puffed up by
ridiculous vanity, the man is shrewd and intelligent enough, and his
descendants, who will have the advantages of a better education than
their progenitors, will form a new class, with more wealth and as much
influence as the old one."

For more than an hour the Duke de Champdoce enlarged on his favorite
topic; but he might as well have been alone, for his son paid no
attention to what he said, for his mind was still dwelling upon his
adventures of the morning. Again that sweet, soft laugh, and that
modulated voice rang in his ears. How foolish he must have seemed to
her! and what a ridiculous figure he must have cut in her eyes! He had
by no means omitted to engrave on the tablet of his memory the fact that
Diana passed daily down the little path on her errand of bounty, and
that there he had the chance of again seeing her. He fancied that he
had so much to say to her; but as he found that his bashfulness would
deprive him of the power of utterance, he determined to commit his
sentiments to paper. That night he composed and destroyed some fifty
letters. He did not dare to say openly, "I love you," and yet that was
exactly what he wanted to express, and he strove, but in vain, to
find words which would veil its abruptness and yet disclose the whole
strength of his feelings. At last, however, one of his efforts satisfied
him. Rising early, he snatched up his gun, and whistling to Bruno, made
his way to the spot where he had the day before seen Diana stretched
upon the ground. But he waited in vain, and hour after hour passed away,
as he paced up and down in an agony of suspense. Diana did not come. The
young lady had considered her plans thoroughly and kept away. The next
day he might have been again disappointed but for a lucky circumstance.
Norbert was seated on the turf, awaiting with fond expectation the young
girl's approach and as Diana passed the opening to the pathway Bruno
scented her, and rushed forward with a joyous bark. She had then no
option but to walk up to the spot where Norbert was seated. Both the
young people were for the moment equally embarrassed, and Norbert stood
silent, holding in his hand the letter which had caused him so much
labor to indite.

"I have ventured to wait for you here, mademoiselle," said he in a voice
which trembled with suppressed emotion, "because I was full of anxiety
to know how you have been. How did you contrive to return home with your
wounded foot?"

He p