que softly to himself, turning round to
ascertain who was coming from the house.

It was only the postman with a letter in his hand, and the post-bag
crumpled up under his arm.

"Any fresh news from Paris, friend?" asked Lomaque.

"Very bad, monsieur," answered the postman. "Camille Desmoulins has
appealed to the people in the Palais Royal; there are fears of a riot."

"Only a riot!" repeated Lomaque, sarcastically. "Oh, what a brave
Government not to be afraid of anything worse! Any letters?" he added,
hastily dropping the subject.

"None _to_ the house," said the postman, "only one _from_ it, given me
by Monsieur Trudaine. Hardly worth while," he added, twirling the letter
in his hand, "to put it into the bag, is it?"

Lomaque looked over his shoulder as he spoke, and saw that the letter
was directed to the President of the Academy of Sciences, Paris.

"I wonder whether he accepts the place or refuses it?" thought the
land-steward, nodding to the postman, and continuing on his way back to
the house.

At the door he met Trudaine, who said to him, rather hastily, "You are
going back to Lyons with Madame Danville, I suppose?"

"This very day," answered Lomaque.

"If you should hear of a convenient bachelor lodging, at Lyons, or near
it," continued the other, dropping his voice and speaking more rapidly
than before, "you would be doing me a favor if you would let me know
about it."

Lomaque assented; but before he could add a question which was on the
tip of his tongue, Trudaine had vanished in the interior of the house.

"A bachelor lodging!" repeated the land-steward, standing alone on the
doorstep. "At or near Lyons! Aha! Monsieur Trudaine, I put your bachelor
lodging and your talk to me last night together, and I make out a sum
total which is, I think, pretty near the mark. You have refused that
Paris appointment, my friend; and I fancy I can guess why."

He paused thoughtfully, and shook his head with ominous frowns and
bitings of his lips.

"All clear enough in that sky," he continued, after a while, looking up
at the lustrous midday heaven. "All clear enough there; but I think I
see a little cloud rising in a certain household firmament already--a
little cloud which hides much, and which I for one shall watch
carefully."

PART SECOND.

CHAPTER I.

Five years have elapsed since Monsieur Lomaque stood thoughtfully at the
gate of Trudaine's house, looking after the carriage of the bride