onel got up, rubbed his eyes, and introduced the
prefect to his daughter.

"I do not introduce M. della Rebbia to you," said he, "for no doubt you
know him already."

"Is this gentleman Colonel della Rebbia's son?" said the prefect,
looking a trifle embarrassed.

"Yes, monsieur," replied Orso.

"I had the honour of knowing your father."

The ordinary commonplaces of conversation were soon exhausted. The
colonel, in spite of himself, yawned pretty frequently. Orso, as a
liberal, did not care to converse with a satellite of the Government.
The burden of the conversation fell on Miss Lydia. The prefect, on his
side, did not let it drop, and it was clear that he found the greatest
pleasure in talking of Paris, and of the great world, to a woman who
was acquainted with all the foremost people in European society. As he
talked, he now and then glanced at Orso, with an expression of singular
curiosity.

"Was it on the Continent that you made M. della Rebbia's acquaintance?"
he inquired.

Somewhat embarrassed, Miss Lydia replied that she had made his
acquaintance on the ship which had carried them to Corsica.

"He is a very gentlemanly young fellow," said the prefect, in an
undertone; "and has he told you," he added, dropping his voice still
lower, "why he has returned to Corsica?"

Miss Lydia put on her most majestic air and answered:

"I have not asked him," she said. "You may do so."

The prefect kept silence, but, an instant later, hearing Orso speak a
few words of English to the colonel, he said:

"You seem to have travelled a great deal, monsieur. You must have
forgotten Corsica and Corsican habits."

"It is quite true that I was very young when I went away."

"You still belong to the army?"

"I am on half-pay, monsieur."

"You have been too long in the French army not to have become a thorough
Frenchman, I have no doubt?"

The last words of the sentence were spoken with marked emphasis.

The Corsicans are not particularly flattered at being reminded that they
belong to the "Great Nations." They claim to be a people apart, and so
well do they justify their claim that it may very well be granted them.

Somewhat nettled, Orso replied: "Do you think, M. le Prefet, that
a Corsican must necessarily serve in the French army to become an
honourable man?"

"No, indeed," said the prefect, "that is not my idea at all; I am only
speaking of certain _customs_ belonging to this country, some of which
are not