tome
whether
she
marries
Gustave
Rameau
or
any
one
else
,
’
—
why
,
then
,
burn
this
letter
—
forget
that
it
has
been
written
;
and
may
you
never
know
the
pang
of
remorseful
sigh
,
if
,
in
the
days
to
come
,
you
see
her
—
whose
name
in
that
case
I
should
profane
did
I
repeat
it
—
the
comrade
of
another
man’s
mind
,
the
half
of
another
man’s
heart
,
the
pride
and
delight
of
another
man’s
blissful
home
.
”
CHAPTER
IV
.
There
is
somewhere
in
Lord
Lytton’s
writings
—
writings
so
numerous
that
I
may
be
pardoned
if
I
cannot
remember
where-a
critical
definition
of
the
difference
between
dramatic
and
narrative
art
of
story
,
instanced
by
that
marvellous
passage
in
the
loftiest
of
Sir
Walter
Scott’s
works
,
in
which
all
the
anguish
of
Ravenswood
on
the
night
before
he
has
to
meet
Lucy’s
brother
in
mortal
combat
is
conveyed
without
the
spoken
words
required
in
tragedy
.
It
is
only
to
be
conjectured
by
the
tramp
of
his
heavy
boots
to
and
fro
all
the
night
long
in
his
solitary
chamber
,
heard
below
by
the
faithful
Caleb
.
The
drama
could
not
have
allowed
that
treatment
;
the
drama
must
have
put
into
words
,
as
“
soliloquy
,
”
agonies
which
the
non-dramatic
narrator
knows
that
no
soliloquy
can
describe
.
Humbly
do
I
imitate
,
then
,
the
great
master
of
narrative
in
declining
to
put
into
words
the
conflict
between
love
and
reason
that
tortured
the
heart
of
Graham
Vane
when
,
dropping
noiselessly
the
letter
I
have
just
transcribed
,
he
covered
his
face
with
his
hands
and
remained
—
I
know
not
how
long
—
in
the
same
position
,
his
head
bowed
,
not
a
sound
escaping
from
his
lips
.
He
did
not
stir
from
his
rooms
that
day
;
and
had
there
been
a
Caleb’s
faithful
ear
to
listen
,
his
tread
,
too
,
might
have
been
heard
all
that
sleepless
night
passing
to
and
fro
,
but
pausing
oft
,
along
his
solitary
floors
.
Possibly
love
would
have
borne
down
all
opposing
seasonings
,
doubts
,
and
prejudices
,
but
for
incidents
that
occurred
the
following
evening
.
On
that
evening
Graham
dined
en
famille
with
his
cousins
the
Altons
.
After
dinner
,
the
Duke
produced
the
design
for
a
cenotaph
inscribed
to
the
memory
of
his
aunt
,
Lady
Janet
King
,
which
he
proposed
to
place
in
the
family
chapel
at
Alton
.
“
I
know
,
”
said
the
Duke
,
kindly
,
“
you
would
wish
the
old
house
from
which
she
sprang
to
preserve
some
such
record
of
her
who
loved
you
as
her
son
;
and
even
putting
you
out
of
the
question
,
it
gratifies
me
to
attest
the
claim
of
our
family
to
a
daughter
who
continues
to
be
famous
for
her
goodness
,
and
made
the
goodness
so
lovable
that
envy
forgave
it
for
being
famous
.
It
was
a
pang
to
me
when
poor
Richard
King
decided
on
placing
her
tomb
among
strangers
;
but
in
conceding
his
rights
as
to
her
resting-place
,
I
retain
mine
to
her
name
,
—
Nostris
liberis
virtutis
exemplar
.
”
Graham
wrung
his
cousin’s
hand-he
could
not
speak
,
choked
by
suppressed
tears
.
The
Duchess
,
who
loved
and
honoured
Lady
Janet
almost
as
much
as
did
her
husband
,
fairly
sobbed
aloud
.
She
had
,
indeed
,
reason
for
grateful
memories
of
the
deceased
:
there
had
been
some
obstacles
to
her
marriage
with
the
man
who
had
won
her
heart
,
arising
from
political
differences
and
family
feuds
between
their
parents
,
which
the
gentle
meditation
of
Lady
Janet
had
smoothed
away
.
And
never
did
union
founded
on
mutual
and
ardent
love
more
belie
the
assertions
of
the
great
Bichat
(
esteemed
by
Dr.
Buckle
the
finest
intellect
which
practical
philosophy
has
exhibited
since
Aristotle
)
,
that
“
Love
is
a
sort
of
fever
which
does
not
last
beyond
two
years
,
”
than
that
between
those
eccentric
specimens
of
a
class
denounced
as
frivolous
and
artless
by
philosophers
,
English
and
French
,
who
have
certainly
never
heard
of
Bichat
.
When
the
emotion
the
Duke
had
exhibited
was
calmed
down
,
his
wife
pushed
towards
Graham
a
sheet
of
paper
,
inscribed
with
the
epitaph
composed
by
his
hand
.
“
Is
it
not
beautiful
,
”
she
said
,
falteringly
—
“
not
a
word
too
much
or
too
little
?
”
Graham
read
the
inscription
slowly
,
and
with
very
dimmed
eyes
.
It
deserved
the
praise
bestowed
on
it
;
for
the
Duke
,
though
a
shy
and
awkward
speaker
,
was
an
incisive
and
graceful
writer
.
Yet
,
in
his
innermost
self
,
Graham
shivered
when
he
read
that
epitaph
,
it
expressed
so
emphatically
the
reverential
nature
of
the
love
which
Lady
Janet
had
inspired
—
the
genial
influences
which
the
holiness
of
a
character
so
active
in
doing
good
had
diffused
around
it
.
It
brought
vividly
before
Graham
that
image
of
perfect
spotless
womanhood
.
And
a
voice
within
him
asked
,
“
Would
that
cenotaph
be
placed
amid
the
monuments
of
an
illustrious
lineage
if
the
secret
known
to
thee
could
transpire
?
What
though
the
lost
one
were
really
as
unsullied
by
sin
as
the
world
deems
,
would
the
name
now
treasured
as
an
heirloom
not
be
a
memory
of
gall
and
a
sound
of
shame
?
”
He
remained
so
silent
after
putting
down
the
inscription
,
that
the
Duke
said
modestly
:
“
My
dear
Graham
,
I
see
that
you
do
not
like
what
I
have
written
.
Your
pen
is
much
more
practised
than
mine
.
If
I
did
not
ask
you
to
compose
the
epitaph
,
it
was
because
I
thought
it
would
please
you
more
in
coming
,
as
a
spontaneous
tribute
due
to
her
,
from
the
representative
of
her
family
.
But
will
you
correct
my
sketch
,
or
give
me
another
according
to
your
own
ideas
?
”
“
I
see
not
a
word
to
alter
,
”
said
Graham
;
“
forgive
me
if
my
silence
wronged
my
emotion
;
the
truest
eloquence
is
that
which
holds
us
too
mute
for
applause
.
”
“
I
knew
you
would
like
it
.
Leopold
is
always
so
disposed
to
underrate
himself
,
”
said
the
duchess
,
whose
hand
was
resting
fondly
on
her
husband’s
shoulder
.
“
Epitaphs
are
so
difficult
to
write-especially
epitaphs
on
women
of
whom
in
life
the
least
said
the
better
.
Janet
was
the
only
woman
I
ever
knew
whom
one
could
praise
in
safety
.
”
“
Well
expressed
,
”
said
the
Duke
,
smiling
:
“
and
I
wish
you
would
make
that
safety
clear
to
some
lady
friends
of
yours
,
to
whom
it
might
serve
as
a
lesson
.
Proof
against
every
breath
of
scandal
herself
,
Janet
King
never
uttered
and
never
encouraged
one
ill-natured
word
against
another
.
But
I
am
afraid
,
my
dear
fellow
,
that
I
must
leave
you
to
a
tete-a-tete
with
Eleanor
.
