nd was going
to the capital to arrange with her lawyers, and to settle her husband's
will. The Count de Grinche (for so her fellow-passenger was called) was
quite as candid as the pretty widow had been, and stated that he was a
captain in the regiment of Nivernois; that he was going to Paris to buy
a colonelcy, which his relatives, the Duke de Bouillon, the Prince de
Montmorency, the Commandeur de la Tremoille, with all their interest at
court, could not fail to procure for him. To be short, in the course of
the four days' journey, the Count Louis Dominic de Grinche played his
cards so well, that the poor little widow half forgot her late husband;
and her eyes glistened with tears as the Count kissed her hand at
parting--at parting, he hoped, only for a few hours.

Day and night the insinuating Count followed her; and when, at the
end of a fortnight, and in the midst of a tete-a-tete, he plunged, one
morning, suddenly on his knees, and said, "Leonora, do you love me?" the
poor thing heaved the gentlest, tenderest, sweetest sigh in the world;
and sinking her blushing head on his shoulder, whispered, "Oh, Dominic,
je t'aime! Ah!" said she, "how noble is it of my Dominic to take me
with the little I have, and he so rich a nobleman!" The fact is, the old
Baron's titles and estates had passed away to his nephews; his dowager
was only left with three hundred thousand livres, in rentes sur
l'etat--a handsome sum, but nothing to compare to the rent-roll of Count
Dominic, Count de la Grinche, Seigneur de la Haute Pigre, Baron de la
Bigorne; he had estates and wealth which might authorize him to aspire
to the hand of a duchess, at least.

The unfortunate widow never for a moment suspected the cruel trick that
was about to be played on her; and, at the request of her affianced
husband, sold out her money, and realized it in gold, to be made over to
him on the day when the contract was to be signed. The day arrived;
and, according to the custom in France, the relations of both parties
attended. The widow's relatives, though respectable, were not of the
first nobility, being chiefly persons of the finance or the robe: there
was the president of the court of Arras, and his lady; a farmer-general;
a judge of a court of Paris; and other such grave and respectable
people. As for Monsieur le Comte de la Grinche, he was not bound for
names; and, having the whole peerage to choose from, brought a host of
Montmorencies, Crequis, De la Tour