tacheditscolumnsoftrunksanditsdarkgreencanopyveryclearlyagainsttherocksofthegreyhillside。Hekepthiseyesfixedonitsteadily，andsuckedatanorangeashewalked。Thattemperamentalgood-
humouredcoolnessinthefaceofdangerwhichhadmadehimanofficerlikedbyhismenandappreciatedbyhissuperiorswasgraduallyassertingitself。Itwaslikegoingintobattle。Arrivingattheedgeofthewoodhesatdownonaboulder，holdingtheotherorangeinhishand，andreproachedhimselfforcomingsoridiculouslyearlyontheground。Beforeverylong，however，heheardtheswishingofbushes，footstepsonthehardground，andthesoundsofadisjointed，loudconversation。Avoicesomewherebehindhimsaidboastfully，\"He\'sgameformybag。\"
Hethoughttohimself，\"Heretheyare。What\'sthisaboutgame?Aretheytalkingofme?\"Andbecom-
ingawareoftheotherorangeinhishand，hethoughtfurther，\"Theseareverygoodoranges。Leonie\'sowntree。Imayjustaswelleatthisorangenowinsteadofflingingitaway。\"
Emergingfromawildernessofrocksandbushes，GeneralFeraudandhissecondsdiscoveredGeneralD\'Hubertengagedinpeelingtheorange。Theystoodstill，waitingtillhelookedup。Thenthesecondsraisedtheirhats，whileGeneralFeraud，puttinghishandsbehindhisback，walkedasidealittleway。
\"Iamcompelledtoaskoneofyou，messieurs，toactforme。Ihavebroughtnofriends。Willyou?\"
Theone-eyedcuirassiersaidjudicially，\"Thatcannotberefused。\"
Theotherveteranremarked，\"It\'sawkwardallthesame。\"
\"Owingtothestateofthepeople\'smindsinthispartofthecountrytherewasnooneIcouldtrustsafelywiththeobjectofyourpresencehere，\"explainedGeneralD\'Hubert，urbanely。
Theysaluted，lookedround，andremarkedbothtogether:
\"Poorground。\"
\"It\'sunfit。\"
\"Whybotheraboutground，measurements，andsoon?Letussimplifymatters。Loadthetwopairsofpistols。IwilltakethoseofGeneralFeraud，andlethimtakemine。Or，betterstill，letustakeamixedpair。Oneofeachpair。Thenletusgointothewoodandshootatsight，whileyouremainoutside。Wedidnotcomehereforceremonies，butforwar——wartothedeath。Anygroundisgoodenoughforthat。IfIfall，youmustleavemewhereIlieandclearout。Itwouldn\'tbehealthyforyoutobefoundhangingabouthereafterthat。\"
ItappearedafterashortparleythatGeneralFeraudwaswillingtoaccepttheseconditions。Whilethesecondswereloadingthepistols，hecouldbeheardwhistling，andwasseentorubhishandswithperfectcontentment。Heflungoffhiscoatbriskly，andGeneralD\'Huberttookoffhisownandfoldeditcare-
fullyonastone。
\"Supposeyoutakeyourprincipaltotheothersideofthewoodandlethimenterexactlyintenminutesfromnow，\"suggestedGeneralD\'Hubert，calmly，butfeelingasifheweregivingdirectionsforhisownexecu-
tion。This，however，washislastmomentofweakness。
\"Wait。Letuscomparewatchesfirst。\"
Hepulledouthisown。TheofficerwiththechippednosewentovertoborrowthewatchofGeneralFeraud。
Theybenttheirheadsoverthemforatime。
\"That\'sit。Atfourminutestosixbyyours。Seventobymine。\"
ItwasthecuirassierwhoremainedbythesideofGeneralD\'Hubert，keepinghisoneeyefixedimmovablyonthewhitefaceofthewatchheheldinthepalmofhishand。Heopenedhismouth，waitingforthebeatofthelastsecondlongbeforehesnappedouttheword，\"Avancez。\"
GeneralD\'Hubertmovedon，passingfromtheglaringsunshineoftheProvencalmorningintothecoolandaromaticshadeofthepines。Thegroundwasclearbetweenthereddishtrunks，whosemultitude，leaningatslightlydifferentangles，confusedhiseyeatfirst。Itwaslikegoingintobattle。Thecommandingqualityofconfidenceinhimselfwokeupinhisbreast。Hewasalltohisaffair。Theproblemwashowtokilltheadversary。Nothingshortofthatwouldfreehimfromthisimbecilenightmare。\"It\'snousewoundingthatbrute，\"thoughtGeneralD\'Hubert。Hewasknownasaresourcefulofficer。HiscomradesyearsagousedalsotocallhimTheStrategist。Anditwasafactthathecouldthinkinthepresenceoftheenemy。
WhereasFeraudhadbeenalwaysamerefighter——butadeadshot，unluckily。
\"Imustdrawhisfireatthegreatestpossiblerange，\"
saidGeneralD\'Huberttohimself。
Atthatmomenthesawsomethingwhitemovingfaroffbetweenthetrees——theshirtofhisadversary。Hesteppedoutatoncebetweenthetrunks，exposinghim-
selffreely；then，quickaslightning，leapedback。Ithadbeenariskymovebutitsucceededinitsobject。
Almostsimultaneouslywiththepopofashotasmallpieceofbarkchippedoffbythebulletstunghisearpainfully。
GeneralFeraud，withoneshotexpended，wasgettingcautious。Peepingroundthetree，GeneralD\'Hubertcouldnotseehimatall。Thisignoranceofthefoe\'swhereaboutscarriedwithitasenseofinsecurity。
