the
most
gracious
thanks
,
the
sweetest
smile
:
femme
superbe
,
middle
aged
.
I
prefer
women
of
forty
.
Au
revoir
,
I
am
due
at
the
club
.
”
Alain
felt
a
sensation
of
relief
that
Lemercier
had
not
seen
the
lady
in
the
pearl-coloured
dress
,
and
quitted
the
Englishman
with
a
lightened
heart
.
CHAPTER
IV
.
“
Piccola
,
piccola
!
com
e
cortese
!
another
invitation
from
M
.
Louvier
for
next
Saturday
,
—
conversazione
.
”
This
was
said
in
Italian
by
an
elderly
lady
bursting
noisily
into
the
room
,
—
elderly
,
yet
with
a
youthful
expression
of
face
,
owing
perhaps
to
a
pair
of
very
vivacious
black
eyes
.
She
was
dressed
,
after
a
somewhat
slatternly
fashion
,
in
a
wrapper
of
crimson
merino
much
the
worse
for
wear
,
a
blue
handkerchief
twisted
turban-like
round
her
head
,
and
her
feet
encased
in
list
slippers
.
The
person
to
whom
she
