of interest. Madame de Lionne took her
delight in the infinite variety of the human species. All the other eyes
in the drawing-room followed the departing officers; and when they had
gone out one or two men, who had already heard of the duel, imparted the
information to the sylph-like ladies, who received it with faint shrieks
of humane concern.

Meantime, the two hussars walked side by side, Lieut. Feraud trying to
master the hidden reason of things which in this instance eluded the
grasp of his intellect, Lieut. D'Hubert feeling annoyed at the part he
had to play, because the general's instructions were that he should see
personally that Lieut. Feraud carried out his orders to the letter, and
at once.

"The chief seems to know this animal," he thought, eyeing his companion,
whose round face, the round eyes, and even the twisted-up jet black
little moustache seemed animated by a mental exasperation against the
incomprehensible. And aloud he observed rather reproachfully, "The
general is in a devilish fury with you!"

Lieut. Feraud stopped short on the edge of the pavement, and cried in
accents of unmistakable sincerity, "What on earth for?" The innocence of
the fiery Gascon soul was depicted in the manner in which he seized his
head in both hands as if to prevent it bursting with perplexity.

"For the duel," said Lieut. D'Hubert, curtly. He was annoyed greatly by
this sort of perverse fooling.

"The duel! The . . ."

Lieut. Feraud passed from one paroxysm of astonishment into another.
He dropped his hands and walked on slowly, trying to reconcile this
information with the state of his own feelings. It was impossible. He
burst out indignantly, "Was I to let that sauerkraut-eating civilian
wipe his boots on the uniform of the 7th Hussars?"

Lieut. D'Hubert could not remain altogether unmoved by that simple
sentiment. This little fellow was a lunatic, he thought to himself, but
there was something in what he said.

"Of course, I don't know how far you were justified," he began,
soothingly. "And the general himself may not be exactly informed. Those
people have been deafening him with their lamentations."

"Ah! the general is not exactly informed," mumbled Lieut. Feraud,
walking faster and faster as his choler at the injustice of his fate
began to rise. "He is not exactly . . . And he orders me under close
arrest, with God knows what afterwards!"

"Don't excite yourself like this," remonstrated the other. "Yo