GeneralD\'Hubertfelthimselfabominablyexposedonhisflankandrear。Againsomethingwhiteflutteredinhissight。Ha!Theenemywasstillonhisfront，then。Hehadfearedaturningmovement。ButapparentlyGeneralFeraudwasnotthinkingofit。
GeneralD\'Hubertsawhimpasswithoutspecialhastefromonetreetoanotherinthestraightlineofapproach。
WithgreatfirmnessofmindGeneralD\'Hubertstayedhishand。Toofaryet。Heknewhewasnomarksman。
Hismustbeawaitinggame——tokill。
Wishingtotakeadvantageofthegreaterthicknessofthetrunk，hesankdowntotheground。Extendedatfulllength，headontohisenemy，hehadhispersoncompletelyprotected。Exposinghimselfwouldnotdonow，becausetheotherwastoonearbythistime。
AconvictionthatFeraudwouldpresentlydosomethingrashwaslikebalmtoGeneralD\'Hubert\'ssoul。Buttokeephischinraisedoffthegroundwasirksome，andnotmuchuseeither。Hepeepedround，exposingafractionofhisheadwithdread，butreallywithlittlerisk。Hisenemy，asamatteroffact，didnotexpecttoseeanythingofhimsofardownasthat。
GeneralD\'HubertcaughtafleetingviewofGeneralFeraudshiftingtreesagainwithdeliberatecau-
tion。\"Hedespisesmyshooting，\"hethought，dis-
playingthatinsightintothemindofhisantagonistwhichisofsuchgreathelpinwinningbattles。Hewasconfirmedinhistacticsofimmobility。\"IfIcouldonlywatchmyrearaswellasmyfront!\"hethoughtanx-
iously，longingfortheimpossible。
Itrequiredsomeforceofcharactertolayhispistolsdown；but，onasuddenimpulse，GeneralD\'Hubertdidthisverygently——oneoneachsideofhim。Inthearmyhehadbeenlookeduponasabitofadandybecauseheusedtoshaveandputonacleanshirtonthedaysofbattle。Asamatteroffact，hehadalwaysbeenverycarefulofhispersonalappearance。Inamanofnearlyforty，inlovewithayoungandcharminggirl，thispraiseworthyself-respectmayruntosuchlittleweak-
nessesas，forinstance，beingprovidedwithanelegantlittleleatherfolding-casecontainingasmallivorycomb，andfittedwithapieceoflooking-glassontheoutside。GeneralD\'Hubert，hishandsbeingfree，feltinhisbreeches\'pocketsforthatimplementofinnocentvanityexcusableinthepossessoroflong，silkymoustaches。Hedrewitout，andthenwiththeut-
mostcoolnessandpromptitudeturnedhimselfoveronhisback。Inthisnewattitude，hisheadalittleraised，holdingthelittlelooking-glassjustclearofhistree，hesquintedintoitwithhislefteye，whiletherightkeptadirectwatchontherearofhisposition。ThuswasprovedNapoleon\'ssaying，that\"foraFrenchsoldier，thewordimpossibledoesnotexist。\"Hehadtherighttreenearlyfillingthefieldofhislittlemirror。
\"Ifhemovesfrombehindit，\"hereflectedwithsatisfaction，\"Iamboundtoseehislegs。Butinanycasehecan\'tcomeuponmeunawares。\"
AndsureenoughhesawthebootsofGeneralFeraudflashinandout，eclipsingforaninstanteverythingelsereflectedinthelittlemirror。Heshifteditspositionaccordingly。ButhavingtoformhisjudgmentofthechangefromthatindirectviewhedidnotrealizethatnowhisfeetandaportionofhislegswereinplainsightofGeneralFeraud。
GeneralFeraudhadbeengettinggraduallyimpressedbytheamazingclevernesswithwhichhisenemywaskeepingcover。Hehadspottedtherighttreewithbloodthirstyprecision。Hewasabsolutelycertainofit。
Andyethehadnotbeenabletoglimpseasmuchasthetipofanear。Ashehadbeenlookingforitattheheightofaboutfivefeetteninchesfromthegrounditwasnogreatwonder——butitseemedverywonderfultoGeneralFeraud。
Thefirstviewofthesefeetandlegsdeterminedarushofbloodtohishead。Heliterallystaggeredbehindhistree，andhadtosteadyhimselfagainstitwithhishand。Theotherwaslyingontheground，then!Ontheground!Perfectlystill，too!Exposed!Whatcoulditmean?……ThenotionthathehadknockedoverhisadversaryatthefirstshotenteredthenGeneralFeraud\'shead。Oncethereitgrewwitheverysecondofattentivegazing，overshadowingeveryothersupposition——irresistible，triumphant，ferocious。
\"WhatanassIwastothinkIcouldhavemissedhim，\"hemutteredtohimself。\"Hewasexposedenplein——thefool!——forquiteacoupleofseconds。\"
GeneralFeraudgazedatthemotionlesslimbs，thelastvestigesofsurprisefadingbeforeanunboundedadmirationofhisowndeadlyskillwiththepistol。
\"Turneduphistoes!Bythegodofwar，thatwasashot!\"heexultedmentally。\"Gotitthroughthehead，nodoubt，justwhereIaimed，staggeredbehindthattree，rolledoveronhisback，anddied。\"
Andhestared!Hestared，forgettingtomove，almostawed，almostsorry。Butfornothingintheworldwouldhehavehaditundone。Suchashot!——
suchashot!Rolledoveronhisbackanddied!
