looked on me as a sort of pythoness to solve enigmas about you.
I had a grim satisfaction in leaving his curiosity irritated, but not
satisfied. I praised your beauty, goodness, and cleverness up to the
skies, however. I was not untrue to old friendship, Amelie!" Angelique
kissed her friend on the cheek, who silently allowed what, in her
indignation a few moments ago, she would have refused.

"But what said Colonel Philibert of himself? Never mind about me."

"Oh, impatient that you are! He said nothing of himself. He was absorbed
in my stories concerning you. I told him as pretty a fable as La
Fontaine related of the Avare qui avait perdu son tresor! I said you
were a beautiful chatelaine besieged by an army of lovers, but the
knight errant Fortunatus had alone won your favor, and would receive
your hand! The brave Colonel! I could see he winced at this. His steel
cuirass was not invulnerable. I drew blood, which is more than you
would have dared to do, Amelie! But I discovered the truth hidden in his
heart. He is in love with you, Amelie de Repentigny!"

"Mad girl! How could you? How dare you speak so of me? What must Colonel
Philibert think?"

"Think? He thinks you must be the most perfect of your sex! Why, his
mind was made up about you, Amelie, before he said a word to me. Indeed,
he only just wanted to enjoy the supernal pleasure of hearing me sing
the praises of Amelie De Repentigny to the tune composed by himself."

"Which you seem to have done, Angelique!"

"As musically as Mere St. Borgia when singing vespers in the Ursulines,"
was Angelique's flippant reply.

Amelie knew how useless it was to expostulate. She swallowed her mingled
pleasure and vexation salt with tears she could not help. She changed
the subject by a violent wrench, and asked Angelique when she had last
seen Le Gardeur.

"At the Intendant's levee the other day. How like you he is, too, only
less amiable!"

Angelique did not respond readily to her friend's question about her
brother.

"Less amiable? that is not like my brother. Why do you think him less
amiable than me?"

"Because he got angry with me at the ball given in honor of the arrival
of the Intendant, and I have not been able to restore him to perfect
good humor with me since."

"Oh, then Le Gardeur completes the trio of those who are proof against
your fascinations?" Amelie was secretly glad to hear of the displeasure
of Le Gardeur with Angelique.

"Not at all, I hop