kissed my hand, and left it wet with his
tears. He had thrown up his arms to
Heaven, and prayed earnestly, as I could see
by the movement of his lips. I allowed him
to relieve himself by these dumb expressions,
if I may so call them,—and then I left him,
and went to my own rooms to sit up for my
lord, and tell him what I had done.

"Of course it was all right; and neither
my lord nor I could sleep for wondering how
Madame de Créquy would bear her awakening.
I had engaged the doctor to whose face
and voice she was accustomed to remain
with her all night: the nurse was experienced,
and Clément was within call. But
it was with the greatest relief that I heard
from my own woman, when she brought me
my coffee, that Madame de Créquy (Monsieur
had said) had awakened more tranquil than
she had been for many days. To be sure,
the whole aspect of the bed-chamber must
have been more familiar to her than the
miserable place where I had found her, and
she must have intuitively felt herself among
friends.

"My lord was scandalised at Clément's
dress, which, after the first moment of seeing
him, I had forgotten, in thinking of other
things, and for which I had not prepared
Lord Ludlow. He sent for his own tailor,
and bade him bring patterns of stuffs, and
engage his men to work night and day till
Clément could appear as became his rank.
In short, in a few days so much of the traces
of their flight were removed, that we had
almost forgotten the terrible causes of it, and
rather felt as if they had come on a visit to
us than that they had been compelled to fly
their country. Their diamonds, too, were
sold well by my lord's agents, though
the London shops were stocked with jewellery,
and such portable valuables, some of
rare and curious fashion, which were sold
for half their real value by emigrants who
could not afford to wait. Madame de Créquy
was recovering her health, although her
strength was sadly gone, and she would
never be equal to such another flight, as the
perilous one which she had gone through, and
to which she could not bear the slightest
reference. For sometime things continued in
this state;—the De Créquys still our honoured
visitors,—many houses besides our own, even
among our own friends, open to receive the
poor flying nobility of France, driven from
their country by the brutal republicans, and
every freshly-arrived emigrant bringing new
tales of horror, as if these revolutionists were
drunk with blood, and mad to devise new
atrocities. One day Clément;—I should tell
you he had been presented to our good
King George and the sweet queen, and they
had accosted him most graciously, and his
beauty and elegance, and some of the circumstances
attendant on his flight, made him be
received in the world quite like a hero of
romance; he might have been on intimate
terms in many a distinguished house, had
he cared to visit much; but he accompanied
my lord and me with an air of indifference
and languor, which I sometimes fancied,
made him be all the more sought after;
Monkshaven (that was the title my eldest son
bore) tried in vain to interest him in all young
men's sports. But no! it was the same through
all. His mother took far more interest in
the on-dits of the London world, into which
she was far too great an invalid to venture,
than he did in the absolute events themselves,
in which he might have been an actor. One
day, as I was saying, an old Frenchman
of a humble class presented himself to our
servants, several of whom understood French;
and through Medlicott, I learnt that he was
in some way connected with the De Créquys;
not with their Paris-life; but I fancy he had
been intendant of their estates in the country;
estates which were more useful as hunting-
grounds than as adding to their income.
However, there was the old man; and with
him, wrapped round his person, he had
brought the long parchment rolls, and deeds
relating to their property. These he would
deliver up to none but Monsieur de Créquy,
the rightful owner; and Clément was out
with Monkshaven, so the old man waited;
and when Clément came in, I told him of the
steward's arrival, and how he had been cared
for by my people. Clément went directly to
see him. He was a long time away, and I
was waiting for him to drive out with me,
so for some purpose or another, I scarce
know what, but I remember I was tired of
waiting, and was just in the act of ringing
the bell to desire that he might be reminded
of his engagement with me, when he came in,
his face as white as the powder in his hair,
his beautiful eyes dilated with horror. I
saw that he had heard something that
touched him even more closely than the
usual tales which every fresh emigrant
brought.

"'What is it, Clément?' I asked.

"He clasped his hands, and looked as though
he tried to speak, but could not bring out the
words.

"'They have guillotined my uncle!' said he
at last. Now I knew that there was a Count
de Créquy; but I had always understood that
the elder branch held very little communication
with him; in fact, that he was a vaurien
of some kind, and rather a disgrace than
otherwise to the family. So, perhaps, I was
hard-hearted; but I was a little surprised
at this excess of emotion, till I saw that
peculiar look in his eyes that many people
have when there is more terror in their
hearts than they dare put into words. He
wanted me to understand something without
his saying it; but how could I? I
had never heard of a Mademoiselle de
Créquy.

"'Virginie!' at last he uttered. In an
instant I understood it all, and remembered