Foritwasthishelplessposition，lyingontheback，thatshouteditsdirectevidenceatGeneralFeraud!
Itneveroccurredtohimthatitmighthavebeendeliberatelyassumedbyalivingman。Itwasin-
conceivable。Itwasbeyondtherangeofsanesup-
position。Therewasnopossibilitytoguessthereasonforit。Anditmustbesaid，too，thatGeneralD\'Hu-
bert\'sturned-upfeetlookedthoroughlydead。GeneralFeraudexpandedhislungsforastentorianshouttohisseconds，but，fromwhathefelttobeanexcessivescrupulousness，refrainedforawhile。
\"Iwilljustgoandseefirstwhetherhebreathesyet，\"hemumbledtohimself，leavingcarelesslytheshelterofhistree。Thismovewasimmediatelyper-
ceivedbytheresourcefulGeneralD\'Hubert。Heconcludedittobeanothershift，butwhenhelostthebootsoutofthefieldofthemirrorhebecameuneasy。
GeneralFeraudhadonlysteppedalittleoutoftheline，buthisadversarycouldnotpossiblyhavesupposedhimwalkingupwithperfectunconcern。GeneralD\'Hubert，beginningtowonderatwhathadbecomeoftheother，wastakenunawaressocompletelythatthefirstwarningofdangerconsistedinthelong，early-morningshadowofhisenemyfallingaslantonhisoutstretchedlegs。
Hehadnotevenheardafootfallonthesoftgroundbetweenthetrees!
Itwastoomuchevenforhiscoolness。Hejumpedupthoughtlessly，leavingthepistolsontheground。Theirresistibleinstinctofanaveragemanunlesstotallyparalyzedbydiscomfiturewouldhavebeentostoopforhisweapons，exposinghimselftotheriskofbeingshotdowninthatposition。Instinct，ofcourse，isirre-
flective。Itisitsverydefinition。Butitmaybeaninquiryworthpursuingwhetherinreflectivemankindthemechanicalpromptingsofinstinctarenotaffectedbythecustomarymodeofthought。Inhisyoungdays，ArmandD\'Hubert，thereflective，promisingofficer，hademittedtheopinionthatinwarfareoneshould\"nevercastbackonthelinesofamistake。\"Thisidea，de-
fendedanddevelopedinmanydiscussions，hadsettledintooneofthestocknotionsofhisbrain，hadbecomeapartofhismentalindividuality。Whetherithadgonesoinconceivablydeepastoaffectthedictatesofhisinstinct，orsimplybecause，ashehimselfdeclaredafter-
wards，hewas\"tooscaredtoremembertheconfoundedpistols，\"thefactisthatGeneralD\'Hubertneverat-
temptedtostoopforthem。Insteadofgoingbackonhismistake，heseizedtheroughtrunkwithbothhands，andswunghimselfbehinditwithsuchimpetuositythat，goingrightroundintheveryflashandreportofthepistol-shot，hereappearedontheothersideofthetreefacetofacewithGeneralFeraud。Thislast，com-
pletelyunstrungbysuchashowofagilityonthepartofadeadman，wastremblingyet。Averyfaintmistofsmokehungbeforehisfacewhichhadanextraordinaryaspect，asifthelowerjawhadcomeunhinged。
\"Notmissed!\"hecroaked，hoarsely，fromthedepthsofadrythroat。
ThissinistersoundloosenedthespellthathadfallenonGeneralD\'Hubert\'ssenses。\"Yes，missed——aboutportant，\"heheardhimselfsaying，almostbeforehehadrecoveredthefullcommandofhisfaculties。There-
vulsionoffeelingwasaccompaniedbyagustofhomi-
cidalfury，resuminginitsviolencetheaccumulatedresentmentofalifetime。ForyearsGeneralD\'Huberthadbeenexasperatedandhumiliatedbyanatrociousabsurdityimposeduponhimbythisman\'ssavagecaprice。Besides，GeneralD\'Huberthadbeeninthislastinstancetoounwillingtoconfrontdeathforthereactionofhisanguishnottotaketheshapeofadesiretokill。\"AndIhavemytwoshotstofireyet，\"headded，pitilessly。
GeneralFeraudsnapped-tohisteeth，andhisfaceassumedanirate，undauntedexpression。\"Goon!\"hesaid，grimly。
ThesewouldhavebeenhislastwordsifGeneralD\'Huberthadbeenholdingthepistolsinhishands。
Butthepistolswerelyingonthegroundatthefootofapine。GeneralD\'Huberthadthesecondofleisurenecessarytorememberthathehaddreadeddeathnotasaman，butasalover；notasadanger，butasarival；notasafoetolife，butasanobstacletomarriage。Andbehold!therewastherivaldefeated!——
utterlydefeated，crushed，donefor!
