m--to be in the actual presence of physical and mental agony.
Antoine Grennon, too, had made a favourable impression on Mrs
Stoutley; and when, in passing one day his extremely humble cottage, she
was invited by Antoine's exceedingly pretty wife to enter and partake of
bread and milk largely impregnated with cream, which was handed to her
by Antoine's excessively sweet blue-eyed daughter, the lady who had
hitherto spent her life among the bright ice-pinnacles of society, was
forced to admit to Emma Gray that Dr Tough was right when he said there
were some beautiful and precious stones to be found among the moraines
of social life.

"I know that Lawrence keeps the purse," said Lewis, "but I want your
special permission to take this money, because I intend to give it
away."

"Twenty pounds is a pretty large gift, Lewis," said his mother, raising
her eyebrows. "Who is it that has touched the springs of your
liberality? Not the family of poor Le Croix?"

"No; Le Croix happily leaves no family. He was an unmarried man. I
must not tell you, just yet, mother. Trust me, it shall be well
bestowed; besides, I ask it as a loan. It shall be refunded."

"Don't talk of refunding money to your mother, foolish boy. Go; you may
have it."

Lewis kissed his mother's cheek and thanked her. He quickly found the
Count, but experienced considerable difficulty in persuading him to
accept the money. However, by delicacy of management and by assuming,
as a matter of course, that it was a loan, to be repaid when convenient,
he prevailed. The Count made an entry of the loan in his notebook, with
Lewis's London address, and they parted with a kindly shake of the hand,
little imagining that they had seen each other on earth for the last
time.

On the Monday following, a superb day opened on the vale of Chamouni,
such a day as, through the medium of sight and scent, is calculated to
gladden the heart of man and beast. That the beasts enjoyed it was
manifest from the pleasant sounds that they sent, gushing, like a hymn
of thanksgiving--and who shall say it was not!--into the bright blue
sky.

Birds carolled on the shrubs and in the air; cats ventured abroad with
hair erect and backs curved, to exchange greetings with each other in
wary defiance of dogs; kittens sprawled in the sunshine, and made
frantic efforts to achieve the impossible feat of catching their own
shadows, varying the pastime with more successful, though arduous,
a