ull of that pleasant thought, he
would awake glad to find that he was still as free as ever, and able
to carry on a flirtation with a woman of the world, which imposed no
obligations upon him, and yet at the same time make love to a young girl
whom he would gladly have married but for certain reports which were
beginning to circulate among men of business concerning the financial
position of M. de Nailles.

They said that he was withdrawing money from secure investments to
repair (or to increase) considerable losses made by speculation, and
that he operated recklessly on the Bourse. These rumors had already
withdrawn Marcel d'Etaples from the list of his daughter's suitors. The
young fellow was a captain of Hussars, who had no scruple in declaring
the reason of his giving up his interest in the young lady. Gerard de
Cymier, more prudent, waited and watched, thinking it would be quite
time enough to go to the bottom of things when he found himself called
upon to make a decision, and greatly interested meantime in the daily
increase of Jacqueline's beauty. It was evident she cared for him. After
all, it was doing the little thing no harm to let her live on in the
intoxication of vanity and hope, and to give her something to dwell upon
in her innocent dreams. Never did Gerard allow himself to overstep the
line he had marked out for himself; a glance, a slight pressure of the
hand, which might have been intentional, or have meant nothing, a few
ambiguous words in which an active imagination might find something to
dream about, a certain way of passing his arm round her slight waist
which would have meant much had it not been done in public to the sound
of music, were all the proofs the young diplomatist had ever given of
an attraction that was real so far as consisted with his complete
selfishness, joined to his professional prudence, and that systematic
habit of taking up fancies at any time for anything, which prevents each
fancy as it occurs from ripening into passion.

He alluded indirectly to Fred's departure in a way that turned it
into ridicule. While playing a game of 'boston' he whispered into
Jacqueline's ear something about the old-fashionedness and stupidity of
Paul and Virginia, and his opinion of "calf-love," as the English call
an early attachment, and something about the right of every girl to know
a suitor long before she consents to marry him. He said he thought
that the days of courtship must be the most