Hepickeduptheweaponsmechanically，and，insteadoffiringthemintoGeneralFeraud\'sbreast，hegaveexpressiontothethoughtsuppermostinhismind，\"Youwillfightnomoreduelsnow。\"
Histoneofleisurely，ineffablesatisfactionwastoomuchforGeneralFeraud\'sstoicism。\"Don\'tdawdle，then，damnyouforacold-bloodedstaff-coxcomb!\"heroaredout，suddenly，outofanimpassivefacehelderectonarigidlystillbody。
GeneralD\'Hubertuncockedthepistolscarefully。
Thisproceedingwasobservedwithmixedfeelingsbytheothergeneral。\"Youmissedmetwice，\"thevictorsaid，coolly，shiftingbothpistolstoonehand；\"thelasttimewithinafootorso。Byeveryruleofsinglecom-
batyourlifebelongstome。ThatdoesnotmeanthatI
wanttotakeitnow。\"
\"Ihavenouseforyourforbearance，\"mutteredGeneralFeraud，gloomily。
\"Allowmetopointoutthatthisisnoconcernofmine，\"saidGeneralD\'Hubert，whoseeverywordwasdictatedbyaconsummatedelicacyoffeeling。Inangerhecouldhavekilledthatman，butincoldbloodherecoiledfromhumiliatingbyashowofgenerositythisunreasonablebeing——afellow-soldieroftheGrandeArmee，acompanioninthewondersandterrorsofthegreatmilitaryepic。\"Youdon\'tsetupthepretensionofdictatingtomewhatIamtodowithwhat\'smyown。\"
GeneralFeraudlookedstartled，andtheothercon-
tinued，\"You\'veforcedmeonapointofhonourtokeepmylifeatyourdisposal，asitwere，forfifteenyears。
Verywell。Nowthatthematterisdecidedtomyad-
vantage，IamgoingtodowhatIlikewithyourlifeonthesameprinciple。Youshallkeepitatmydis-
posalaslongasIchoose。Neithermorenorless。YouareonyourhonourtillIsaytheword。\"
\"Iam!But，sacrebleu!ThisisanabsurdpositionforaGeneraloftheEmpiretobeplacedin!\"criedGeneralFeraud，inaccentsofprofoundanddismayedconviction。\"Itamountstosittingalltherestofmylifewithaloadedpistolinadrawerwaitingforyourword。It\'s——it\'sidiotic；Ishallbeanobjectof——of——
derision。\"
\"Absurd?——idiotic?Doyouthinkso?\"queriedGeneralD\'Hubertwithslygravity。\"Perhaps。ButI
don\'tseehowthatcanbehelped。However，Iamnotlikelytotalkatlargeofthisadventure。Nobodyneedeverknowanythingaboutit。Justasnoonetothisday，Ibelieve，knowstheoriginofourquarrel……
Notawordmore，\"headded，hastily。\"Ican\'treallydiscussthisquestionwithamanwho，asfarasIamconcerned，doesnotexist。\"
Whenthetwoduellistscameoutintotheopen，Gen-
eralFeraudwalkingalittlebehind，andratherwiththeairofwalkinginatrance，thetwosecondshurriedtowardsthem，eachfromhisstationattheedgeofthewood。GeneralD\'Hubertaddressedthem，speakingloudanddistinctly，\"Messieurs，Imakeitapointofdeclaringtoyousolemnly，inthepresenceofGeneralFeraud，thatourdifferenceisatlastsettledforgood。
Youmayinformalltheworldofthatfact。\"
\"Areconciliation，afterall!\"theyexclaimedto-
gether。
\"Reconciliation?Notthatexactly。Itissome-
thingmuchmorebinding。Isitnotso，General?\"
GeneralFeraudonlyloweredhisheadinsignofassent。Thetwoveteranslookedateachother。Laterintheday，whentheyfoundthemselvesaloneoutoftheirmoodyfriend\'searshot，thecuirassierremarkedsuddenly，\"Generallyspeaking，Icanseewithmyoneeyeasfarasmostpeople；butthisbeatsme。Hewon\'tsayanything。\"
\"InthisaffairofhonourIunderstandtherehasbeenfromfirsttolastalwayssomethingthatnooneinthearmycouldquitemakeout，\"declaredthechasseurwiththeimperfectnose。\"Inmysteryitbegan，inmysteryitwenton，inmysteryitistoend，apparently。\"
GeneralD\'Hubertwalkedhomewithlong，hastystrides，bynomeansupliftedbyasenseoftriumph。
Hehadconquered，yetitdidnotseemtohimthathehadgainedverymuchbyhisconquest。Thenightbeforehehadgrudgedtheriskofhislifewhichappearedtohimmagnificent，worthyofpreservationasanopportunitytowinagirl\'slove。Hehadknownmomentswhen，byamarvellousillusion，thisloveseemedtobealreadyhis，andhisthreatenedlifeastillmoremagnificentopportunityofdevotion。Nowthathislifewassafeithadsuddenlylostitsspecialmag-