You
know
that
I
must
be
at
the
House
this
evening
—
I
only
paired
till
half-past
nine
.
”
“
I
will
walk
down
to
the
House
with
you
,
if
you
are
going
on
foot
.
”
“
No
,
”
said
the
Duchess
;
“
you
must
resign
yourself
to
me
for
at
least
half
an
hour
.
I
was
looking
over
your
aunt’s
letters
to-day
,
and
I
found
one
which
I
wish
to
show
you
;
it
is
all
about
yourself
,
and
written
within
the
last
few
months
of
her
life
.
”
Here
she
put
her
arm
into
Graham’s
,
and
led
him
into
her
own
private
drawing-room
,
which
,
though
others
might
call
it
a
boudoir
,
she
dignified
by
the
name
of
her
study
.
The
Duke
remained
for
some
minutes
thoughtfully
leaning
his
arm
on
the
mantelpiece
.
It
was
no
unimportant
debate
in
the
Lords
that
night
,
and
on
a
subject
in
which
he
took
great
interest
,
and
the
details
of
which
he
had
thoroughly
mastered
.
He
had
been
requested
to
speak
,
if
only
a
few
words
,
for
his
high
character
and
his
reputation
for
good
sense
gave
weight
to
the
mere
utterance
of
his
opinion
.
But
though
no
one
had
more
moral
courage
in
action
,
the
Duke
had
a
terror
at
the
very
thought
of
addressing
an
audience
,
which
made
him
despise
himself
.
“
Ah
!
”
he
muttered
,
“
if
Graham
Vane
were
but
in
Parliament
,
I
could
trust
him
to
say
exactly
what
I
would
rather
be
swallowed
up
by
an
earthquake
than
stand
up
and
say
for
myself
.
But
now
he
has
got
money
he
seems
to
think
of
nothing
but
saving
it
.
”
CHAPTER
V.
The
letter
from
Lady
Janet
,
which
the
Duchess
took
from
the
desk
and
placed
in
Graham’s
hand
,
was
in
strange
coincidence
with
the
subject
that
for
the
last
twenty-four
hours
had
absorbed
his
thoughts
and
tortured
his
heart
.
Speaking
of
him
in
terms
of
affectionate
eulogy
,
the
writer
proceeded
to
confide
her
earnest
wish
that
he
should
not
longer
delay
that
change
in
life
which
,
concentrating
so
much
that
is
vague
in
the
desires
and
aspirations
of
man
,
leaves
his
heart
and
his
mind
,
made
serene
by
the
contentment
of
home
,
free
for
the
steadfast
consolidation
of
their
warmth
and
their
light
upon
the
ennobling
duties
that
unite
the
individual
to
his
race
.
“
There
is
no
one
,
”
wrote
Lady
Janet
,
“
whose
character
and
career
a
felicitous
choice
in
marriage
can
have
greater
influence
over
than
this
dear
adopted
son
of
mine
.
I
do
not
fear
that
in
any
case
he
will
be
liable
to
the
errors
of
his
brilliant
father
.
His
early
reverse
of
fortune
here
seems
to
me
one
of
those
blessings
which
Heaven
conceals
in
the
form
of
affliction
.
For
in
youth
,
the
genial
freshness
of
his
gay
animal
spirits
,
a
native
generosity
mingled
with
desire
of
display
and
thirst
for
applause
,
made
me
somewhat
alarmed
for
his
future
.
But
,
though
he
still
retains
these
attributes
of
character
,
they
are
no
longer
predominant
;
they
are
modified
and
chastened
.
He
has
learned
prudence
.
But
what
I
now
fear
most
for
him
is
that
which
he
does
not
show
in
the
world
,
which
neither
Leopold
nor
you
seem
to
detect
,
—
it
is
an
exceeding
sensitiveness
of
pride
.
I
know
not
how
else
to
describe
it
.
It
is
so
interwoven
with
the
highest
qualities
,
that
I
sometimes
dread
injury
to
them
could
it
be
torn
away
from
the
faultier
ones
which
it
supports
.
“
It
is
interwoven
with
that
lofty
independence
of
spirit
which
has
made
him
refuse
openings
the
most
alluring
to
his
ambition
;
it
communicates
a
touching
grandeur
to
his
self-denying
thrift
;
it
makes
him
so
tenacious
of
his
word
once
given
,
so
cautious
before
he
gives
it
.
Public
life
to
him
is
essential
;
without
it
he
would
be
incomplete
;
and
yet
I
sigh
to
think
that
whatever
success
he
may
achieve
in
it
will
be
attended
with
proportionate
pain
.
Calumny
goes
side
by
side
with
fame
,
and
courting
fame
as
a
man
,
he
is
as
thin-skinned
to
calumny
as
a
woman
.
“
The
wife
for
Graham
should
have
qualities
,
not
taken
individually
,
uncommon
in
English
wives
,
but
in
combination
somewhat
rare
.
“
She
must
have
mind
enough
to
appreciate
his
—
not
to
clash
with
it
.
She
must
be
fitted
with
sympathies
to
be
his
dearest
companion
,
his
confidante
in
the
hopes
and
fears
which
the
slightest
want
of
sympathy
would
make
him
keep
ever
afterwards
pent
within
his
breast
.
In
herself
worthy
of
distinction
,
she
must
merge
all
distinction
in
his
.
You
have
met
in
the
world
men
who
,
marrying
professed
beauties
,
or
professed
literary
geniuses
,
are
spoken
of
as
the
husband
of
the
beautiful
Mrs.
A
—
—
—
,
or
of
the
clever
Mrs.
B
—
—
—
-
:
can
you
fancy
Graham
Vane
in
the
reflected
light
of
one
of
those
husbands
?
I
trembled
last
year
when
I
thought
he
was
attracted
by
a
face
which
the
artists
raved
about
,
and
again
by
a
tongue
which
dropped
bons
mots
that
went
the
round
of
the
club
.
I
was
relieved
,
when
,
sounding
him
,
he
said
,
laughingly
,
‘No
,
dear
aunt
,
I
should
be
one
sore
from
head
to
foot
if
I
married
a
wife
that
was
talked
about
for
anything
but
goodness.’
“
No
,
—
Graham
Vane
will
have
pains
sharp
enough
if
he
live
to
be
talked
about
himself
.
But
that
tenderest
half
of
himself
,
the
bearer
of
the
name
he
would
make
,
and
for
the
dignity
of
which
he
alone
would
be
responsible
,
—
if
that
were
the
town
talk
,
he
would
curse
the
hour
he
gave
any
one
the
right
to
take
on
herself
his
man’s
burden
of
calumny
and
fame
.
I
know
not
which
I
should
pity
the
most
,
Graham
Vane
or
his
wife
.
“
Do
you
understand
me
,
dearest
Eleanor
?
No
doubt
you
do
so
far
,
that
you
comprehend
that
the
women
whom
men
most
admire
are
not
the
women
we
,
as
women
ourselves
,
would
wish
our
sons
or
brothers
to
marry
.
But
perhaps
you
do
not
comprehend
my
cause
of
fear
,
which
is
this
—
for
in
such
matters
men
do
not
see
as
we
women
do
—
Graham
abhors
,
in
the
girls
of
our
time
,
frivolity
and
insipidity
.
Very
rightly
,
you
will
say
.
True
,
but
then
he
is
too
likely
to
be
allured
by
contrasts
.
I
have
seen
him
attracted
by
the
very
girls
we
recoil
from
more
than
we
do
from
those
we
allow
to
be
frivolous
and
insipid
.
I
accused
him
of
admiration
for
a
certain
young
lady
whom
you
call
‘odious
,
’
and
whom
the
slang
that
has
come
into
vogue
calls
‘fast
;
’
and
I
was
not
satisfied
with
his
answer
,
‘Certainly
I
admire
her
;
she
is
not
a
doll
—
she
has
ideas.’
I
would
rather
of
the
two
see
Graham
married
to
what
men
call
a
doll
,
than
to
a
girl
with
ideas
which
are
distasteful
to
women
.
