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party, such for example, as that of M. the Prince de
Conde, whose colours you bear, and one of whose gentle-
men you are ?

The Baron examined his brother with an air of penetra-
tion, as if to observe what degree of importance he at-
tached to this demand.

" Have you then, Fabien," said he, tranquilly,
strong a repugnance to serve the greatest general of our
time—a prince whose history will some day be celebrated
by noble deeds ?"
" No one admires more than myself the military quali-
ties of the Prince de Conde ; but I greatly fear if the re-
ports which are spread in our peaceable country places,
are not false, the eclat of so many brilliant deeds are tar-
nished by that mad love of faction which the Prince now
exhibits.

The Baron could not suppress a gesture of satisfaction.
" Is that your opinion of Monseigneur de Cond6, Fabien ?"
asked he, smiling : " well, brother, take courage, it will
not be for the profit of a faction, although it be for the
first prince of the blood, your devotedness will be em-
employed ; and, to assure you, I will tell you myself, al-
though I place a guard upon certain appearances, I have
abandoned his cause."

" What, Monsieur le Baron, can it be possible?"
" Let us say no more about it,►► interrupted the Baron,
in a laconic tone ; " you will know the truth when you
arrive in Paris. But in the meantime you must promise
me one thing, Fabien ; it is that whatever you may see
me do, or hear me say, you will not be surprised, either at
my actions, or my words ; that which appears mysterious
at one time will be sufficiently explained in the next; and
I hope that my motives will not appear blameable to you.
Give me, then, your word as a gentleman, that you will
abstain from all sorrowing reflections for me ; and that
you will implicitly follow my advice without asking me
for any explanation until the moment when I think it my
duty to render you an account of my conduct towards
you.,►

Fabien hesitated : but his deference for his brother was
so great, and his suspicions had been so little awakened of
his projects, that be at once determined to abandon him-
self completely to whatever was required of him.
" I will promise you, on my word, as a gentleman, that
I will not weary you with useless questions," said he,
with much simplicity.
" It is well, brother," replied the Baron ; " this obe-
dience does credit to us both. If you obey me, I can
promise you as a recompence that which will be to
you most desirable—the hand of Mademoiselle de Mont-

glat."

The younger De Croissi was greatly moved by this
speech, and in his transport of joy he was almost leaping
from his saddle.

" Can it be possible," cried he? " Oh, my brother!
to obtain such a reward I would brave a thousand dan-
gers. But think you that Elizabeth would consent?
" I am sure of it," replied the Baron, with vivacity ;
"and she will soon give you assurance of it herself. Be
devoted and faithful in that which awaits you, and the
Queen-Regent shall sign your contract of marriage with
her maid of honour."

" My brother—my brother !" exclaimed Fabien, almost
beside himself, " I will obey you even at the peril of my
life."

Albert cast upon him a look of triumph
- -

" This is as I would see you," replied he, " and you
are aptly disposed for the proposition which will soon be
made to you. We are now sure of understanding each
other, Fabien ; and believe me, that your hopes will not
be blighted."

At this moment, at a turn of the road, the travellers
perceived Paris in the distance. Although the metropolis
did not occupy then that vast extent it now does, Fabien
could not control an exclamation of surprise at the sight
of that confused throng of towers, steeples, and palaces
which appeared dressed nut in such a fantastic manner in
a transparent cloud. The Baron enjoyed for a moment
his innocent surprise, when, approaching' near him, he
said, in a firm voice, stretching his arms towards the
horizon, " See you that immense city, brother? Well,
in some days perhaps you may occupy it entirely ; and by
your means she will again be placed under the legitimate
dominion which she now unhappily-you are called for
great events-"

Fabien regarded him with dumb surprise ; but the
Baron, as if he feared he had said too much, turned his
head and spurred his horse onward, which hitherto had
proceeded leisurely along during this conversation. The
younger De Croissi imitated his example, and both were
enveloped in clouds of dust raised by their horses' feet.