nificence。Ithadacquiredinsteadaspeciallyalarmingaspectasasnarefortheexposureofunworthiness。Astothemarvellousillusionofconqueredlovethathadvisitedhimforamomentintheagitatedwatchesofthenight，whichmighthavebeenhislastonearth，hecom-
prehendednowitstruenature。Ithadbeenmerelyaparoxysmofdeliriousconceit。Thustothisman，soberedbythevictoriousissueofaduel，lifeappearedrobbedofitscharm，simplybecauseitwasnolongermenaced。
Approachingthehousefromtheback，throughtheorchardandthekitchengarden，hecouldnotnoticetheagitationwhichreignedinfront。Henevermetasinglesoul。Onlywhilewalkingsoftlyalongthecorridor，hebecameawarethatthehousewasawakeandmorenoisythanusual。Namesofservantswerebeingcalledoutdownbelowinaconfusednoiseofcomingandgoing。
Withsomeconcernhenoticedthatthedoorofhisownroomstoodajar，thoughtheshuttershadnotbeenopenedyet。Hehadhopedthathisearlyexcursionwouldhavepassedunperceived。Heexpectedtofindsomeservantjustgonein；butthesunshinefilteringthroughtheusualcracksenabledhimtoseelyingonthelowdivansomethingbulky，whichhadtheappear-
anceoftwowomenclaspedineachother\'sarms。Tear-
fulanddesolatemurmursissuedmysteriouslyfromthatappearance。GeneralD\'Hubertpulledopenthenear-
estpairofshuttersviolently。Oneofthewomenthenjumpedup。Itwashissister。Shestoodforamomentwithherhairhangingdownandherarmsraisedstraightupaboveherhead，andthenflungherselfwithastifledcryintohisarms。Hereturnedherembrace，tryingatthesametimetodisengagehimselffromit。Theotherwomanhadnotrisen。Sheseemed，onthecontrary，toclingclosertothedivan，hidingherfaceinthecushions。
Herhairwasalsoloose；itwasadmirablyfair。Gen-
eralD\'Hubertrecognizeditwithstaggeringemotion。
MademoiselledeValmassigue!Adele!Indistress!
Hebecamegreatlyalarmed，andgotridofhissis-
ter\'shugdefinitely。MadameLeoniethenextendedhershapelybarearmoutofherpeignoir，pointingdramaticallyatthedivan。\"Thispoor，terrifiedchildhasrushedherefromhome，onfoot，twomiles——runningalltheway。\"
\"Whatonearthhashappened?\"askedGeneralD\'Hubertinalow，agitatedvoice。
ButMadameLeoniewasspeakingloudly。\"Sherangthegreatbellatthegateandrousedallthehouse-
hold——wewereallasleepyet。Youmayimaginewhataterribleshock……Adele，mydearchild，situp。\"
GeneralD\'Hubert\'sexpressionwasnotthatofamanwho\"imagines\"withfacility。Hedid，however，fishoutofthechaosofsurmisesthenotionthathisprospectivemother-in-lawhaddiedsuddenly，butonlytodismissitatonce。HecouldnotconceivethenatureoftheeventorthecatastrophewhichwouldinduceMademoiselledeValmassigue，livinginahousefullofservants，tobringthenewsoverthefieldsherself，twomiles，runningalltheway。
\"Butwhyareyouinthisroom?\"hewhispered，fullofawe。
\"Ofcourse，Iranuptosee，andthischild……I
didnotnoticeit……shefollowedme。It\'sthatabsurdChevalier，\"wentonMadameLeonie，lookingtowardsthedivan……\"Herhairisallcomedown。
Youmayimagineshedidnotstoptocallhermaidtodressitbeforeshestarted……Adele，mydear，situp……Heblurteditallouttoherathalf-pastfiveinthemorning。Shewokeupearlyandopenedhershutterstobreathethefreshair，andsawhimsittingcol-
lapsedonagardenbenchattheendofthegreatalley。
Atthathour——youmayimagine!Andtheeveningbeforehehaddeclaredhimselfindisposed。Shehurriedonsomeclothesandflewdowntohim。Onewouldbeanxiousforless。Helovesher，butnotveryintelli-
gently。Hehadbeenupallnight，fullydressed，thepooroldman，perfectlyexhausted。Hewasn\'tinastatetoinventaplausiblestory……Whatacon-
