a victoire en chantant nous ouvre la carriere!
La liberte-e gui-i-de nos pas" ...

while Lord A. went through an expressive pantomime of an overladen
foot-soldier up and down the room, in time to the music. The only
person who didn't laugh was James--which I thought ungenial.

Then Lady A. had _her_ innings, and sang "Rule Britannia, Britannia
rule de vaves"--and declared it was far more ridiculous really than
the "Chant du Depart," and she made it seem so, for she went through
a pantomime too. She was a most delightful person, and spoke English
quite well when she chose; and seemed as fond of Barty as if he were
her own and only son--and so did Lord Archibald. She would say:

"Quel dommage qu'on ne peut pas avoir des crompettes [crumpets]!
Barty les aime tant! n'est-ce pas, mon chou, tu aimes bien les
crompettes? voici venir du buttered toast--c'est toujours ca!"

And, "Mon Dieu, comme il a bonne mine, ce cher Barty--n'est-ce pas,
mon amour, que tu as bonne mine? regarde-toi dans la glace."

And, "Si nous allions a l'Hippodrome cette apres-midi voir la belle
ecuyere Madame Richard? Barty adore les jolies femmes, comme son
oncle! n'est-ce pas, mechant petit Barty, que tu adores les jolies
femmes? et tu n'as jamais vu Madame Richard? Tu m'en diras des
nouvelles! et vous, mon ami [this to me], est-ce que vous adorez
aussi les jolies femmes?"

"O oui," says Daphne, "allons voir M'ame Richard; it'll be _such_
fun! oh, bully!"

So after breakfast we went for a walk, and to a cafe on the Quai
d'Orsay, and then to the Hippodrome, and saw the beautiful ecuyere
in graceful feats of la haute ecole, and lost our hearts--especially
Lord Archibald, though him she knew; for she kissed her hand to him,
and he his to her.

Then we dined at the Palais Royal, and afterwards went to the Cafe
des Aveugles, an underground coffee-house near the Cafe de la
Rotonde, and where blind men made instrumental music; and we had a
capital evening.

I have met in my time more intellectual people, perhaps, than the
Archibald Rohans--but never people more amiable, or with kinder,
simpler manners, or who made one feel more quickly and thoroughly at
home--and the more I got to know them, the more I grew to like them;
and their fondness for each other and Daphne, and for Barty too, was
quite touching; as was his for them. So the winter sped happily till
February, when a sad thing happened.

I had spent Sunday with my mother and siste