together."

Now although it was of small consequence to me that Kiusko, in his
robust faith, still preserved a remnant of hope, I must admit that I
felt somewhat aggravated by his presumptuous pertinacity. As he had
formally declared his love, Kondje-Gul could not henceforth feign to
ignore it. There was an offensive kind of impertinence to her about that
coolness of his, which affected to take no account of an engagement of
which she had informed him as a justification for her refusal. However
reserved he might be, and even if he never betrayed by a single word the
secret feeling which he concealed so carefully during our intercourse as
friends, it would be impossible for me not to feel the constraint of
such a situation. So far as he was concerned, it did not seem to trouble
him in the least. This demeanour, and this insolent confidence of
his--such as might be expected in a petty feudal tyrant--irritated me
inexpressibly; but an incident occurred, at first sight insignificant,
which diverted the current of my suspicions into quite a different
channel.

One morning, about ten o'clock, I was accompanying my aunt upon one of
her rounds of visiting the poor. As we happened to be passing Count
Teral's house, I was very much surprised to see Daniel coming out of it.
What had he been doing there? This was Kondje-Gul's lesson time, and
certainly not the time of day for callers. This discovery put me into a
state of agitation which it was extremely difficult for me to avoid
showing.

I reflected, however, that it was quite possible Maud or Susannah had
entrusted him with a message or with some book, which he had come to
deliver. However that might be, I wanted to clear up the mystery. When
half-way down the Champs Elysees, I pretended to have an order to give
to a coachmaker, and leaving my aunt to return home alone, I went back
to Teral House.

As I had anticipated, Kondje-Gul was shut up with her music-mistress. I
sent up my name in the ordinary way, and was immediately introduced.

"What! is it you?" she said, pretending before her mistress to be
surprised at such an early visit. "Have you come to play a duet with
me?"

"No," I answered, "I was passing by this way, and I will only trouble
you long enough to find out if you have formed any plans for to-day with
your friends the Montagues."

"None," she replied, "beyond that they are expecting me at three
o'clock."

"Then they did not send you any message this mo