nvaded, with gay laughter and nervous desire to be amused, the
boat chartered by the Prince. Above, pencil in hand, the little dark man
with the keen eyes, black, pointed beard and waxed moustache, continued
to take down, as the cortege defiled before him, the list of the invited
guests: and upon the leaves fell, briskly traced, names printed a
hundred times a day in Parisian chronicles among the reports of the
races of first representations at the theatres; names with Slav, Latin,
or Saxon terminations; Italian names, Spanish, Hungarian, American
names; each of which represented fortune, glory, power, sometimes
scandal--one of those imported scandals which break out in Paris as the
trichinae of foreign goods are hatched there.

The reporter wrote on, wrote ever, tearing off and handing to the page
attached to 'L'Actualite' the last leaves of his list, whereon figured
Yankee generals of the War of the Rebellion, Italian princesses,
American girls flirting with everything that wore trousers; ladies who,
rivals of Prince Zilah in wealth, owned whole counties somewhere in
England; great Cuban lords, compromised in the latest insurrections
and condemned to death in Spain; Peruvian statesmen, publicists,
and military chiefs at once, masters of the tongue, the pen, and the
revolver; a crowd of originals, even a Japanese, an elegant young man,
dressed in the latest fashion, with a heavy sombrero which rested upon
his straight, inky-black hair, and which every minute or two he took off
and placed under his left arm, to salute the people of his acquaintance
with low bows in the most approved French manner.

All these odd people, astonishing a little and interesting greatly the
groups of Parisians gathered above on the sidewalks, crossed the gangway
leading to the boat, and, spreading about on the deck, gazed at the
banks and the houses, or listened to the czardas which the Hungarian
musicians were playing with a sort of savage frenzy beneath the French
tricolor united to the three colors of their own country.

The Tzigani thus saluted the embarkation of the guests; and the clear,
bright sunshine enveloped the whole boat with a golden aureole, joyously
illuminating the scene of feverish gayety and childish laughter.

CHAPTER II. THE BARONESS'S MATCHMAKING

The Prince Zilah met his guests with easy grace, on the deck in front
of the foot-bridge. He had a pleasant word for each one as they came
on board, happy and smiling