”
Lady
Janet
then
went
on
to
question
the
Duchess
about
a
Miss
Asterisk
,
with
whom
this
tale
will
have
nothing
to
do
,
but
who
,
from
the
little
which
Lady
Janet
had
seen
of
her
,
might
possess
all
the
requisites
that
fastidious
correspondent
would
exact
for
the
wife
of
her
adopted
son
.
This
Miss
Asterisk
had
been
introduced
into
the
London
world
by
the
Duchess
.
The
Duchess
had
replied
to
Lady
Janet
,
that
if
earth
could
be
ransacked
,
a
more
suitable
wife
for
Graham
Vane
than
Miss
Asterisk
could
not
be
found
;
she
was
well
born
—
an
heiress
;
the
estates
she
inherited
were
in
the
county
of
—
(
viz
.
,
the
county
in
which
the
ancestors
of
D’Altons
and
Vanes
had
for
centuries
established
their
whereabout
)
.
Miss
Asterisk
was
pretty
enough
to
please
any
man’s
eye
,
but
not
with
the
beauty
of
which
artists
rave
;
well
informed
enough
to
be
companion
to
a
well-informed
man
,
but
certainly
not
witty
enough
to
supply
bons
mots
to
the
clubs
.
Miss
Asterisk
was
one
of
those
women
of
whom
a
husband
might
be
proud
,
yet
with
whom
a
husband
would
feel
safe
from
being
talked
about
.
And
in
submitting
the
letter
we
have
read
to
Graham’s
eye
,
the
Duchess
had
the
cause
of
Miss
Asterisk
pointedly
in
view
.
Miss
Asterisk
had
confided
to
her
friend
,
that
,
of
all
men
she
had
seen
,
Mr.
Graham
Vane
was
the
one
she
would
feel
the
least
inclined
to
refuse
.
So
when
Graham
Vane
returned
the
letter
to
the
Duchess
,
simply
saying
,
“
How
well
my
dear
aunt
divined
what
is
weakest
in
me
!
”
the
Duchess
replied
quickly
,
“
Miss
Asterisk
dines
here
to-morrow
;
pray
come
;
you
would
like
her
if
you
knew
more
of
her
.
”
“
To-morrow
I
am
engaged
—
an
American
friend
of
mine
dines
with
me
;
but
‘tis
no
matter
,
for
I
shall
never
feel
more
for
Miss
Asterisk
than
I
feel
for
Mont
Blanc
.
”
CHAPTER
VI
.
On
leaving
his
cousin’s
house
Graham
walked
on
,
he
scarce
knew
or
cared
whither
,
the
image
of
the
beloved
dead
so
forcibly
recalled
the
solemnity
of
the
mission
with
which
he
had
been
intrusted
,
and
which
hitherto
he
had
failed
to
fulfil
.
What
if
the
only
mode
by
which
he
could
,
without
causing
questions
and
suspicions
that
might
result
in
dragging
to
day
the
terrible
nature
of
the
trust
he
held
,
enrich
the
daughter
of
Richard
King
,
repair
all
wrong
hitherto
done
to
her
,
and
guard
the
sanctity
of
Lady
Janet’s
home
,
—
should
be
in
that
union
which
Richard
King
had
commended
to
him
while
his
heart
was
yet
free
?
In
such
a
case
,
would
not
gratitude
to
the
dead
,
duty
to
the
living
,
make
that
union
imperative
at
whatever
sacrifice
of
happiness
to
himself
?
The
two
years
to
which
Richard
King
had
limited
the
suspense
of
research
were
not
yet
expired
.
Then
,
too
,
that
letter
of
Lady
Janet’s
,
—
so
tenderly
anxious
for
his
future
,
so
clear-sighted
as
to
the
elements
of
his
own
character
in
its
strength
or
its
infirmities
—
combined
with
graver
causes
to
withhold
his
heart
from
its
yearning
impulse
,
and
—
no
,
not
steel
it
against
Isaura
,
but
forbid
it
to
realise
,
in
the
fair
creature
and
creator
of
romance
,
his
ideal
of
the
woman
to
whom
an
earnest
,
sagacious
,
aspiring
man
commits
all
the
destinies
involved
in
the
serene
dignity
of
his
hearth
.
He
could
not
but
own
that
this
gifted
author
—
this
eager
seeker
after
fame
—
this
brilliant
and
bold
competitor
with
men
on
their
own
stormy
battle-ground-was
the
very
person
from
whom
Lady
Janet
would
have
warned
away
his
choice
.
She
(
Isaura
)
merge
her
own
distinctions
in
a
husband’s
;
—
she
leave
exclusively
to
him
the
burden
of
fame
and
calumny
!
—
she
shun
“
to
be
talked
about
!
”
she
who
could
feel
her
life
to
be
a
success
or
a
failure
,
according
to
the
extent
and
the
loudness
of
the
talk
which
it
courted
!
While
these
thoughts
racked
his
mind
,
a
kindly
hand
was
laid
on
his
arm
,
and
a
cheery
voice
accosted
him
.
“
Well
met
,
my
dear
Vane
!
I
see
we
are
bound
to
the
same
place
;
there
will
be
a
good
gathering
to-night
.
”
“
What
do
you
mean
,
Bevil
?
I
am
going
nowhere
,
except
to
my
own
quiet
rooms
.
”
“
Pooh
!
Come
in
here
at
least
for
a
few
minutes
,
”
—
and
Bevil
drew
him
up
to
the
door-step
of
a
house
close
by
,
where
,
on
certain
evenings
,
a
well-known
club
drew
together
men
who
seldom
meet
so
familiarly
elsewhere
—
men
of
all
callings
;
a
club
especially
favoured
by
wits
,
authors
,
and
the
flaneurs
of
polite
society
.
Graham
shook
his
head
,
about
to
refuse
,
when
Bevil
added
,
“
I
have
just
come
from
Paris
,
and
can
give
you
the
last
news
,
literary
,
political
,
and
social
.
By
the
way
,
I
saw
Savarin
the
other
night
at
the
Cicogna’s
—
he
introduced
me
there
.
”
Graham
winced
;
he
was
spelled
by
the
music
of
a
name
,
and
followed
his
acquaintance
into
the
crowded
room
,
and
,
after
returning
many
greetings
and
nods
,
withdrew
into
a
remote
corner
,
and
motioned
Bevil
to
a
seat
beside
him
.
“
So
you
met
Savarin
?
Where
,
did
you
say
?
”
“
At
the
house
of
the
new
lady-author
—
I
hate
the
word
authoress
—
Mademoiselle
Cicogna
!
Of
course
you
have
read
her
book
?
”
“
Yes
.
”
“
Full
of
fine
things
,
is
it
not
?
—
though
somewhat
highflown
and
sentimental
:
however
,
nothing
succeeds
like
success
.
No
book
has
been
more
talked
about
at
Paris
:
the
only
thing
more
talked
about
is
the
lady-author
herself
.
”
“
Indeed
,
and
how
?
”
“
She
doesn’t
look
twenty
,
a
mere
girl
—
of
that
kind
of
beauty
which
so
arrests
the
eye
that
you
pass
by
other
faces
to
gaze
on
it
,
and
the
dullest
stranger
would
ask
,
‘Who
,
and
what
is
she
?
’
A
girl
,
I
say
,
like
that
—
who
lives
as
independently
as
if
she
were
a
middle-aged
widow
,
receives
every
week
(
she
has
her
Thursdays
)
,
with
no
other
chaperon
than
an
old
ci-devant
Italian
singing
woman
,
dressed
like
a
guy
—
must
set
Parisian
tongues
into
play
even
if
she
had
not
written
the
crack
book
of
the
season
.
