and surprise at sight of me, but
pausing only to tell Simon where the stable was, haled me through the
crowd and up his stairs with a fervour and heartiness which brought the
tears to my eyes, and served to impress the company whom I found above
with a more than sufficient sense of my importance.

Seeing him again in the highest feather and in the full employment of
all those little arts and graces which served as a foil to his real
worth, I took it as a great honour that he laid them aside for the
nonce; and introduced me to the seat of honour and made me known to his
companions with a boyish directness and a simple thought for my comfort
which infinitely pleased me. He bade his landlord, without a moment's
delay, bring wine and meat and everything which could refresh a
traveller, and was himself up and down a hundred times in a minute,
calling to his servants for this or that, or railing at them for their
failure to bring me a score of things I did not need. I hastened to make
my excuses to the company for interrupting them in the midst of their
talk; and these they were kind enough to accept in good part. At the
same time, reading clearly in M. d'Agen's excited face and shining eyes
that he longed to be alone with me, they took the hint, and presently
left us together.

'Well,' he said, coming back from the door, to which he had conducted
them, 'what have you to tell me, my friend? She is not with you?'

'She is with Mademoiselle de la Vire at Meudon,' I answered, smiling.
'And for the rest, she is well and in better spirits.'

'She sent me some message? he asked.

I shook my head. 'She did not know I should see you,' I answered.

'But she--she has spoken of me lately?' he continued, his face falling.

'I do not think she has named your name for a fortnight,' I answered,
laughing. 'There's for you! Why, man,' I continued, adopting a different
tone, and laying my hand on his shoulder in a manner which reassured
him at least; as much as my words, 'are you so young a lover as to be
ignorant that a woman says least of that of which she thinks most?
Pluck up, courage! Unless I am mistaken, you have little to be afraid of
except the past. Only have patience.'

'You think so?' he said gratefully.

I assured him that I had no doubt of it; and on that he fell into a
reverie, and I to watching him. Alas for the littleness of our natures!
He had received me with open arms, yet at sight of the happiness which
took pos