g her pretty little fist at
him, exclaimed, "What is the meaning of that sigh, sir? Do you by any
chance regret your promise? But never mind that. How do you mean to
bring him here without causing any suspicion?"

A benevolent smile passed over her father's face, as he answered,--

"That, my pet, is my secret."

"Very well, keep it; I do not care what means you use, as long as I see
him soon, very soon,--to-night perhaps, in an hour, or even in a few
minutes. You say Dr. Hortebise will bring him here; he will sit at our
table. I can look at him without trouble, I shall hear his voice--"

"Silly little puss!" broke in the banker; "or, rather, I should say,
unhappy child."

"Silly, perhaps; but why should you say unhappy?"

"You love him too fondly, and he will take advantage of your feeling for
him."

"Never; I do not believe it," answered the girl.

"I hope to heaven, darling, that my fears may never be realized. But he
is not the sort of husband that I intended for you; he is a composer."

"And is that anything against him!" exclaimed Flavia in angry tones;
"one would think from your sneers that this was a crime. Not only is he
a composer, but he is a genius. I can read that in his face. He may be
poor, but I am rich enough for both, and he will owe all to me; so much
the better, for then he will not be compelled to give lessons for his
livelihood, and he will have leisure to compose an opera more beautiful
than any that Gounod has ever written, and I shall share all his glory.
Why, perhaps, he may even sing his own songs to me alone."

Her father noticed her state of feverish excitement and gazed upon her
sadly. Flavia's mother had been removed from this world at the early
age of twenty-four by that insidious malady, consumption, which defies
modern medical science, and in a brief space changes a beautiful girl
into a livid corpse, and the father viewed her excited manner, flushed
cheeks, and sparkling eyes with tears and dismay.

"By heavens!" cried he, bursting into a sudden fit of passion; "if ever
he ill treats you, he is a dead man."

The girl was startled at the sudden ferocity of his manner.

"What have I done to make you angry?" asked she; "and why do you have
such evil thoughts of him?"

"I tremble for you, in whom my whole soul is wrapped up," answered the
banker. "This man has robbed me of my child's heart, and you will be
happier with him than you are with your poor old father. I tremble
b