”
“
Mademoiselle
Cicogna
receives
on
Thursdays
,
—
no
harm
in
that
;
and
if
she
have
no
other
chaperon
than
the
Italian
lady
you
mention
,
it
is
because
Mademoiselle
Cicogna
is
an
orphan
,
and
having
a
fortune
,
such
as
it
is
,
of
her
own
,
I
do
not
see
why
she
should
not
live
as
independently
as
many
an
unmarried
woman
in
London
placed
under
similar
circumstances
.
I
suppose
she
receives
chiefly
persons
in
the
literary
or
artistic
world
,
and
if
they
are
all
as
respectable
as
the
Savarins
,
I
do
not
think
ill-nature
itself
could
find
fault
with
her
social
circle
.
”
“
Ah
!
you
know
the
Cicogna
,
I
presume
.
I
am
sure
I
did
not
wish
to
say
anything
that
could
offend
her
best
friends
,
only
I
do
think
it
is
a
pity
she
is
not
married
,
poor
girl
!
”
“
Mademoiselle
Cicogna
,
accomplished
,
beautiful
,
of
good
birth
(
the
Cicogna’s
rank
among
the
oldest
of
Lombard
families
)
,
is
not
likely
to
want
offers
.
”
“
Offers
of
marriage
,
—
h’m
—
well
,
I
dare
say
,
from
authors
and
artists
.
You
know
Paris
better
even
than
I
do
,
but
I
don’t
suppose
authors
and
artists
there
make
the
most
desirable
husbands
;
and
I
scarcely
know
a
marriage
in
France
between
a
man-author
and
lady-author
which
does
not
end
in
the
deadliest
of
all
animosities
—
that
of
wounded
amour
propre
.
Perhaps
the
man
admires
his
own
genius
too
much
to
do
proper
homage
to
his
wife’s
.
”
“
But
the
choice
of
Mademoiselle
Cicogna
need
not
be
restricted
to
the
pale
of
authorship
—
doubtless
she
has
many
admirers
beyond
that
quarrelsome
borderland
.
”
“
Certainly-countless
adorers
.
Enguerrand
de
Vandemar
—
you
know
that
diamond
of
dandies
?
”
“
Perfectly
—
is
he
an
admirer
?
”
“
Cela
va
sans
dire
—
he
told
me
that
though
she
was
not
the
handsomest
woman
in
Paris
,
all
other
women
looked
less
handsome
since
he
had
seen
her
.
But
,
of
course
,
French
lady-killers
like
Enguerrand
,
when
it
comes
to
marriage
,
leave
it
to
their
parents
to
choose
their
wives
and
arrange
the
terms
of
the
contract
.
Talking
of
lady-killers
,
I
beheld
amid
the
throng
at
Mademoiselle
Cicogna’s
the
ci-devant
Lovelace
whom
I
remember
some
twenty-three
years
ago
as
the
darling
of
wives
and
the
terror
of
husbands-Victor
de
Mauleon
.
”
“
Victor
de
Mauleon
at
Mademoiselle
Cicogna’s
!
—
what
,
is
that
man
restored
to
society
?
”
“
Ah
!
you
are
thinking
of
the
ugly
old
story
about
the
jewels
—
oh
,
yes
,
he
has
got
over
that
;
all
his
grand
relations
,
the
Vandemars
,
Beauvilliers
,
Rochebriant
,
and
others
,
took
him
by
the
hand
when
he
reappeared
at
Paris
last
year
;
and
though
I
believe
he
is
still
avoided
by
many
,
he
is
courted
by
still
more
—
and
avoided
,
I
fancy
,
rather
from
political
than
social
causes
.
The
Imperialist
set
,
of
course
,
execrate
and
prescribe
him
.
You
know
he
is
the
writer
of
those
biting
articles
signed
Pierre
Firmin
in
the
Sens
Commun
;
and
I
am
told
he
is
the
proprietor
of
that
very
clever
journal
,
which
has
become
a
power
.
”
“
So
,
so
—
that
is
the
journal
in
which
Mademoiselle
Cicogna’s
roman
first
appeared
.
So
,
so
—
Victor
de
Mauleon
one
of
her
associates
,
her
counsellor
and
friend
—
ah
!
”
“
No
,
I
didn’t
say
that
;
on
the
contrary
,
he
was
presented
to
her
the
first
time
the
evening
I
was
at
the
house
.
I
saw
that
young
silk-haired
coxcomb
,
Gustave
Rameau
,
introduce
him
to
her
.
You
don’t
perhaps
know
Rameau
,
editor
of
the
Sens
Commun
—
writes
poems
and
criticisms
.
They
say
he
is
a
Red
Republican
,
but
De
Mauleon
keeps
truculent
French
politics
subdued
if
not
suppressed
in
his
cynical
journal
.
Somebody
told
me
that
the
Cicogna
is
very
much
in
love
with
Rameau
;
certainly
he
has
a
handsome
face
of
his
own
,
and
that
is
the
reason
why
she
was
so
rude
to
the
Russian
Prince
X
—
—
-
.
”
“
How
rude
!
Did
the
Prince
propose
to
her
?
”
“
Propose
!
you
forget
—
he
is
married
.
Don’t
you
know
the
Princess
?
Still
there
are
other
kinds
of
proposals
than
those
of
marriage
which
a
rich
Russian
prince
may
venture
to
make
to
a
pretty
novelist
brought
up
for
the
stage
.
”
“
Bevil
!
”
cried
Graham
,
grasping
the
man’s
arm
fiercely
,
“
how
dare
you
?
”
“
My
dear
boy
,
”
said
Bevil
,
very
much
astonished
,
“
I
really
did
not
know
that
your
interest
in
the
young
lady
was
so
great
.
If
I
have
wounded
you
in
relating
a
mere
on
dit
picked
up
at
the
Jockey
Club
,
I
beg
you
a
thousand
pardons
.
I
dare
say
there
was
not
a
word
of
truth
in
it
.
”
“
Not
a
word
of
truth
,
you
may
be
sure
,
if
the
on
dit
was
injurious
to
Mademoiselle
Cicogna
.
It
is
true
,
I
have
a
strong
interest
in
her
;
any
man
—
any
gentleman
—
would
have
such
interest
in
a
girl
so
brilliant
and
seemingly
so
friendless
.
It
shames
one
of
human
nature
to
think
that
the
reward
which
the
world
makes
to
those
who
elevate
its
platitudes
,
brighten
its
dulness
,
delight
its
leisure
,
is
Slander
!
I
have
had
the
honour
to
make
the
acquaintance
of
this
lady
before
she
became
a
‘celebrity
,
’
and
I
have
never
met
in
my
paths
through
life
a
purer
heart
or
a
nobler
nature
.
What
is
the
wretched
on
dit
you
condescend
to
circulate
?
Permit
me
to
add
:
“
‘He
who
repeats
a
slander
shares
the
crime.’
”
“
Upon
my
honour
,
my
dear
Vane
,
”
said
Bevil
seriously
(
he
did
not
want
for
spirit
)
,
“
I
hardly
know
you
this
evening
.
It
is
not
because
duelling
is
out
of
fashion
that
a
man
should
allow
himself
to
speak
in
a
tone
that
gives
offence
to
another
who
intended
none
;
and
if
duelling
is
out
of
fashion
in
England
,
it
is
still
possible
in
France
.
—
Entre
nous
,
I
would
rather
cross
the
Channel
with
you
than
submit
to
language
that
conveys
unmerited
insult
.
”
Graham’s
cheek
,
before
ashen
pale
,
flushed
into
dark
red
.
“
I
understand
you
,
”
he
said
quietly
,
“
and
will
be
at
Boulogne
to-morrow
.
”
“
Graham
Vane
,
”
replied
Bevil
,
with
much
dignity
,
“
you
and
I
have
known
each
other
a
great
many
years
,
and
neither
of
us
has
cause
to
question
the
courage
of
the
other
;
but
I
am
much
older
than
yourself
—
permit
me
to
take
the
melancholy
advantage
of
seniority
.
