apted to suggest to a lively fancy the outlines of a
romance. No doubt, she thought, the pavosk contained a young and
beautiful Circassian, whose charms would fascinate some Oriental prince,
and place a queen's diadem upon her brow. At an inn, in Stavropol,
Madame de Hell again fell in with the Circassian and his mysterious
charge, but the latter was veiled from head to foot "The young
mountaineer," she says, "prepared a divan with cushions and pillows very
like our own, and, a few moments afterwards, returned, carrying in his
arms a woman completely shrouded in her veil; he placed her very
delicately upon the divan, and seated himself by her side with every
mark of tenderness. Occasionally he lifted the young girl's veil to
question her in the most respectful manner. The whole scene was invested
with a poetic charm which I vainly endeavour to express. In the
attitudes, the costume, the physiognomy of this little group, there was
an Oriental grace which would have impressed a painter. Not only was the
picture pleasant to the eye, but it was suggestive to the imagination.
Unfortunately, the delightful vision disappeared like a dream. A few
minutes, and in came our host in search of the mysterious couple, to
conduct them to a private apartment. Infinite precautions were taken in
the removal of the unknown lady, who seemed to be on the brink of the
grave. Next morning we questioned our host in reference to the incident,
but he replied very vaguely, and all we could gather was, that the young
girl had come to Stavropol to consult a famous physician respecting her
condition, which offered but little hope. We could gain no information
from them as to the relations existing between her and the young chief,
the moral causes of her malady, or, in a word, the interesting part of
the story."

FOOTNOTES:

[4] George Eliot.

MADAME HOMMAIRE DE HELL.

II.

From Stavropol, a pleasant and lively town, the capital of the Caucasus,
our travellers journeyed toward the Don with singular rapidity,
accomplishing the distance of 316 versts,[5] in two-and-twenty hours.
They ate and slept in their carriage, and did not alight until they
reached the river-side, where every kind of tribulation lay in wait for
them. Madame de Hell would afterwards remark on the strange tenacity
with which ill-luck adheres to us when it has overtaken us. At ten
o'clock at night, when they were still at some distance from the Don,
they were informed t