company by the ears, and they fight till the blood flows in streams."

"Nothing more?"

"And then his conduct is so very eccentric. He can't endure anything
that comes from abroad. He does not allow peas to appear on his table,
because they don't grow on his estate. They are for the same reason not
allowed to bring coffee into the house, and he uses honey instead of
sugar. Mad, eh?"

"Certainly. But do you know anything else about him?"

"Oh, I could tell you a thousand things. His whole life is an absurdity.
He only did a wise thing once in his life. When I was at the very last
gasp, and nothing in the world could save me but a rich uncle, this
Hungarian Nabob, this Plutus, one night crammed himself up to the very
throat with plover's eggs, and died early in the morning. I was
immediately advertised of the fact."

"And so I suppose you have come hither to take over the rich inheritance
without delay?"

"Ma foi! nothing else were capable of bringing me back into this
detestable country."

"Very well, my pretty gentleman, then you may just clap your horses into
your carriage, and drive back to Paris, or Italy, or Morocco if you
like, for _I am_ that half-crazy uncle of yours, that rich _betyar_ of
whom you speak, and I am not dead yet, as you can see for yourself."

At these words Abellino collapsed; his arms and legs grew limp and
feeble, and he involuntarily stammered in his terror--

"Est-ce possible? Can it be possible?"

"Yes, sir, it can. I am that John Karpathy whom the country folks
jokingly call Master Jock, and who likes to be so called."

"Ah, if only I had thought a little!" cried the young gentleman, leaping
to his feet and hastening to grasp his great-uncle's hand. "But, indeed,
evil-minded persons described my only uncle to me so differently that I
could not picture him to myself in the shape of such a gallant, noble
gentleman. Milles tonnerres! let nobody in future dare to say in my
presence that my dear uncle is not the finest cavalier on the continent!
I should have been inconsolable if I had not made your acquaintance.
Capital! I was looking for a dead uncle, and I have found a living one.
C'est bien charmant! The Goddess of Fortune is not a woman for nothing.
I protest that she has quite befooled me!"

"Enough of this sort of flummery, my sweet nephew; I don't like it. I am
used to rough, plain speaking, even from my heydukes. I prefer to have
it so. You, my good nephew, have come hither