nquerolles, her uncle's estate in Burgundy, she noticed Thaddeus,
elegantly dressed, sauntering on one of the side-paths of the
Champs-Elysees, in the seventh heaven of delight at seeing his beautiful
countess in her elegant carriage with its spirited horses and sparkling
liveries,--in short, his beloved family the admired of all.

"There's the captain," she said to her husband.

"He's happy!" said Adam. "This is his delight. He knows there's no
equipage more elegant than ours, and he is rejoicing to think that some
people envy it. Have you only just noticed him? I see him there nearly
every day."

"I wonder what he is thinking about now," said Clementine.

"He is thinking that this winter has cost a good deal, and that it is
time we went to economize with your old uncle Ronquerolles," replied
Adam.

The countess stopped the carriage near Paz, and bade him take the seat
beside her. Thaddeus grew as red as a cherry.

"I shall poison you," he said; "I have been smoking."

"Doesn't Adam poison me?" she said.

"Yes, but he is Adam," returned the captain.

"And why can't Thaddeus have the same privileges?" asked the countess,
smiling.

That divine smile had a power which triumphed over the heroic
resolutions of poor Paz; he looked at Clementine with all the fire of
his soul in his eyes, though, even so, its flame was tempered by the
angelic gratitude of the man whose life was based upon that virtue.
The countess folded her arms in her shawl, lay back pensively on her
cushions, ruffling the feathers of her pretty bonnet, and looked at the
people who passed her. That flash of a great and hitherto resigned soul
reached her sensibilities. What was Adam's merit in her eyes? It was
natural enough to have courage and generosity. But Thaddeus--surely
Thaddeus possessed, or seemed to possess, some great superiority
over Adam. They were dangerous thoughts which took possession of the
countess's mind as she again noticed the contrast of the fine presence
that distinguished Thaddeus, and the puny frame in which Adam showed
the degenerating effects of intermarriage among the Polish aristocratic
families. The devil alone knew the thoughts that were in Clementine's
head, for she sat still, with thoughtful, dreamy eyes, and without
saying a word until they reached home.

"You will dine with us; I shall be angry if you disobey me," she said as
the carriage turned in. "You are Thaddeus to me, as you are to Adam. I
know your obli