et and mournful,
expressed benevolence of heart, mingled with a habitual dejection, for,
though young, the unfortunate youth had already deeply tasted
affliction.

Nothing could be imagined more touching than the look of suffering
impressed on his features, while the gentle and resigned cast of his
whole physiognomy was but a fair transcript of the mind within, for a
better, purer, or more upright heart could scarcely have beaten in human
form.

The very cause of his imprisonment (divested of the calumnious
aggravations affixed to it by Jacques Ferrand) proved the goodness of
his nature, and left him worthy of blame only for suffering himself to
be led astray by his feelings to commit an action decidedly wrong, but
still excusable if it be remembered that the son of Madame Georges felt
perfectly sure of replacing on the following morning the sum temporarily
taken from the notary's cash-box, for the purpose of saving Morel the
lapidary, from being dragged from his family and confined in a prison.

Germain coloured slightly as he perceived, through the grating of the
visitor's room, the bright and charming countenance of Rigolette, who
strove, as usual, to appear gay, in hopes of encouraging and enlivening
her protege a little; but the poor girl was too bad a dissembler to
conceal the sorrow and agitation she invariably experienced upon
entering the prison. She was seated on a bench at the outside of the
grating, holding her straw basket on her lap.

Instead of remaining in the adjoining passage, from whence every word
could be heard, the old turnkey retired to the stove placed at the very
extremity of the visiting-room, closed his eyes, and in a very few
seconds was (as his breathing announced) fast asleep, leaving Germain
and Rigolette at perfect liberty to converse at their ease.

"Now then, M. Germain," cried the grisette, placing her pretty face as
closely as she could to the grate, the better to examine the features of
her friend, "let me see what sort of a countenance you have got to-day,
and whether it is less sad than it was? Humph, humph--only middling!
Now, do you know that I've a great mind to be very angry with you?"

"Oh, no, you are too good for that. But how very kind of you to come
again so soon!"

"So soon! Does it seem to you so soon? You mean by those words to
reproach me for coming so frequently. Well--"

"Have I not good cause to find fault with you for taking so much pains
and trouble for