A
duel
between
us
in
consequence
of
careless
words
said
about
a
lady
in
no
way
connected
with
either
,
would
be
a
cruel
injury
to
her
;
a
duel
on
grounds
so
slight
would
little
injure
me
—
a
man
about
town
,
who
would
not
sit
an
hour
in
the
House
of
Commons
if
you
paid
him
a
thousand
pounds
a
minute
.
But
you
,
Graham
Vane
—
you
whose
destiny
it
is
to
canvass
electors
and
make
laws
—
would
it
not
be
an
injury
to
you
to
be
questioned
at
the
hustings
why
you
broke
the
law
,
and
why
you
sought
another
man’s
life
?
Come
,
come
!
shake
hands
and
consider
all
that
seconds
,
if
we
chose
them
,
would
exact
,
is
said
,
every
affront
on
either
side
retracted
,
every
apology
on
either
side
made
.
”
“
Bevil
,
you
disarm
and
conquer
me
.
I
spoke
like
a
hotheaded
fool
;
forget
it
—
forgive
.
But
—
but
—
I
can
listen
calmly
now
—
what
is
that
on
dit
?
”
“
One
that
thoroughly
bears
out
your
own
very
manly
upholding
of
the
poor
young
orphan
,
whose
name
I
shall
never
again
mention
without
such
respect
as
would
satisfy
her
most
sensitive
champion
.
It
was
said
that
the
Prince
X
—
—
—
boasted
that
before
a
week
was
out
Mademoiselle
Cicogna
should
appear
in
his
carriage
at
the
Bois
de
Boulogne
,
and
wear
at
the
opera
diamonds
he
had
sent
to
her
;
that
this
boast
was
enforced
by
a
wager
,
and
the
terms
of
the
wager
compelled
the
Prince
to
confess
the
means
he
had
taken
to
succeed
,
and
produce
the
evidence
that
he
had
lost
or
won
.
According
to
this
on
dit
,
the
Prince
had
written
to
Mademoiselle
Cicogna
,
and
the
letter
had
been
accompanied
by
a
parure
that
cost
him
half
a
million
of
francs
;
that
the
diamonds
had
been
sent
back
with
a
few
words
of
such
scorn
as
a
queen
might
address
to
an
upstart
lackey
.
But
,
my
dear
Vane
,
it
is
a
mournful
position
for
the
girl
to
receive
such
offers
;
and
you
must
agree
with
me
in
wishing
she
were
safely
married
,
even
to
Monsieur
Rameau
,
coxcomb
though
he
be
.
Let
us
hope
that
they
will
be
an
exception
to
French
authors
,
male
and
female
,
in
general
,
and
live
like
turtle-doves
.
”
CHAPTER
VII
.
A
few
days
after
the
date
of
the
last
chapter
,
Colonel
Morley
returned
to
Paris
.
He
had
dined
with
Graham
at
Greenwich
,
had
met
him
afterwards
in
society
,
and
paid
him
a
farewell
visit
on
the
day
before
the
Colonel’s
departure
;
but
the
name
of
Isaura
Cicogna
had
not
again
been
uttered
by
either
.
Morley
was
surprised
that
his
wife
did
not
question
him
minutely
as
to
the
mode
in
which
he
had
executed
her
delicate
commission
,
and
the
manner
as
well
as
words
with
which
Graham
had
replied
to
his
“
ventilations
.
”
But
his
Lizzy
cut
him
short
when
he
began
his
recital
:
“
I
don’t
want
to
hear
anything
more
about
the
man
.
He
has
thrown
away
a
prize
richer
than
his
ambition
will
ever
gain
,
even
if
it
gained
him
a
throne
.
”
“
That
it
can’t
gain
him
in
the
old
country
.
The
people
are
loyal
to
the
present
dynasty
,
whatever
you
may
be
told
to
the
contrary
.
”
“
Don’t
be
so
horribly
literal
,
Frank
;
that
subject
is
done
with
.
How
was
the
Duchess
of
—
—
—
dressed
?
”
But
when
the
Colonel
had
retired
to
what
the
French
call
the
cabinet
de
traivail
—
and
which
he
more
accurately
termed
his
“
smoke
den
”
—
and
there
indulged
in
the
cigar
which
,
despite
his
American
citizenship
,
was
forbidden
in
the
drawing-room
of
the
tyrant
who
ruled
his
life
,
Mrs.
Morley
took
from
her
desk
a
letter
received
three
days
before
,
and
brooded
over
it
intently
,
studying
every
word
.
When
she
had
thus
reperused
it
,
her
tears
fell
upon
the
page
.
“
Poor
Isaura
!
”
she
muttered
—
“
poor
Isaura
!
I
know
she
loves
him
—
and
how
deeply
a
nature
like
hers
can
love
!
But
I
must
break
it
to
her
.
If
I
did
not
,
she
would
remain
nursing
a
vain
dream
,
and
refuse
every
chance
of
real
happiness
for
the
sake
of
nursing
it
.
”
Then
she
mechanically
folded
up
the
letter
—
I
need
not
say
it
was
from
Graham
Vane
—
restored
it
to
the
desk
,
and
remained
musing
till
the
Colonel
looked
in
at
the
door
and
said
peremptorily
,
“
Very
late
—
come
to
bed
.
”
The
next
day
Madame
Savarin
called
on
Isaura
.
“
Chere
enfant
,
”
said
she
,
“
I
have
bad
news
for
you
.
Poor
Gustave
is
very
ill
—
an
attack
of
the
lungs
and
fever
;
you
know
how
delicate
he
is
.
”
“
I
am
sincerely
grieved
,
”
said
Isaura
,
in
earnest
tender
tones
;
“
it
must
be
a
very
sudden
attack
:
he
was
here
last
Thursday
.
”
“
The
malady
only
declared
itself
yesterday
morning
,
but
surely
you
must
have
observed
how
ill
he
has
been
looking
for
several
days
past
?
It
pained
me
to
see
him
.
”
“
I
did
not
notice
any
change
in
him
,
”
said
Isaura
,
somewhat
conscience-stricken
.
Wrapt
in
her
own
happy
thoughts
,
she
would
not
have
noticed
change
in
faces
yet
more
familiar
to
her
than
that
of
her
young
admirer
.
“
Isaura
,
”
said
Madame
Savarin
,
“
I
suspect
there
are
moral
causes
for
our
friend’s
failing
health
.
Why
should
I
disguise
my
meaning
?
You
know
well
how
madly
he
is
in
love
with
you
,
and
have
you
denied
him
hope
?
”
“
I
like
M
.
Rameau
as
a
friend
;
I
admire
him
—
at
times
I
pity
him
.
”
“
Pity
is
akin
to
love
.
”
“
I
doubt
the
truth
of
that
saying
,
at
all
events
as
you
apply
it
now
.
I
could
not
love
M
.
Rameau
;
I
never
gave
him
cause
to
think
I
could
.
”
“
I
wish
for
both
your
sakes
that
you
could
make
me
a
different
answer
;
for
his
sake
,
because
,
knowing
his
faults
and
failings
,
I
am
persuaded
that
they
would
vanish
in
a
companionship
so
pure
,
so
elevating
as
yours
:
you
could
make
him
not
only
so
much
happier
but
so
much
better
a
man
.
Hush
!
let
me
go
on
,
let
me
come
to
yourself
,
—
I
say
for
your
sake
I
wish
it
.
Your
pursuits
,
your
ambition
,
are
akin
to
his
;
you
should
not
marry
one
who
could
not
sympathise
with
you
in
these
.
If
you
did
,
he
might
either
restrict
the
exercise
of
your
genius
or
be
chafed
at
its
display
.
The
only
authoress
I
ever
knew
whose
married
lot
was
serenely
happy
to
the
last
,
was
the
greatest
of
English
poetesses
married
to
a
great
English
poet
.
You
cannot
,
you
ought
not
,
to
devote
yourself
to
the
splendid
career
to
which
your
genius
irresistibly
impels
you
,
without
that
counsel
,
that
support
,
that
protection
,
which
a
husband
alone
can
give
.
