on as she
dies it goes to the prince, or to his grandson, and then your
agreement is null."

"I know that," returned Felix, knocking the ash from his cigar; "and
for this reason we must take care and keep the old girl alive. Let her
have a good time, and she will live to a great age. It is very hard to
kill an old maid, especially if she has lots of money. Besides, I am
not so careless as you suppose. I have looked into the matter; I have
seen the will of the old prince, and I know all its provisions. There
is a clause that makes me pretty safe. When Countess Theudelinde goes
off the reel, her brother, the present man, or his heirs, are obliged
to compensate all those, either tenants, householders, or creditors,
who may have erected any buildings on the estate. You see, the old
prince considered that it would be more than probable that his crazy
daughter might, in a fit of holy enthusiasm, build either a church or
a convent, and he thought he would give the heirs the advantage of her
generosity. It never entered into his head that any one would erect a
factory, a refinery, or open a mine. Now you see how useful this
clause is to me, the heirs will not be in a position to refund us the
two millions of money we are putting on the property."

"Unless they find another company to advance them the money."

"That would not be so easy. First of all, it would have to go into the
very intricate affairs of the Bondavara family; then it would require
immense capital, great energy, and a certain amount of risk. For the
rest, I can see as far as my neighbors. I don't sit with my hands in
my lap, I can tell you, and I have not put all my money on one card."

"Right! By-the-way, what has become of the little wild kitten you
brought away from the Bondavara mine?"

"I have placed her for the present in Madame Risan's school; she is
being educated, for she has extraordinary capabilities, although in a
general way she is a stupid creature. She has a splendid voice, but
she cannot sing, as singing is nowadays; she has a wonderfully
expressive face, but does not know how to make use of it; she is full
of feeling, and speaks no language but her mother-tongue."

"Do you mean to educate her for the stage?"

"Certainly."

"And then?"

"I intend to marry her."

The abbe raised his eyebrows in some astonishment.

"I should hardly have thought," he said, coldly, "that a pupil of
Madame Risan's would be likely to make a satisfactory w