fidantyouchosethere!Myhusbandwasfurious。Hesaid，\'Wecan\'tinterferenow。\'Sowesatdowntowait。
Itwasawful。Andthispoorchildrunningwithherhairlooseoverherepublicly!Shehasbeenseenbysomepeopleinthefields。Shehasrousedthewholehousehold，too。It\'sawkwardforher。Luckilyyouaretobemarriednextweek……Adele，situp。Hehascomehomeonhisownlegs……Weexpectedtoseeyoucomingonastretcher，perhaps——whatdoIknow?Goandseeifthecarriageisready。Imusttakethischildhomeatonce。Itisn\'tproperforhertostayhereaminutelonger。\"
GeneralD\'Hubertdidnotmove。Itwasasthoughhehadheardnothing。MadameLeoniechangedhermind。\"Iwillgoandseemyself，\"shecried。\"Iwantalsomycloak——Adele——\"shebegan，butdidnotadd\"situp。\"Shewentoutsaying，inaveryloudandcheerfultone:\"Ileavethedooropen。\"
GeneralD\'Hubertmadeamovementtowardsthedivan，butthenAdelesatup，andthatcheckedhimdead。Hethought，\"Ihaven\'twashedthismorning。I
mustlooklikeanoldtramp。There\'searthonthebackofmycoatandpine-needlesinmyhair。\"Itoccurredtohimthatthesituationrequiredagooddealofcircum-
spectiononhispart。
\"Iamgreatlyconcerned，mademoiselle，\"hebegan，vaguely，andabandonedthatline。Shewassittinguponthedivanwithhercheeksunusuallypinkandherhair，brilliantlyfair，fallingalloverhershoulders——
whichwasaverynovelsighttothegeneral。Hewalkedawayuptheroom，andlookingoutofthewindowforsafetysaid，\"IfearyoumustthinkIbehavedlikeamadman，\"inaccentsofsinceredespair。Thenhespunround，andnoticedthatshehadfollowedhimwithhereyes。Theywerenotcastdownonmeetinghisglance。Andtheexpressionofherfacewasnoveltohimalso。Itwas，onemighthavesaid，reversed。
Thoseeyeslookedathimwithgravethoughtful-
ness，whiletheexquisitelinesofhermouthseemedtosuggestarestrainedsmile。Thischangemadehertranscendentalbeautymuchlessmysterious，muchmoreaccessibletoaman\'scomprehension。Anamazingeaseofmindcametothegeneral——andevensomeeaseofmanner。Hewalkeddowntheroomwithasmuchpleasurableexcitementashewouldhavefoundinwalk-
inguptoabatteryvomitingdeath，fire，andsmoke；
thenstoodlookingdownwithsmilingeyesatthegirlwhosemarriagewithhimnextweekhadbeensocarefullyarrangedbythewise，thegood，theadmirableLeonie。
\"Ah!mademoiselle，\"hesaid，inatoneofcourtlyregret，\"ifonlyIcouldbecertainthatyoudidnotcomeherethismorning，twomiles，runningalltheway，merelyfromaffectionforyourmother!\"
Hewaitedforananswerimperturbablebutinwardlyelated。Itcameinademuremurmur，eyelasheslow-
eredwithfascinatingeffect。\"Youmustnotbeme-
chantaswellasmad。\"
AndthenGeneralD\'Hubertmadeanaggressivemovementtowardsthedivanwhichnothingcouldcheck。Thatpieceoffurniturewasnotexactlyinthelineoftheopendoor。ButMadameLeonie，comingbackwrappedupinalightcloakandcarryingalaceshawlonherarmforAdeletohideherincriminatinghairunder，hadaswiftimpressionofherbrothergettingupfromhisknees。
\"Comealong，mydearchild，\"shecriedfromthedoorway。
Thegeneral，nowhimselfagaininthefullestsense，showedthereadinessofaresourcefulcavalryofficerandtheperemptorinessofaleaderofmen。\"Youdon\'texpecthertowalktothecarriage，\"hesaid，indignantly。
\"Sheisn\'tfit。Ishallcarryherdownstairs。\"
Thishedidslowly，followedbyhisawedandre-
spectfulsister；butherushedbacklikeawhirlwindtowashoffallthesignsofthenightofanguishandthemorningofwar，andtoputonthefestivegarmentsofaconquerorbeforehurryingovertotheotherhouse。
Haditnotbeenforthat，GeneralD\'Hubertfeltcapableofmountingahorseandpursuinghislateadversaryinordersimplytoembracehimfromexcessofhappiness。
\"Ioweitalltothisstupidbrute，\"hethought。\"Hehasmadeplaininamorningwhatmighthavetakenmeyearstofindout——forIamatimidfool。Noself-confi-
dencewhatever。Perfectcoward。AndtheChevalier!
