ortal sin of envy, and the women the sin of jealousy."

The compliment went to Eugenie's heart and set it beating, though she
did not understand its meaning.

"Oh! cousin," she said, "you are laughing at a poor little country
girl."

"If you knew me, my cousin, you would know that I abhor ridicule; it
withers the heart and jars upon all my feelings." Here he swallowed his
buttered sippet very gracefully. "No, I really have not enough mind to
make fun of others; and doubtless it is a great defect. In Paris, when
they want to disparage a man, they say: 'He has a good heart.' The
phrase means: 'The poor fellow is as stupid as a rhinoceros.' But as I
am rich, and known to hit the bull's-eye at thirty paces with any kind
of pistol, and even in the open fields, ridicule respects me."

"My dear nephew, that bespeaks a good heart."

"You have a very pretty ring," said Eugenie; "is there any harm in
asking to see it?"

Charles held out his hand after loosening the ring, and Eugenie blushed
as she touched the pink nails of her cousin with the tips of her
fingers.

"See, mamma, what beautiful workmanship."

"My! there's a lot of gold!" said Nanon, bringing in the coffee.

"What is that?" exclaimed Charles, laughing, as he pointed to an oblong
pot of brown earthenware, glazed on the inside, and edged with a fringe
of ashes, from the bottom of which the coffee-grounds were bubbling up
and falling in the boiling liquid.

"It is boiled coffee," said Nanon.

"Ah! my dear aunt, I shall at least leave one beneficent trace of my
visit here. You are indeed behind the age! I must teach you to make good
coffee in a Chaptal coffee-pot."

He tried to explain the process of a Chaptal coffee-pot.

"Gracious! if there are so many things as all that to do," said Nanon,
"we may as well give up our lives to it. I shall never make coffee that
way; I know that! Pray, who is to get the fodder for the cow while I
make the coffee?"

"I will make it," said Eugenie.

"Child!" said Madame Grandet, looking at her daughter.

The word recalled to their minds the sorrow that was about to fall upon
the unfortunate young man; the three women were silent, and looked at
him with an air of commiseration that caught his attention.

"Is anything the matter, my cousin?" he said.

"Hush!" said Madame Grandet to Eugenie, who was about to answer;
"you know, my daughter, that your father charged us not to speak to
monsieur--"

"Say Charles," said y