ountenance assumed an
indefinable expression, and seemed to read in the countenance of the
young girl an infinitude of memories and dreams. Finally, completely
carried away by a feeling he could not control, he folded Aminta in his
arms and clasped her to his bosom.

III.--THE MAN WITH THE MASK.

Paris, that great theatre on which, for fifty years, so much sublime and
common-place republicanism, so many monarchic, imperial, constitutional,
and other dramas had been represented--Paris, about the end of 1818, two
years after the occurrence of the events described in the last chapter,
presented a strange aspect, over which we will cast a retrospective
glance for the purpose of making our story intelligible.

Louis XVIII. reigned perhaps a little more absolutely than the charter
permitted. By the aggregation of power, kings and kingdoms almost always
fall; and this king, who wished to govern with the restrictions on power
which he had himself yielded to France, found himself in endless
controversy, from the errors of his friends, his family, and his
minister. Monsieur[O] was in the opposition, and with him were all the
malcontents of the realm. _Monsieur_ had his creatures, and his
ministers in casu, all ready to consecrate their services to the good of
the country. These were the only men, said the Prince, who could rescue
the restoration from the factions in arms against it. At the head of
this ministry was the Count Jules de Polignac, the favorite of the
ex-comte d'Artois. Next to Polignac came M. de Vitrolles, famous for his
intellect and his devotion to the royal family, M. de Grosbois, and
others, who had made progress in the graces and confidence of the
Prince. The King at that time exhibited a decided favoritism to a
certain statesman of merit and worth, the rapid fortune of whom,
however, had made many persons jealous and had excited much hatred. The
star of M. de Blacus, which till then had been so brilliant, began to
grow pale. From these palace intrigues, from these divisions of
families, arose in public affairs a species of perpetual controversy
which impeded the progress of the ship of state. In the mean time,
parties taking advantage of this discontent, excited every bad passion,
and silently undermined the soil preparing the explosion which
ultimately destroyed this feeble and disunited monarchy. The great
parties were divided and subdivided into many factions opposed to each
other, but, as will be seen