and you wish to sacrifice yourself for the peace of
the family."

"I swear to you that I am not thinking in the least of the peace of the
family; I am thinking wholly of my own, which is very much disturbed, for
I love that child with an energy of feeling that I never knew before. If I
don't marry her, I shall never console myself for the rest of my life."

"To that extent?" said Lucan, dumfounded.

"It is a terrible thing, _mon cher_," rejoined Monsieur de Moras. "I am
absolutely in love; when she looks at me, when I touch her hand, when her
dress rustles against me, I feel, as it were, a philter running through my
veins. I had heard of emotions of that kind, but I had never felt them. I
must confess that they delight me; but at the same time they distress me,
for I cannot conceal the fact to myself that there are a thousand chances
against one that my passion will not be reciprocated, and it really seems
as though my heart should wear mourning for it as long as it shall beat."

"What an adventure!" said Lucan, who had recovered all his gravity. "That
is a very serious matter; very annoying."

He walked a few steps about the parlor, absorbed in thoughts that seemed
of a rather somber character.

"Is Julia aware of your sentiments?" he said, suddenly.

"Most certainly not; I would not have taken the liberty of informing her
of them without first speaking to you. Will you be kind enough to act as
my ambassador to her mother?"

"Why, yes, with pleasure," said Lucan, with a shade of hesitation that did
not escape his friend.

"You think that is useless, don't you?" said the count with a forced
smile.

"Useless--why so?"

"In the first place, it is very late."

"It is somewhat late, no doubt. Things have gone very far; but I have
never had much confidence in the stability of Julia's ideas of her
vocation. Besides, in these restless imaginations, the sincerest
resolutions of to-day become readily the dislikes of the morrow."

"But you doubt that--that I should succeed in pleasing her?"

"Why should you not please her? You are more than good-looking. You are
thirty-two years old; she is sixteen. You are a little richer than she is.
All that does very well."

"Well, then, why do you hesitate to serve me?"

"I do not hesitate to serve you; only I see you very much in love; you are
not accustomed to it, and I fear that a condition of things so novel for
you might be urging you somewhat hastily to such a grave