imating the walls themselves. These two persons, so occupied, not by
the death of the duke, but by the conversation which was the consequence
of that death, were a young woman and a young man. The latter personage,
a man of from twenty-five to twenty-six years of age, with a mien
sometimes lively and sometimes dull, making good use of two large eyes,
shaded with long eye-lashes, was short of stature and swart of skin; he
smiled with an enormous, but well-furnished mouth, and his pointed chin,
which appeared to enjoy a mobility nature does not ordinarily grant to
that portion of the countenance, leant from time to time very lovingly
towards his interlocutrix, who, we must say, did not always draw back so
rapidly as strict propriety had a right to require. The young girl--we
know her, for we have already seen her, at that very same window, by the
light of that same sun--the young girl presented a singular mixture of
shyness and reflection; she was charming when she laughed, beautiful
when she became serious; but, let us hasten to say, she was more
frequently charming than beautiful. These two appeared to have attained
the culminating point of a discussion--half-bantering, half-serious.

"Now, Monsieur Malicorne," said the young girl, "does it, at length,
please you that we should talk reasonably?"

"You believe that that is very easy, Mademoiselle Aure," replied the
young man. "To do what we like, when we can only do what we are able--"

"Good! there he is bewildered in his phrases."

"Who, I?"

"Yes, you; quit that lawyer's logic, my dear."

"Another impossibility. Clerk I am, Mademoiselle de Montalais."

"Demoiselle I am, Monsieur Malicorne."

"Alas, I know it well, and you overwhelm me by your rank; so I will say
no more to you."

"Well, no, I don't overwhelm you; say what you have to tell me--say it,
I insist upon it."

"Well, I obey you."

"That is truly fortunate."

"Monsieur is dead."

"Ah, _peste!_ that's news! And where do you come from, to be able to
tell us that?"

"I come from Orleans, mademoiselle."

"And is that all the news you bring?"

"Ah, no; I am come to tell you that Madame Henrietta of England is
coming to marry the king's brother."

"Indeed, Malicorne, you are insupportable with your news of the last
century. Now, mind, if you persist in this bad habit of laughing at
people, I will have you turned out."

"Oh!"

"Yes, for really you exasperate me."

"There, there. Patience,