di, who delighted
in gayety, and cherished all those that promoted it. Seeing what
interest I took in the ways of Hungarian life, she explained many of the
customs I saw around me, which, deriving from a great antiquity, were
doubtless soon destined to give way before the advance of a higher
civilization. I asked what she knew of the English guests. It was
nothing, or next to nothing,--Count Hunyadi had made their acquaintance
at Baden that summer, and invited them to pass their Christmas with him.
Countess Palfi had herself arrived since they came, and had not seen
them; for "my Lord," as he was generally called, had left at once to
join the shooting-party, and my Lady had not appeared since the day
after her arrival. "I only know that she is a great beauty, and of most
charming manners. The men all rave of her, so that we are half jealous
already. We were expecting to see her at dinner to-day, but we hear that
she is less well than yesterday."

"Do you know their name?"

"No; I believe I heard it,--but I am not familiar with English names,
and it has escaped me; but I will present you by and by to Count Greorge
Szechenyi, who was at Baden when the Hunyadi met them,--he'll tell you
more of them."

I assured her that my curiosity was most amply satisfied already. It was
a class, in which I could not expect to find an acquaintance, far less a
friend.

"There is something almost forced in this humility of yours," cried
she. "Are we to find out some fine morning that you are a prince in
disguise?" She laughed so merrily at her own conceit that Madame Hunyadi
asked the cause of her mirth.

"I will tell you later on," said she. We soon afterwards rose to go into
the drawing-room, and I saw as they laughed together that she had told
her what she said.

"Do you know," said the Countess Hunyadi, approaching me, "I am half of
Madame Palfi's mind, and I shall never rest till you reveal your secret
to us?"

I said something laughingly about my _incognito_ being the best coat in
my wardrobe, and the matter dropped. That night I sang several times,
alone, and in duet with the Palfi, and was overwhelmed with flatteries
of my "fresh tenor voice" and my "admirable method." It was something
so new and strange to me to find myself the centre of polite attentions,
and of those warm praises which consummate good breeding knows how to
bestow without outraging taste, that I found it hard to repress the wild
delight that possessed m