My
dear
child
,
as
the
wife
myself
of
a
man
of
letters
,
and
familiarised
to
all
the
gossip
,
all
the
scandal
,
to
which
they
who
give
their
names
to
the
public
are
exposed
,
I
declare
that
if
I
had
a
daughter
who
inherited
Savarin’s
talents
,
and
was
ambitious
of
attaining
to
his
renown
,
I
would
rather
shut
her
up
in
a
convent
than
let
her
publish
a
book
that
was
in
every
one’s
hands
until
she
had
sheltered
her
name
under
that
of
a
husband
;
and
if
I
say
this
of
my
child
,
with
a
father
so
wise
in
the
world’s
ways
,
and
so
popularly
respected
as
my
bon
homme
,
what
must
I
feel
to
be
essential
to
your
safety
,
poor
stranger
in
our
land
!
poor
solitary
orphan
!
with
no
other
advice
or
guardian
than
the
singing
mistress
whom
you
touchingly
call
‘Madre
!
’
I
see
how
I
distress
and
pain
you
—
I
cannot
help
it
.
Listen
!
The
other
evening
Savarin
came
back
from
his
favourite
cafe
in
a
state
of
excitement
that
made
me
think
he
came
to
announce
a
revolution
.
It
was
about
you
;
he
stormed
,
he
wept
—
actually
wept
—
my
philosophical
laughing
Savarin
.
He
had
just
heard
of
that
atrocious
wager
made
by
a
Russian
barbarian
.
Every
one
praised
you
for
the
contempt
with
which
you
had
treated
the
savage’s
insolence
.
But
that
you
should
have
been
submitted
to
such
an
insult
without
one
male
friend
who
had
the
right
to
resent
and
chastise
it
,
—
you
cannot
think
how
Savarin
was
chafed
and
galled
.
You
know
how
he
admires
,
but
you
cannot
guess
how
he
reveres
you
;
and
since
then
he
says
to
me
every
day
:
‘That
girl
must
not
remain
single
.
Better
marry
any
man
who
has
a
heart
to
defend
a
wife’s
honour
and
the
nerve
to
fire
a
pistol
:
every
Frenchman
has
those
qualifications
!
’
”
Here
Isaura
could
no
longer
restrain
her
emotions
;
she
burst
into
sobs
so
vehement
,
so
convulsive
,
that
Madame
Savarin
became
alarmed
;
but
when
she
attempted
to
embrace
and
soothe
her
,
Isaura
recoiled
with
a
visible
shudder
,
and
gasping
out
,
“
Cruel
,
cruel
!
”
turned
to
the
door
,
and
rushed
to
her
own
room
.
A
few
minutes
afterwards
a
maid
entered
the
salon
with
a
message
to
Madame
Savarin
that
Mademoiselle
was
so
unwell
that
she
must
beg
Madame
to
excuse
her
return
to
the
salon
.
Later
in
the
day
Mrs.
Morley
called
,
but
Isaura
would
not
see
her
.
Meanwhile
poor
Rameau
was
stretched
on
his
sick-bed
,
and
in
sharp
struggle
between
life
and
death
.
It
is
difficult
to
disentangle
,
one
by
one
,
all
the
threads
in
a
nature
so
complex
as
Rameau’s
;
but
if
we
may
hazard
a
conjecture
,
the
grief
of
disappointed
love
was
not
the
immediate
cause
of
his
illness
,
and
yet
it
had
much
to
do
with
it
.
The
goad
of
Isaura’s
refusal
had
driven
him
into
seeking
distraction
in
excesses
which
a
stronger
frame
could
not
have
courted
with
impunity
.
The
man
was
thoroughly
Parisian
in
many
things
,
but
especially
in
impatience
of
any
trouble
.
Did
love
trouble
him
—
love
could
be
drowned
in
absinthe
;
and
too
much
absinthe
may
be
a
more
immediate
cause
of
congested
lungs
than
the
love
which
the
absinthe
had
lulled
to
sleep
.
His
bedside
was
not
watched
by
hirelings
.
When
first
taken
thus
ill
—
too
ill
to
attend
to
his
editorial
duties
—
information
was
conveyed
to
the
publisher
of
the
Sens
Commun
,
and
in
consequence
of
that
information
,
Victor
de
Mauleon
came
to
see
the
sick
man
.
By
his
bed
he
found
Savarin
,
who
had
called
,
as
it
were
by
chance
,
and
seen
the
doctor
,
who
had
said
,
“
It
is
grave
.
He
must
be
well
nursed
.
”
Savarin
whispered
to
De
Mauleon
,
“
Shall
we
call
in
a
professional
nurse
,
or
a
soeur
de
charite
?
”
De
Mauleon
replied
,
also
in
a
whisper
,
“
Somebody
told
me
that
the
man
had
a
mother
.
”
It
was
true
—
Savarin
had
forgotten
it
.
Rameau
never
mentioned
his
parents
—
he
was
not
proud
of
them
.
They
belonged
to
a
lower
class
of
the
bourgeoisie
,
retired
shopkeepers
,
and
a
Red
Republican
is
sworn
to
hate
of
the
bourgeoisie
,
high
or
low
;
while
a
beautiful
young
author
pushing
his
way
into
the
Chaussee
d’Antin
does
not
proclaim
to
the
world
that
his
parents
had
sold
hosiery
in
the
Rue
St.
Denis
.
Nevertheless
Savarin
knew
that
Rameau
had
such
parents
still
living
,
and
took
the
hint
.
Two
hours
afterwards
Rameau
was
leaning
his
burning
forehead
on
his
mother’s
breast
.
The
next
morning
the
doctor
said
to
the
mother
,
“
You
are
worth
ten
of
me
.
If
you
can
stay
here
we
shall
pull
him
through
.
”
“
Stay
here
!
—
my
own
boy
!
”
cried
indignantly
the
poor
mother
.
CHAPTER
VIII
.
The
day
which
had
inflicted
on
Isaura
so
keen
an
anguish
was
marked
by
a
great
trial
in
the
life
of
Alain
de
Rochebriant
.
In
the
morning
he
received
the
notice
“
of
un
commandement
tendant
a
saisie
immobiliere
,
”
on
the
part
of
his
creditor
,
M
.
Louvier
;
in
plain
English
,
an
announcement
that
his
property
at
Rochebriant
would
be
put
up
to
public
sale
on
a
certain
day
,
in
case
all
debts
due
to
the
mortgagee
were
not
paid
before
.
An
hour
afterwards
came
a
note
from
Duplessis
stating
that
“
he
had
returned
from
Bretagne
on
the
previous
evening
,
and
would
be
very
happy
to
see
the
Marquis
de
Rochebriant
before
two
o’clock
,
if
not
inconvenient
to
call
.
”
Alain
put
the
“
commandement
”
into
his
pocket
,
and
repaired
to
the
Hotel
Duplessis
.
The
financier
received
him
with
very
cordial
civility
.
Then
he
began
:
“
I
am
happy
to
say
I
left
your
excellent
aunt
in
very
good
health
.
She
honoured
the
letter
of
introduction
to
her
which
I
owe
to
your
politeness
with
the
most
amiable
hospitalities
;
she
insisted
on
my
removing
from
the
auberge
at
which
I
first
put
up
and
becoming
a
guest
under
your
venerable
roof-tree
—
a
most
agreeable
lady
,
and
a
most
interesting
chateau
.
”
“
I
fear
your
accommodation
was
in
striking
contrast
to
your
comforts
at
Paris
;
my
chateau
is
only
interesting
to
an
antiquarian
enamoured
of
ruins
.
”
“
Pardon
me
,
‘ruins’
is
an
exaggerated
expression
.
I
do
not
say
that
the
chateau
does
not
want
some
repairs
,
but
they
would
not
be
costly
;
the
outer
walls
are
strong
enough
to
defy
time
for
centuries
to
come
,
and
a
few
internal
decorations
and
some
modern
additions
of
furniture
would
make
the
old
manoir
a
home
fit
for
a
prince
.