(To be continued.)

some oversight an error occu

mencement of this story, which might as well I
although the reader would at once have detected it
a typogcaph cal error. In the first line, fc.
" seventeenth" century

noticed.

s evidently
nineteenth" read

TRAINING OF A DANSEUSE

The following extract from La 3fonde Musical may give
the uninitiated some notion of what the corps de ballet
have to undergo during the course of their preliminary
preparation : _

"It follows that the profession of a danseuse' is ge-
nerally adopted by the children of the low and indigent ;
it is true that the greater part of the nymphs of the opera
first see the day in the porter's 'loge.' I draw no infer-
ence from this, but merely register a fact. Ah, sir, if you
did but know how much courage, patience, resignation,
and unremitting labour a poor girl must command—if you
did but know what excruciating tortures she must submit
to, and how many involuntary tears she must stifle—even
to become a mediocre' dancer, you would at once be
moved with terror and compassion.
" Scarcely was I seven years old when I was lesoatched
to the class of M. Barrez. Oftentimes I was sent early
in the morning, with nothing in my stomach but an equi-
vocal cup of coffee, without socks to my feet or a shawl
over my shoulders. I oftentimes arrived shivering and
half-famished ; then commenced the daily torture, of
which, however exact my description might be, I should
fail in giving you a just idea. Banished from our code,
torture has taken refuge in the class for dancing.
" Every morning my feet were imprisoned in a groove-
box, heel agaiust heel, and knees turned outwardly ; my
martyred feet accustomed themselves naturally, at last,
to fall in a parallel line. This is what is called ' .ye

burner

" After half-an-hour at the groove, I was subjected to
another variety of torture.

" This time I was obliged to rest my foot on bar, which
I was obliged to hold in a horizontal lire with the hand
opposite the foot I was exercising. This they term se
casser.

" After the labours were over, you imagine, perhaps,
that I enjoyed the charms of repose ; repose for me, in-
deed ! as if a dancer knew what repose was ! We were
like the wandering Jew, to whom the Barres and the
Coulons were perpetually crying out, ' dance, dance.'
After these tourners and cassers, we were obliged, in order
to escape from professional reprimand or maternal correc-
rection, to study assiduously, les fetes, les balances, les
roads de jambes, les fouelles, les cabrioles, les pirouettes
sur le condepied, les rants de basques, les pas de bourrees,
and, finally, the entrechals guartre a six eta nuit. Such,
sir, are the agreeable elements of which the art of dancing
is composed, and do not believe that this rude fatigue lasts
only for a time; it is to last and to be renewed without
intermission. On this condition only can the dancer pre-
serve her souplesse and her legrete. A week of repose
must be redeemed by two months of redoubled incessant
toil, The dancer realises the fable of Sysiphus and his
rock.

" I have seen Mademoiselle Taglioni, after two hours'
lesson which her father had just given her, fall exhausted

sponged, and resuscitated, totally unconscious of her si-
tuation. The agility and marvellous bounds of the even-
ing were insured only at a price like this.
" Now, the example of la Taglioni is strictly followed
by the other opera dancers. There are some, even, who
by nature having greater difficulties to surmount, martyr-
ize themselves with a barbarity yet more ferocious. Na-
thalie Fitzjames was an example of this; she invented a
new method, de se tourner, el se casser, at one and the
same time.

" Perhaps you are aware that the art of dancing is di-
vided into branches—en Ballonne and en Tacquete. The
Ballonne is the school of Taglioni ; it is lightness com-
bined with grace--the dance which seems to delight and
float on the river.

" The Tacquete is vivacity and rapidity ; 'tis the little
sparkling steps and measures on the point of the feet; in
a word, it is what FannS, Bias was, and what Fanny Elss-

" You are aware that a similar profession cannot be
exercised with impunity. From the multitude of simu-
lated dangers the dancer accustoms herself to real ones,
as the soldier in war times accustoms himself to pillage.
Now she is suspended to lines of wire, now she is seated
on pasteboard clouds, she disappears through traps, she
ascencri through chimneys, she makes her exit by the win-
dow. In the first act of the new ballet, "La Peri," there
is so dangerous a leap that I consider Carlotta Grisi risks
her life every time she executes it ; the mal-adresse of a
moment in shifting the trap-door, and Carlotta would
dash her brains out against the plank. There is a certain
Englishman who never misses a performance of the ballet ;
he is persuaded that it will prove fatal to Carlotta, and
would not for the world be absent on that night. This is
the same Englishman who followed Van Amborgh for
three years, ever believing that the moment would arrive
when the wild beasts would sup on their master."