Delightfuloldman!\"GeneralD\'Hubertlongedtoembracehimalso。
TheChevalierwasinbed。Forseveraldayshewasveryunwell。ThemenoftheEmpireandthepost-revolutionyoungladiesweretoomuchforhim。
Hegotupthedaybeforethewedding，and，beingcuri-
ousbynature，tookhisnieceasideforaquiettalk。Headvisedhertofindoutfromherhusbandthetruestoryoftheaffairofhonour，whoseclaim，soimperativeandsopersistent，hadledhertowithinanaceoftragedy。
\"Itisrightthathiswifeshouldbetold。Andnextmonthorsowillbeyourtimetolearnfromhimany-
thingyouwanttoknow，mydearchild。\"
Lateron，whenthemarriedcouplecameonavisittothemotherofthebride，MadamelaGeneraleD\'Hubertcommunicatedtoherbelovedoldunclethetruestoryshehadobtainedwithoutanydifficultyfromherhus-
band。
TheChevalierlistenedwithdeepattentiontotheend，tookapinchofsnuff，flickedthegrainsoftobaccofromthefrilledfrontofhisshirt，andasked，calmly，\"Andthat\'sallitwas?\"
\"Yes，uncle，\"repliedMadamelaGenerale，openingherprettyeyesverywide。\"Isn\'titfunny?C\'estinsense——tothinkwhatmenarecapableof!\"
\"H\'m!\"commentedtheoldemigre。\"Itdependswhatsortofmen。ThatBonaparte\'ssoldiersweresavages。Itisinsense。Asawife，mydear，youmustbelieveimplicitlywhatyourhusbandsays。\"
ButtoLeonie\'shusbandtheChevalierconfidedhistrueopinion。\"Ifthat\'sthetalethefellowmadeupforhiswife，andduringthehoneymoon，too，youmaydependonitthatnoonewilleverknownowthesecretofthisaffair。\"
Considerablylaterstill，GeneralD\'Hubertjudgedthetimecome，andtheopportunitypropitioustowritealettertoGeneralFeraud。Thisletterbeganbydis-
claimingallanimosity。\"I\'venever，\"wrotetheGeneralBaronD\'Hubert，\"wishedforyourdeathdur-
ingallthetimeofourdeplorablequarrel。Allowme，\"
hecontinued，\"togiveyoubackinallformyourfor-
feitedlife。Itisproperthatwetwo，whohavebeenpartnersinsomuchmilitaryglory，shouldbefriendlytoeachotherpublicly。\"
Thesamelettercontainedalsoanitemofdomesticinformation。ItwasinreferencetothislastthatGeneralFeraudansweredfromalittlevillageonthebanksoftheGaronne，inthefollowingwords:
\"Ifoneofyourboy\'snameshadbeenNapoleon——orJoseph——orevenJoachim，Icouldcongratulateyouontheeventwithabetterheart。AsyouhavethoughtpropertogivehimthenamesofCharlesHenriArmand，IamconfirmedinmyconvictionthatyouneverlovedtheEmperor。ThethoughtofthatsublimeherochainedtoarockinthemiddleofasavageoceanmakeslifeofsolittlevaluethatIwouldreceivewithpositivejoyyourinstructionstoblowmybrainsout。FromsuicideIconsidermyselfinhonourdebarred。ButI
keepaloadedpistolinmydrawer。\"
MadamelaGeneraleD\'Hubertliftedupherhandsindespairafterperusingthatanswer。
\"Yousee?Hewon\'tbereconciled，\"saidherhus-
band。\"Hemustnever，byanychance，beallowedtoguesswherethemoneycomesfrom。Itwouldn\'tdo。
Hecouldn\'tbearit。\"
\"Youareabravehomme，Armand，\"saidMadamelaGenerale，appreciatively。
\"Mydear，Ihadtherighttoblowhisbrainsout；
butasIdidn\'t，wecan\'tlethimstarve。Hehaslosthispensionandheisutterlyincapableofdoingany-
thingintheworldforhimself。Wemusttakecareofhim，secretly，totheendofhisdays。Don\'tIowehimthemostecstaticmomentofmylife?……Ha!ha!
ha!Overthefields，twomiles，runningalltheway!
Icouldn\'tbelievemyears!……Butforhisstupidferocity，itwouldhavetakenmeyearstofindyouout。
It\'sextraordinaryhowinonewayoranotherthismanhasmanagedtofastenhimselfonmydeeperfeelings。\"
APATHETICTALE
ILCONDE
\"VediNapoliepoimori。\"
THEfirsttimewegotintoconversationwasintheNationalMuseuminNaples，intheroomsonthegroundfloorcontainingthefamouscollectionofbronzesfromHerculaneumandPompeii:thatmarvellouslegacyofantiqueartwhosedelicateperfectionhasbeenpre-
servedforusbythecatastrophicfuryofavolcano。
Headdressedmefirst，overthecelebratedRestingHermeswhichwehadbeenlookingatsidebyside。Hesaidtherightthingsaboutthatwhollyadmirablepiece。
Nothingprofound。Histastewasnaturalratherthancultivated。Hehadobviouslyseenmanyfinethingsinhislifeandappreciatedthem:buthehadnojargonofadilettanteortheconnoisseur。Ahatefultribe。Hespokelikeafairlyintelligentmanoftheworld，aper-
fectlyunaffectedgentleman。
Wehadknowneachotherbysightforsomefewdayspast。Stayinginthesamehotel——good，butnotextravagantlyuptodate——Ihadnoticedhiminthevestibulegoinginandout。Ijudgedhewasanoldandvaluedclient。Thebowofthehotel-keeperwascordialinitsdeference，andheacknowledgeditwithfamiliarcourtesy。FortheservantshewasIlConde。
Therewassomesquabbleoveraman\'sparasol——yellowsilkwithwhiteliningsortofthing——thewaitershaddis-
