Saying this, Lomaque laid one hand on his
heart, and with the other pulled his stick out
of the grass. He had looked as little at the
landscape or the setting sun as Monsieur
Justin himself.

They sat down, side by side, on the empty
bench; and then there followed an awkward
pause. Submissive Lomaque was too discreet
to forget his place, and venture on starting a
new topic. Trudaine was pre-occupied, and
disinclined to talk. It was necessary,
however, in common politeness, to say something.
Hardly attending himself to his own words,
he began with a commonplace phrase, — "I
regret, Monsieur Lomaque, that we have not
had more opportunities of bettering our
acquaintance."

"I feel deeply indebted," rejoined the land-
steward, "to the admirable Madame Danville
for having chosen me as her escort hither
from her son's estate near Lyons, and having
thereby procured for me the honour of this
introduction." Both Monsieur Lomaque's
red-rimmed eyes were seized with a sudden
fit of winking, as he made this polite speech.
His enemies were accustomed to say, that
whenever he was particularly insincere, or
particularly deceitful, he always took refuge
in the weakness of his eyes, and so evaded the
trying ordeal of being obliged to look steadily
at the person whom he was speaking with.

"I was pleased to hear you mention my
late father's name, at dinner, in terms of high
respect," continued Trudaine, resolutely
keeping up the conversation. "Did you know
him?"

"I am indirectly indebted to your excellent
father," answered the land-steward, "for the
very situation which I now hold. At a time
when the good word of a man of substance
and reputation was needed to save me from
poverty and ruin, your father spoke that
word. Since then, I have, in my own very
small way, succeeded in life, until I have
risen to the honour of superintending the
estate of Monsieur Danville."

"Excuse me — but your way of speaking of
your present situation rather surprises me.
Your father, I believe, was a merchant, just
as Danville's father was a merchant; the only
difference between them was, that one failed,
and the other realised a large fortune. Why
should you speak of yourself as honoured by
holding your present place?"

"Have you never heard?" exclaimed
Lomaque, with an appearance of great astonishment,
"or can you have heard, and forgotten,
that Madame Danville is descended from one
of the noble houses of France? Has she
never told you, as she has often told me, that
she condescended when she married her late
husband; and that her great object in life is
to get the title of her family (years since
extinct in the male line) settled on her son?"

"Yes," replied Trudaine; "I remember to
have heard something of this, and to have
paid no great attention to it at the time,
having little sympathy with such aspirations
as you describe. You have lived many years
in Danville's service, Monsieur Lomaque, have
you— " he hesitated for a moment, then
continued, looking the land-steward full in the
face, "have you found him a good and kind
master?"

Lomaque's thin lips seemed to close
instinctively at the question, as if he were
never going to speak again. He bowed—
Trudaine waited— he only bowed again.
Trudaine waited a third time. Lomaque
looked at his host with perfect steadiness for
an instant, then his eyes began to get weak
again. "You seem to have some special interest,"
he quietly remarked, "if I may say so
without offence, in asking me that question."

"I deal frankly, at all hazards, with every
one," returned Trudaine; "and, stranger as
you are, I will deal frankly with you. I
acknowledge that I have an interest in asking
that question— the dearest, the tenderest of
all interests." At those last words, his voice
trembled for a moment, but he went on
firmly: "From the beginning of my sister's
engagement with Danville, I made it my duty
not to conceal my own feelings: my
conscience and my affection for Rose counselled
me to be candid to the last, even though my
candour should distress or offend others.
When we first made the acquaintance of
Madame Danville, and when I first discovered
that her son's attentions to Rose were not
unfavourably received, I felt astonished, and,
though it cost me a hard effort, I did not
conceal that astonishment from my sister—"

Lomaque, who had hitherto been all attention,
started here, and threw up his hands in
amazement. "Astonished, did I hear you
say? Astonished, Monsieur Trudaine, that
the attentions of a young gentleman possessed
of all the graces and accomplishments of a
highly-bred Frenchman should be favourably
received by a young lady! Astonished that
such a dancer, such a singer, such a talker,
such a notoriously fascinating ladies' man as
Monsieur Danville should, by dint of respectful
assiduity, succeed in making some impression
on the heart of Mademoiselle Rose!
Oh! Monsieur Trudaine, respected Monsieur
Trudaine, this is almost too much to credit!"
Lomaque's eyes grew weaker than ever, and
winked incessantly, as he uttered this
apostrophe. At the end, he threw up his hands
again, and blinked inquiringly all round him,
in mute appeal to universal nature.

"When, in the course of time, matters
were farther advanced," continued Trudaine,
without paying any attention to the interruption;
"when the offer of marriage was made,
and when I knew that Rose had in her own
heart accepted it, I objected, and I did not
conceal my objections—"

"Heavens!" interposed Lomaque again,
clasping his hands this time with a look of
bewilderment; "what objections? what
possible objections to a man young and well-bred,