ng woman they may chance to cast
their eyes upon, even if she be only a kitchen wench. Or it may be some
old inclination which, after years and years, suddenly springs into life
again, like some tenacious animal that has lain imprisoned for centuries
in a coal-seam, and the ideals which at sixteen he was unable to make
his own, possibly because he had other ties, he turns to again at
seventy when he finds himself free again."

"My uncle has no ideals. He does not know such a word. Besides, I can
assure you that such a marriage could not possibly have the usual
results."

"I have no uneasiness on that score, otherwise I should scarcely venture
to make you an offer. But there is another point on which I shall
require a satisfactory assurance from you."

"A satisfactory assurance from me? Now it is the turn of my beard, I
suppose," murmured Abellino, smoothing down his black whiskers.

"The assurance I want from you," said the banker, cheerfully, "is that
you will live long enough."

"Naturally, lest I die before my uncle."

"It might so happen. I will, therefore, not only give you money, but
will take care that no harm happens to your life."

"How?"

"I mean to say, so long as old John Karpathy is alive, you must fight no
duels, go to no stag or boar hunts, undertake no long sea voyage, enter
into no liaison with any ballet-dancer; in a word, you must engage to
avoid everything which might endanger your life."

"And I suppose I must also drink no wine and ascend no staircase, as the
drink might fly to my head, and I might fall down and break my neck?"

"I won't bind you too strictly. I admit that you may find the enumerated
prohibitions somewhat grievous, but I know of a case which would free
you from them all."

"And that is----?"

"If you were to marry."

"Parbleu! Rather than do that I would engage never to mount a horse or
handle a weapon."

"Look at it in this way. Suppose you were to honour an elegant young
gentlewoman with your hand. The first year you would be able to pass
happily enough; for surely in all Paris you would be able to find a lady
capable of making a man happy for at least a whole year! At the end of
that year the Karpathy family would be enriched by a vigorous young
scion the more, and you would be absolved from your onerous engagement,
and be quite free to blow your brains out or break your neck, according
as the fancy took you. But if, on the other hand, you preferred to enjoy
l