house
indifferent clean."

"Hey, for the 'Tete d'Or,'" struck in Denys, decided by his ineradicable
foible.

On the way to it, Gerard inquired of his companion what a "mijauree"
was?

Denys laughed at his ignorance. "Not know what a mijauree is? why all
the world knows that. It is neither more nor less than a mijauree."

As they entered the "Tete d'Or," they met a young lady richly dressed
with a velvet chaperon on her head, which was confined by law to the
nobility. They unbonneted and louted low, and she curtsied, but fixed
her eye on vacancy the while, which had a curious rather than a genial
effect. However, nobility was not so unassuming in those days as it
is now. So they were little surprised. But the next minute supper was
served, and lo! in came this princess and carved the goose.

"Holy St. Bavon," cried Gerard. "'Twas the landlady all the while."

A young woman, cursed with nice white teeth and lovely hands: for these
beauties being misallied to homely features, had turned her head. She
was a feeble carver, carving not for the sake of others but herself,
i.e. to display her hands. When not carving she was eternally either
taking a pin out of her head or her body, or else putting a pin into her
head or her body. To display her teeth, she laughed indifferently at gay
or grave and from ear to ear. And she "sat at ease" with her mouth ajar.

Now there is an animal in creation of no great general merit; but it has
the eye of a hawk for affectation. It is called "a boy." And Gerard was
but a boy still in some things; swift to see, and to loath, affectation.
So Denys sat casting sheep's eyes, and Gerard daggers, at one comedian.

Presently, in the midst of her minauderies, she gave a loud shriek and
bounded out of her chair like hare from form, and ran backwards out of
the room uttering little screams, and holding her farthingale tight down
to her ankles with both hands. And as she scuttled out of the door a
mouse scuttled back to the wainscot in a state of equal, and perhaps
more reasonable terror. The guests, who had risen in anxiety at the
principal yell, now stood irresolute awhile, then sat down laughing. The
tender Denys, to whom a woman's cowardice, being a sexual trait, seemed
to be a lovely and pleasant thing, said he would go comfort her and
bring her back.

"Nay! nay! nay! for pity's sake let her bide," cried Gerard earnestly.
"Oh, blessed mouse! sure some saint sent thee to our aid."

Now at