knew in England."

"Why did he bow to me? He does not know me."

"Yes, he does know you, in his way."

"How, monsieur?" (She still called me "monsieur"; I could not persuade
her to adopt any more familiar term.)

"Did you not read the expression of his eyes?"

"Of his eyes? No. What did they say?"

"To you they said, 'How do you do, Wilhelmina, Crimsworth?' To me, 'So
you have found your counterpart at last; there she sits, the female of
your kind!'"

"Monsieur, you could not read all that in his eyes; He was so soon
gone."

"I read that and more, Frances; I read that he will probably call on me
this evening, or on some future occasion shortly; and I have no doubt
he will insist on being introduced to you; shall I bring him to your
rooms?"

"If you please, monsieur--I have no objection; I think, indeed, I should
rather like to see him nearer; he looks so original."

As I had anticipated, Mr. Hunsden came that evening. The first thing he
said was:--

"You need not begin boasting, Monsieur le Professeur; I know about your
appointment to ---- College, and all that; Brown has told me." Then
he intimated that he had returned from Germany but a day or two since;
afterwards, he abruptly demanded whether that was Madame Pelet-Reuter
with whom he had seen me on the Boulevards. I was going to utter a
rather emphatic negative, but on second thoughts I checked myself, and,
seeming to assent, asked what he thought of her?

"As to her, I'll come to that directly; but first I've a word for you. I
see you are a scoundrel; you've no business to be promenading about with
another man's wife. I thought you had sounder sense than to get mixed up
in foreign hodge-podge of this sort."

"But the lady?"

"She's too good for you evidently; she is like you, but something better
than you--no beauty, though; yet when she rose (for I looked back to
see you both walk away) I thought her figure and carriage good. These
foreigners understand grace. What the devil has she done with Pelet? She
has not been married to him three months--he must be a spoon!"

I would not let the mistake go too far; I did not like it much.

"Pelet? How your head runs on Mons. and Madame Pelet! You are always
talking about them. I wish to the gods you had wed Mdlle. Zoraide
yourself!"

"Was that young gentlewoman not Mdlle. Zoraide?"

"No; nor Madame Zoraide either."

"Why did you tell a lie, then?"

"I told no lie; but you are is such a hurry. She