you are a coward? Is this the case?"

'Norvins hung down his head; the sickness of death was on him. The
dreadful pause was broken at last; it was Van Halsdt who spoke--

'"Adieu, sir; I grieve for you. I hope we may never meet again; yet let
me give you a counsel ere we part. There is but one coat men can wear
with impunity when they carry a malevolent and a craven spirit; you can
he a------"'

'Monsieur l'Abbe, the dinner is on the table,' said a servant, entering
at this moment of the story.

'_Ma foi_, and so it is,' said he, looking gaily at his watch, as he
rose from his chair.

'But mademoiselle,' said I, 'what became of her?'

'Ah, Marguerite: she was married to Van Halsdt in less than three
months. The cuirassier fortunately recovered from his wounds; the duel
was shown to be a thing forced by the stress of consequences. As for Van
Halsdt, the king forgave him, and he is now ambassador at Naples.'

'And the other, Norvins?--though I scarcely feel any interest in him.'

'I'm sorry for it,' said he, laughing; 'but won't you move forward?'

With that he made me a polite bow to precede him towards the
dinner-room, and followed me with the jaunty step and the light gesture
of an easy and contented nature.

I need scarcely say that I did not sit next the abbe that day at dinner;
on the contrary, I selected the most stupid-looking old man I could find
for my neighbour, hugging myself in the thought, that, where there is
little agreeability, Nature may kindly have given in recompense some
traits of honesty and some vestiges of honour. Indeed, such a disgust
did I feel for the amusing features of the pleasantest part of the
company, and so inextricably did I connect repartee with rascality, that
I trembled at every good thing I heard, and stole away early to bed,
resolving never to take sudden fancies to agreeable people as long as I
lived--an oath which a long residence in a certain country that shall
be nameless happily permits me to keep, with little temptation to
transgress.

The next morning was indeed a brilliant one--the earth refreshed by
rain, the verdure more brilliant, the mountain streams grown fuller; all
the landscape seemed to shine forth in its gladdest features. I was up
and stirring soon after sunrise; and with all my prejudices against
such a means of 'lengthening one's days,' I sat at my window, actually
entranced with the beauty of the scene. Beyond the river there rose a
heath-clad mo