distance of thirty yards. This Mr. Thomas Elgin, whom the world calls
familiarly Sir Thorn, and Mrs. Brian, always stay with Miss Sarah.

"When she first arrived, Miss Sarah established herself in a house near
the Champs Elysees, which she furnished most sumptuously. Sir Thorn, who
is a jockey of the first water, had discovered a pair of gray horses for
her which made a sensation at the Bois de Boulogne, and drew everybody's
attention to their fair owner. Heaven knows how she had managed to get
a number of letters of introduction. But certainly two or three of the
most influential members of the American colony here received her at
their houses. After that, all was made easy. Gradually she crept into
society; and now she is welcome almost everywhere, and visits, not only
at the best houses, but even in certain families which have a reputation
of being quite exclusive.

"In fine, if she has enemies, she has also fanatic partisans. If some
people say she is a wretch, others--and they are by no means the least
clever--tell you that she is an angel, only wanting wings to fly away
from this wicked world. They talk of her as of a poor little orphan-
girl, whom people slander atrociously because they envy her youth, her
beauty, her splendor."

"Ah, is she so rich?"

"Miss Brandon spends at least twenty thousand dollars a year."

"And no one inquires where they come from?"

"From her sainted father's petroleum-wells, my dear fellow. Petroleum
explains everything."

Brevan seemed to feel a kind of savage delight in seeing Daniel's
despair, and in explaining to him most minutely how solidly, and
how skilfully Miss Sarah Brandon's position in the world had been
established. Had he any expectation to prevent a struggle with her by
exaggerating her strength? Or rather, knowing Daniel as he did,--far
better, unfortunately, than he was known by him,--was he trying to
irritate him more and more against this formidable adversary?

At all events, he continued in that icy tone which gives to sarcasm its
greatest bitterness,--

"Besides, my dear Daniel, if you are ever introduced at Miss
Brandon's,--and I pray you will believe me, people are not so easily
introduced there,--you will be dumfounded at first by the tone that
prevails in that house. The air is filled with a perfume of hypocrisy
which would rejoice the stiffest of Quakers. Cant rules supreme there,
putting a lock to the mouth, and a check to the eyes."

Daniel began