ung
from this! Alas! she felt she never could pardon such a dire betrayal.
She had come in good spirits, but the mention of Evan's backsliding had
troubled her extremely, and though she did not say to herself, What
was the benefit resulting from her father's dying, if Evan would be so
base-minded? she thought the thing indefinitely, and was forming the
words on her mouth, One Harrington in a shop is equal to all! when Evan
appeared alone.

'Why, goodness gracious! where's your moustache?' cried the Countess.

'Gone the way of hair!' said Evan, coldly stooping to her forehead.

'Such a distinction!' the Countess continued, reproachfully. 'Why,
mon Dieu! one could hardly tell you; as you look now, from the very
commonest tradesman--if you were not rather handsome and something of a
figure. It's a disguise, Evan--do you know that?'

'And I 've parted with it--that 's all,' said Evan. 'No more disguises
for me!'

The Countess immediately took his arm, and walked with him to a window.
His face was certainly changed. Murmuring that the air of Lymport was
bad for him, and that he must leave it instantly, she bade him sit and
attend to what she was about to say.

While you have been here, degenerating, Evan, day by day--as you always
do out of my sight--degenerating! no less a word!--I have been
slaving in your interests. Yes; I have forced the Jocelyns socially
to acknowledge us. I have not slept; I have eaten bare morsels. Do
abstinence and vigils clear the wits? I know not! but indeed they have
enabled me to do more in a week than would suffice for a lifetime. Hark
to me. I have discovered Rose's secret. Si! It is so! Rose loves you.
You blush; you blush like a girl. She loves you, and you have let
yourself be seen in a shop! Contrast me the two things. Oh! in verity,
dreadful as it is, one could almost laugh. But the moment I lose sight
of you, my instructions vanish as quickly as that hair on your superior
lip, which took such time to perfect. Alas! you must grow it again
immediately. Use any perfumer's contrivance. Rowland! I have great faith
in Rowland. Without him, I believe, there would have been many bald
women committing suicide! You remember the bottle I gave to the Count
de Villa Flor? "Countess," he said to me, "you have saved this egg-shell
from a crack by helping to cover it"--for so he called his head--the
top, you know, was beginning to shine like an egg. And I do fear me he
would have done it. Ah! you