I
have
been
over
the
whole
estate
,
too
,
with
the
worthy
M
.
Hebert
,
—
a
superb
property
.
”
“
Which
M
.
Louvier
appears
to
appreciate
,
”
said
Alain
,
with
a
somewhat
melancholy
smile
,
extending
to
Duplessis
the
menacing
notice
.
Duplessis
glanced
at
it
,
and
said
drily
:
“
M
.
Louvier
knows
what
he
is
about
.
But
I
think
we
had
better
put
an
immediate
stop
to
formalities
which
must
be
painful
to
a
creditor
so
benevolent
.
I
do
not
presume
to
offer
to
pay
the
interest
due
on
the
security
you
can
give
for
the
repayment
.
If
you
refused
that
offer
from
so
old
a
friend
as
Lemercier
,
of
course
you
could
not
accept
it
from
me
.
I
make
another
proposal
,
to
which
you
can
scarcely
object
.
I
do
not
like
to
give
my
scheming
rival
on
the
Bourse
the
triumph
of
so
profoundly
planned
a
speculation
.
Aid
me
to
defeat
him
.
Let
me
take
the
mortgage
on
myself
,
and
become
sole
mortgagee
—
hush
!
—
on
this
condition
,
—
that
there
should
be
an
entire
union
of
interests
between
us
two
;
that
I
should
be
at
liberty
to
make
the
improvements
I
desire
,
and
when
the
improvements
be
made
,
there
should
be
a
fair
arrangement
as
to
the
proportion
of
profits
due
to
me
as
mortgagee
and
improver
,
to
you
as
original
owner
.
Attend
,
my
dear
Marquis
,
—
I
am
speaking
as
a
mere
man
of
business
.
I
see
my
way
to
adding
more
than
a
third
,
I
might
even
say
a
half
—
to
the
present
revenues
of
Rochbriant
.
The
woods
have
been
sadly
neglected
,
drainage
alone
would
add
greatly
to
their
produce
.
Your
orchards
might
be
rendered
magnificent
supplies
to
Paris
with
better
cultivation
.
Lastly
,
I
would
devote
to
building
purposes
or
to
market
gardens
all
the
lands
round
the
two
towns
of
—
—
—
and
—
—
—
—
-
.
I
think
I
can
lay
my
hands
on
suitable
speculators
for
these
last
experiments
.
In
a
word
,
though
the
market
value
of
Rochebriant
,
as
it
now
stands
,
would
not
be
equivalent
to
the
debt
on
it
,
in
five
or
six
years
it
could
be
made
worth
—
well
,
I
will
not
say
how
much
—
but
we
shall
be
both
well
satisfied
with
the
result
.
Meanwhile
,
if
you
allow
me
to
find
purchasers
for
your
timber
,
and
if
you
will
not
suffer
the
Chevalier
de
Finisterre
to
regulate
your
expenses
,
you
need
have
no
fear
that
the
interest
due
to
me
will
not
be
regularly
paid
,
even
though
I
shall
be
compelled
,
for
the
first
year
or
two
at
least
,
to
ask
a
higher
rate
of
interest
than
Louvier
exacted
—
say
a
quarter
per
cent
.
more
;
and
in
suggesting
that
,
you
will
comprehend
that
this
is
now
a
matter
of
business
between
us
,
and
not
of
friendship
.
”
Alain
turned
his
head
aside
to
conceal
his
emotion
,
and
then
,
with
the
quick
affectionate
impulse
of
the
genuine
French
nature
,
threw
himself
on
the
financier’s
breast
and
kissed
him
on
both
cheeks
.
“
You
save
me
!
you
save
the
home
and
the
tombs
of
my
ancestors
!
Thank
you
I
cannot
;
but
I
believe
in
God
—
I
pray
—
I
will
pray
for
you
as
for
a
father
;
and
if
ever
,
”
he
hurried
on
in
broken
words
,
“
I
am
mean
enough
to
squander
on
idle
luxuries
one
franc
that
I
should
save
for
the
debt
due
to
you
,
chide
me
as
a
father
would
chide
a
graceless
son
.
”
Moved
as
Alain
was
,
Duplessis
was
moved
yet
more
deeply
.
“
What
father
would
not
be
proud
of
such
a
son
?
Ah
,
if
I
had
such
a
one
!
”
he
said
softly
.
Then
,
quickly
recovering
his
wonted
composure
,
he
added
,
with
the
sardonic
smile
which
often
chilled
his
friends
and
alarmed
his
foes
,
“
Monsieur
Louvier
is
about
to
pass
that
which
I
ventured
to
promise
him
,
a
‘mauvais
quart-d’heure.’
Lend
me
that
commandement
tendant
a
saisie
.
I
must
be
off
to
my
avoue
with
instructions
.
If
you
have
no
better
engagement
,
pray
dine
with
me
to-day
and
accompany
Valerie
and
myself
to
the
opera
.
”
I
need
not
say
that
Alain
accepted
the
invitation
.
How
happy
Valerie
was
that
evening
!
CHAPTER
IX
.
The
next
day
Duplessis
was
surprised
by
a
visit
from
M
.
Louvier
—
that
magnate
of
millionaires
had
never
before
set
foot
in
the
house
of
his
younger
and
less
famous
rival
.
The
burly
man
entered
the
room
with
a
face
much
flushed
,
and
with
more
than
his
usual
mixture
of
jovial
brusquerie
and
opulent
swagger
.
“
Startled
to
see
me
,
I
dare
say
,
”
began
Louvier
,
as
soon
as
the
door
was
closed
.
“
I
have
this
morning
received
a
communication
from
your
agent
containing
a
cheque
for
the
interest
due
to
me
from
M
.
Rochebriant
,
and
a
formal
notice
of
your
intention
to
pay
off
the
principal
on
behalf
of
that
popinjay
prodigal
.
Though
we
two
have
not
hitherto
been
the
best
friends
in
the
world
,
I
thought
it
fair
to
a
man
in
your
station
to
come
to
you
direct
and
say
,
‘Cher
confrere
,
what
swindler
has
bubbled
you
?
You
don’t
know
the
real
condition
of
this
Breton
property
,
or
you
would
never
so
throw
away
your
millions
.
The
property
is
not
worth
the
mortgage
I
have
on
it
by
30
,
000
louis
.
”
“
Then
,
M
.
Louvier
,
you
will
be
30
,
000
louis
the
richer
if
I
take
the
mortgage
off
your
hands
.
”
“
I
can
afford
the
loss
—
no
offence
—
better
than
you
can
;
and
I
may
have
fancies
which
I
don’t
mind
paying
for
,
but
which
cannot
influence
another
.
See
,
I
have
brought
with
me
the
exact
schedule
of
all
details
respecting
this
property
.
You
need
not
question
their
accuracy
;
they
have
been
arranged
by
the
Marquis’s
own
agents
,
M
.
Gandrin
and
M
.
Hebert
.
They
contain
,
you
will
perceive
,
every
possible
item
of
revenue
,
down
to
an
apple-tree
.
Now
,
look
at
that
,
and
tell
me
if
you
are
justified
in
lending
such
a
sum
on
such
a
property
.
”
“
Thank
you
very
much
for
an
interest
in
my
affairs
that
I
scarcely
ventured
to
expect
M
.
Louvier
to
entertain
;
but
I
see
that
I
have
a
duplicate
of
this
paper
,
furnished
to
me
very
honestly
by
M
.
Hebert
himself
.
Besides
,
I
,
too
,
have
fancies
which
I
don’t
mind
paying
for
,
and
among
them
may
be
a
fancy
for
the
lands
of
Rochebriant
.
”
“
Look
you
,
Duplessis
,
when
a
man
like
me
asks
a
favour
,
you
may
be
sure
that
he
has
the
power
to
repay
it
.
Let
me
have
my
whim
here
,
and
ask
anything
you
like
from
me
in
return
!
