a small chamber organ. In
addition to these evidences of taste and luxury there were a few small
but exquisite statuettes supported on wall brackets; delicate alabaster
vases of choice and sweetly-scented flowers, and a cage of gaily
plumaged birds.

"There!" said my guide, as she deposited me in the most comfortable
chair in the room, "is that to your liking, signor?"

"Perfectly," I replied. "But see here, Angela, have you not made some
mistake? Was it understood that I was to occupy this room? If I may
hazard a guess, I should say it is your mistress's own especial
apartment, the one to which she retreats when she desires strict
privacy."

"You are quite right, signor, it is my lady's boudoir, but the count's
instructions were that you were to be taken to the most comfortable room
in the chateau; and though there are many larger and more grand, I know
of none where you would be quite so comfortable as in this."

"I have no doubt you are perfectly right, little one," said I; "but I
greatly fear that in taking possession of this apartment I shall be
intruding--"

"It is very unkind of you to think any such thing, signor; no one who
has suffered as you have in the cause of my countrymen could ever be
deemed an intruder in _any_ of the apartments of the Chateau Paoli,"
said a clear, silvery voice behind me. I turned and saw that the owner
of the apartment had just entered at the open door in time to hear my
remark.

The beautiful girl looked more lovely than ever, I thought, as she
somewhat shyly congratulated me on the progress I had made toward
recovery.

She playfully scolded the unabashed Angela for not putting the room in
somewhat better order before introducing me to it, apologised for the
state of confusion which it was in, and finally asked me if she could do
anything to add to my comfort. With all the boldness of a British
midshipman, I at once replied that my comfort and happiness would be
complete if she would but condescend to favour me with as much of her
society as possible.

The dear girl blushed, laughed, called me a bold boy, and then, at my
earnest request, placed herself in a chair near me, and, after a slight
pause of embarrassment, commenced a conversation, the theme of which was
the struggle upon which the Corsicans had just entered.

This, of course, was all very well and highly interesting; no one could
have looked at and listened to so lovely a creature unmoved as she
descanted