coveredabandonedoutsidethedining-roomdoor。Ourgold-laceddoor-keeperrecognizeditandIheardhimdirectingoneoftheliftboystorunafterIlCondewithit。PerhapshewastheonlyCountstayinginthehotel，orperhapshehadthedistinctionofbeingtheCountparexcellence，conferreduponhimbecauseofhistriedfidelitytothehouse。
HavingconversedattheMuseo——andbythebyhehadexpressedhisdislikeofthebustsandstatuesofRomanemperorsinthegalleryofmarbles:theirfacesweretoovigorous，toopronouncedforhim——havingconversedalreadyinthemorningIdidnotthinkIwasintrudingwhenintheevening，findingthedining-roomveryfull，Iproposedtosharehislittletable。Judgingbythequieturbanityofhisconsenthedidnotthinksoeither。Hissmilewasveryattractive。
Hedinedinaneveningwaistcoatanda\"smoking\"
hecalleditsowithablacktie。Allthisofverygoodcut，notnew——justasthesethingsshouldbe。Hewas，morningorevening，verycorrectinhisdress。Ihavenodoubtthathiswholeexistencehadbeencorrect，wellorderedandconventional，undisturbedbystartlingevents。Hiswhitehairbrushedupwardsoffaloftyforeheadgavehimtheairofanidealist，ofanimaginativeman。Hiswhitemoustache，heavybutcarefullytrimmedandarranged，wasnotunpleasantlytintedagoldenyellowinthemiddle。Thefaintscentofsomeverygoodperfume，andofgoodcigarsthatlastanodourquiteremarkabletocomeuponinItaly
reachedmeacrossthetable。Itwasinhiseyesthathisageshowedmost。Theywerealittlewearywithcreasedeyelids。Hemusthavebeensixtyoracoupleofyearsmore。Andhewascommunicative。Iwouldnotgosofarastocallitgarrulous——butdistinctlycommunicative。
Hehadtriedvariousclimates，ofAbbazia，oftheRiviera，ofotherplaces，too，hetoldme，buttheonlyonewhichsuitedhimwastheclimateoftheGulfofNaples。TheancientRomans，who，hepointedouttome，weremenexpertintheartofliving，knewverywellwhattheyweredoingwhentheybuilttheirvillasontheseshores，inBaiae，inVico，inCapri。Theycamedowntothisseasideinsearchofhealth，bringingwiththemtheirtrainsofmimesandflute-playerstoamusetheirleisure。HethoughtitextremelyprobablethattheRomansofthehigherclasseswerespeciallypredisposedtopainfulrheumaticaffections。
ThiswastheonlypersonalopinionIheardhimexpress。Itwasbasedonnospecialerudition。HeknewnomoreoftheRomansthananaverageinformedmanoftheworldisexpectedtoknow。Hearguedfrompersonalexperience。HehadsufferedhimselffromapainfulanddangerousrheumaticaffectiontillhefoundreliefinthisparticularspotofSouthernEurope。
Thiswasthreeyearsago，andeversincehehadtakenuphisquartersontheshoresofthegulf，eitherinoneofthehotelsinSorrentoorhiringasmallvillainCapri。Hehadapiano，afewbooks:pickeduptransientacquaintancesofaday，week，ormonthinthestreamoftravellersfromallEurope。Onecanimaginehimgoingoutforhiswalksinthestreetsandlanes，becomingknowntobeggars，shopkeepers，children，countrypeople；talkingamiablyoverthewallstothecontadini——andcomingbacktohisroomsorhisvillatositbeforethepiano，withhiswhitehairbrushedupandhisthickorderlymoustache，\"tomakealittlemusicformyself。\"
And，ofcourse，forachangetherewasNaplesnearby——life，movement，animation，opera。Alittleamuse-
ment，ashesaid，isnecessaryforhealth。Mimesandflute-players，infact。Onlyunlikethemagnatesofan-
cientRome，hehadnoaffairsofthecitytocallhimawayfromthesemoderatedelights。Hehadnoaffairsatall。Probablyhehadneverhadanygraveaffairstoattendtoinhislife。Itwasakindlyexistence，withitsjoysandsorrowsregulatedbythecourseofNature——
marriages，births，deaths——ruledbytheprescribedusagesofgoodsocietyandprotectedbytheState。
Hewasawidower；butinthemonthsofJulyandAugustheventuredtocrosstheAlpsforsixweeksonavisittohismarrieddaughter。Hetoldmehername。
Itwasthatofaveryaristocraticfamily。Shehadacastle——inBohemia，Ithink。ThisisasnearasIevercametoascertaininghisnationality。Hisownname，strangelyenough，henevermentioned。PerhapshethoughtIhadseenitonthepublishedlist。Truthtosay，Ineverlooked。Atanyrate，hewasagoodEu-
ropean——hespokefourlanguagestomycertainknowl-
edge——andamanoffortune。Notofgreatfortuneevidentlyandappropriately。Iimaginethattobeex-
tremelyrichwouldhaveappearedtohimimproper，outre——tooblatantaltogether。Andobviously，too，thefortunewasnotofhismaking。Themakingofafor-
tunecannotbeachievedwithoutsomeroughness。
Itisamatteroftemperament。Hisnaturewastookindlyforstrife。Inthecourseofconversationhementionedhisestatequitebytheway，inreferencetothatpainfulandalarmingrheumaticaffection。Oneyear，stayingincautiouslybeyondtheAlpsaslateasthemiddleofSeptember，hehadbeenlaidupforthreemonthsinthatlonelycountryhousewithnoonebuthisvaletandthecaretakingcoupletoattendtohim。
Because，asheexpressedit，he\"keptnoestablishmentthere。\"Hehadonlygoneforacoupleofdaystocon-