”
“
Desole
not
to
oblige
you
,
but
this
has
become
not
only
a
whim
of
mine
,
but
a
matter
of
honour
;
and
honour
you
know
,
my
dear
M
.
Louvier
,
is
the
first
principle
of
sound
finance
.
I
have
myself
,
after
careful
inspection
of
the
Rochebriant
property
,
volunteered
to
its
owner
to
advance
the
money
to
pay
off
your
hypotheque
;
and
what
would
be
said
on
the
Bourse
if
Lucien
Duplessis
failed
in
an
obligation
?
”
“
I
think
I
can
guess
what
will
one
day
be
said
of
Lucien
Duplessis
if
he
make
an
irrevocable
enemy
of
Paul
Louvier
.
Corbleu
!
mon
cher
,
a
man
of
thrice
your
capital
,
who
watched
every
speculation
of
yours
with
a
hostile
eye
,
might
some
beau
jour
make
even
you
a
bankrupt
!
”
“
Forewarned
,
forearmed
!
”
replied
Duplessis
,
imperturbably
,
“
Fas
est
ab
hoste
doceri
,
—
I
mean
,
‘It
is
right
to
be
taught
by
an
enemy
;
’
and
I
never
remember
the
day
when
you
were
otherwise
,
and
yet
I
am
not
a
bankrupt
,
though
I
receive
you
in
a
house
which
,
thanks
to
you
,
is
so
modest
in
point
of
size
!
”
“
Bah
!
that
was
a
mistake
of
mine
,
—
and
,
ha
!
ha
!
you
had
your
revenge
there
—
that
forest
!
”
“
Well
,
as
a
peace
offering
,
I
will
give
you
up
the
forest
,
and
content
my
ambition
as
a
landed
proprietor
with
this
bad
speculation
of
Rochebriant
!
”
“
Confound
the
forest
,
I
don’t
care
for
it
now
!
I
can
sell
my
place
for
more
than
it
has
cost
me
to
one
of
your
imperial
favourites
.
Build
a
palace
in
your
forest
.
Let
me
have
Rochebriant
,
and
name
your
terms
.
”
“
A
thousand
pardons
!
but
I
have
already
had
the
honour
to
inform
you
,
that
I
have
contracted
an
obligation
which
does
not
allow
me
to
listen
to
terms
.
”
As
a
serpent
,
that
,
after
all
crawlings
and
windings
,
rears
itself
on
end
,
Louvier
rose
,
crest
erect
:
“
So
then
it
is
finished
.
I
came
here
disposed
to
offer
peace
—
you
refuse
,
and
declare
war
.
”
“
Not
at
all
,
I
do
not
declare
war
;
I
accept
it
if
forced
on
me
.
”
“
Is
that
your
last
word
,
M
.
Duplessis
?
”
“
Monsieur
Louvier
,
it
is
.
”
“
Bon
jour
!
”
And
Louvier
strode
to
the
door
;
here
he
paused
:
“
Take
a
day
to
consider
.
”
“
Not
a
moment
.
”
“
Your
servant
,
Monsieur
,
—
your
very
humble
servant
.
”
Louvier
vanished
.
Duplessis
leaned
his
large
thoughtful
forehead
on
his
thin
nervous
hand
.
“
This
loan
will
pinch
me
,
”
he
muttered
.
“
I
must
be
very
wary
now
with
such
a
foe
.
Well
,
why
should
I
care
to
be
rich
?
Valerie’s
dot
,
Valerie’s
happiness
,
are
secured
.
”
CHAPTER
X
.
Madame
Savarin
wrote
a
very
kind
and
very
apologetic
letter
to
Isaura
,
but
no
answer
was
returned
to
it
.
Madame
Savarin
did
not
venture
to
communicate
to
her
husband
the
substance
of
a
conversation
which
had
ended
so
painfully
.
He
had
,
in
theory
,
a
delicacy
of
tact
,
which
,
if
he
did
not
always
exhibit
it
in
practice
,
made
him
a
very
severe
critic
of
its
deficiency
in
others
.
Therefore
,
unconscious
of
the
offence
given
,
he
made
a
point
of
calling
at
Isaura’s
apartments
,
and
leaving
word
with
her
servant
that
“
he
was
sure
she
would
be
pleased
to
hear
M
.
Rameau
was
somewhat
better
,
though
still
in
danger
.
”
It
was
not
till
the
third
day
after
her
interview
with
Madame
Savarin
that
Isaura
left
her
own
room
,
—
she
did
so
to
receive
Mrs.
Morley
.
The
fair
American
was
shocked
to
see
the
change
in
Isaura’s
countenance
.
She
was
very
pale
,
and
with
that
indescribable
appearance
of
exhaustion
which
betrays
continued
want
of
sleep
;
her
soft
eyes
were
dim
,
the
play
of
her
lips
was
gone
,
her
light
step
weary
and
languid
.
“
My
poor
darling
!
”
cried
Mrs.
Morley
,
embracing
her
,
“
you
have
indeed
been
ill
!
What
is
the
matter
?
—
who
attends
you
?
”
“
I
need
no
physician
,
it
was
but
a
passing
cold
—
the
air
of
Paris
is
very
trying
.
Never
mind
me
,
dear
—
what
is
the
last
news
?
”
Therewith
Mrs.
Morley
ran
glibly
through
the
principal
topics
of
the
hour
:
the
breach
threatened
between
M
.
Ollivier
and
his
former
liberal
partisans
;
the
tone
unexpectedly
taken
by
M
.
de
Girardin
;
the
speculations
as
to
the
result
of
the
trial
of
the
alleged
conspirators
against
the
Emperor’s
life
,
which
was
fixed
to
take
place
towards
the
end
of
that
month
of
June
,
—
all
matters
of
no
slight
importance
to
the
interests
of
an
empire
.
Sunk
deep
into
the
recesses
of
her
fauteuil
,
Isaura
seemed
to
listen
quietly
,
till
,
when
a
pause
came
,
she
said
in
cold
clear
tones
:
“
And
Mr.
Graham
Vane
—
he
has
refused
your
invitation
?
”
“
I
am
sorry
to
say
he
has
—
he
is
so
engaged
in
London
.
”
“
I
knew
he
had
refused
,
”
said
Isaura
,
with
a
low
bitter
laugh
.
“
How
?
who
told
you
?
”
“
My
own
good
sense
told
me
.
One
may
have
good
sense
,
though
one
is
a
poor
scribbler
.
”
“
Don’t
talk
in
that
way
;
it
is
beneath
you
to
angle
for
compliments
.
”
“
Compliments
,
ah
!
And
so
Mr.
Vane
has
refused
to
come
to
Paris
;
never
mind
,
he
will
come
next
year
.
I
shall
not
be
in
Paris
then
.
Did
Colonel
Morley
see
Mr.
Vane
?
”
“
Oh
,
yes
;
two
or
three
times
.
”
“
He
is
well
?
”
“
Quite
well
,
I
believe
—
at
least
Frank
did
not
say
to
the
contrary
;
but
,
from
what
I
hear
,
he
is
not
the
person
I
took
him
for
.
Many
people
told
Frank
that
he
is
much
changed
since
he
came
into
his
fortune
—
is
grown
very
stingy
,
quite
miserly
indeed
;
declines
even
a
seat
in
Parliament
because
of
the
expense
.
It
is
astonishing
how
money
does
spoil
a
man
.
”
“
He
had
come
into
his
fortune
when
he
was
here
.
Money
had
not
spoiled
him
then
.
”
Isaura
paused
,
pressing
her
hands
tightly
together
;
then
she
suddenly
rose
to
her
feet
,
the
colour
on
her
cheek
mantling
and
receding
rapidly
,
and
fixing
on
her
startled
visitor
eyes
no
longer
dim
,
but
with
something
half
fierce
,
half
imploring
in
the
passion
of
their
gaze
,
said
:
“
Your
husband
spoke
of
me
to
Mr.
Vane
:
I
know
he
did
.
What
did
Mr.
Vane
answer
?
Do
not
evade
my
