y Octavie's blue eyes. These had
been steadily gaining in expression since she first opened them
about seventeen years back. Customers soon came in, and for a time
the little business was as flourishing as anything could well be in
Malines. The average citizen of so ecclesiastically conservative, and
hereditarily stationary a city could hardly be expected to encourage
a new venture of the kind. Still even there there were some young men
about town, a sort of "jeunesse dore", not of 18-carat gold perhaps,
but a "jeunesse" quite equal to the pleasant task of buzzing around
the fair tobacconist. Mrs. L. did her share of chaperoning; du Maurier
and I supplied the rest, and watched over her with chivalrous, if not
quite disinterested devotion. We differed in every respect from the
type of the young man of the period above mentioned; so naturally we
were bright stars in Carry's firmament; she looked upon us as superior
beings, and, granting her points of comparison, not without cause;
du Maurier could draw and I could paint; he could sing and I could
mesmerise, and couldn't we just both talk beautifully! We neither of
us encourage hero-worship now, but then we were "bons princes," and
graciously accepted Carry's homage as due to our superior merits.

[Illustration: "BESHREW THEE, NOBLE SIR RAGGE! LET US TO THE FAIR
TOBACCONISTE!"]

There are two drawings illustrative of that chivalrous devotion of
ours. We are galloping along on our noble steeds, richly attired, as
true knights and good should be when they go to pay homage to beauty.

"Beshrew thee, noble Sir Ragge! let us to the fair tobacconiste!"

[Illustration: "SALUT A LA GENTE ET ACCORTE PUCELLE!"]

"Aye! Gentle Sir Bobtaile! By my halidome, she's passing fair."

The second drawing shows our "Salut a la Gente et accorte pucelle!"
and the winning smile with which Carry would receive us.

Mesmerism, or, as the fashion of to-day calls it, Hypnotism, formed
so frequent a topic of conversation and speculation between du Maurier
and myself, that it takes a very prominent place in my recollections.

In Paris I had had opportunities of attending some most interesting
seances, in consequence of which I soon proceeded to investigate the
mesmeric phenomena on my own account. Now I have not touched the fluid
for some thirty years; I swore off because it was taking too much
out of me; but I look back with pleasure on my earlier experiments,
successes I may say, for I was for