almerston could make use of
him."

"Oh, he's kept busy enough with secrets here!" was Nicolas's laughing
reply.

"It's only a difference of size in the secrets anyhow," was Ferrol's
response in the same vein; and in a few moments they had passed the
Seigneury, and were drawn up before the great farmhouse.

Its appearance was rather comfortable and commodious than impressive,
but it had the air of home and undepreciating use. There was one
beautiful clump of hollyhocks and sunflowers in the front garden; a
corner of the main building was covered with morning-glories; a fence to
the left was overgrown with grape-vines, making it look like a hedge;
a huge pear tree occupied a spot opposite to the pretty copse of
sunflowers and hollyhocks; and the rest of the garden was green, save
just round a little "summer-house," in the corner, with its back to the
road, near which Sophie had set a palisade of the golden-rod flower.
Just beside the front door was a bush of purple lilac; and over the
door, in copper, was the coat-of-arms of the Lavilettes, placed there,
at Madame's insistence, in spite of the dying wish of Lavilette's
father, a feeble, babbling old gentleman in knee-breeches, stock, and
swallow-tailed coat, who, broken down by misfortune, age and loneliness,
had gathered himself together for one last effort for becomingness
against his daughter-in-law's false tastes--and had died the day after.
He was spared the indignity of the coat-of-arms on the tombstone only
by the fierce opposition of Louis Lavilette, who upon this point had his
first quarrel with his wife.

Ferrol saw no particular details in his first view of the house. The
picture was satisfying to a tired man--comfort, quiet, the bread
of idleness to eat, and welcome, admiring faces round him. Monsieur
Lavilette stood in the doorway, and behind him, at a carefully disposed
distance, was Madame, rather more emphatically dressed than necessary.
As he shook hands genially with Madame he saw Sophie and Christine
in the doorway of the parlour. His spirits took another leap. His
inexhaustible emotions were out upon cheerful parade at once.

The Lavilettes immediately became pensioners of his affections. The
first hour of his coming he himself did not know which sister his ample
heart was spending itself on most--Sophie, with her English face, and
slow, docile, well-bred manner, or Christine, dark, petite, impertinent,
gay-hearted, wilful, unsparing of her tongu