Year: 1877

Apouu olAOy years ago was III Har1S
for the first time in my life. Bonaparte
still fingered at st. Helena and the ad-
venturers, good, bad and Indifferent in
character, who had served in his armies,
had not yet lost all hope of the return
OF their idol, and consequently had not
yet thought it worth while to settle down
into thorough peace and quietness.


Young Paul Ferrand, whom [ fire.
quently met at the cafe, and who had
served as. captain at Waterloo, was
sure that the Little Corporal would come
back again soon. "You have not vet
beaten him, he would tell me laughing.
"You sent him to Elba, but he returned;
you have sent him to st. Helena, and he
will return again. We shall see."
Ferrand was an exceedingly nice fel-
low ; and although he professed to cher
ish an unquenchable hatred for England
and everything English, he had, by some
means or other, become attached to Alice
Rae, young English lady of my ac-
quaintance, and who had been living
with her mother since the conclusion of
peace at Paris, not far from the abode of
the ex-captain. And he was always very
friendly with me too. He would, it is
true, abuse my countrymen most unmer-
cifully but he was always particularly
good-natured, and whenever he found
himself saying little too much he
woall arrest himself and apologize SO
heartily that Inever could be angry with
him. I was alone in the French capital,
and bad few friends there except Mrs.
Rae, her daughter Alice, and Paul and
SO it happened that I passed good deal
Of my time in the society Of the three.
The mother, o woman still in the prime
of life, and the widow of q kings mes
senger, was a connection of mine by
marriage, and that fact gave me good
excuse for Offering my services as escort
whenever she and her pretty daughter
thought ftto go to the theatre on the
opera. AT such times Paul always had
a seat in the stalls and between the
.actsshe would come up to my box, to the
delight of Alice, who was in love with
him, and to the no small satisfaction Of
Mrs. Rae, who herself had quite ma
ternal affection for the young French
man, and did not in the least discourage
his attentions to her daughter Ii there
were no formal engagement between the
two, it was at least perfectly understood
by all parties that as soon as Paul should
get an appointment, for. which at the
time he was a candidate, he was to marry
Alice and I, though only a few years
her senior, was to give her away.


One night the opera house was crowd
ed more than usual. A great singer was
to appear, and q new work by re-
nowned composer was to be performed


But Paul Ferrand, sitting in the stalls,
seemed scarcely TO listen to the music Or
to notice the acting and much more
often were his eyes turned in the direc-
tion of my boz than in that of the stage.
Alice and her mother were with me, and
as the curtain fell at the conclusion of
the first act Paul came up to us. He
was in high spirits, for he had heard
that the 'ministerli had sdeci ded I'd oSgive him
the coveted post and he expected to
Hear in d few days that his appointment
had been signed BY the king. We con-
gratulated him, and as he left us to return
to his seat I whispered to him !: "You'n
be happy man In q month on two
now, Paul." He smiled and shut the
door.


We watched him as he threaded his
| way to his place. It was in the centre
Of the second row from the orchestra,
and he had left his opera glasses on the
| chair in order to preserve his right to il
but during his ABSENCE tall, military
/ llooldhg hfans had appropriated it, and
had coolly put the glasses on one side
/ Paul approached the stranger with the
utmost politeness. ina, | suppose, fol
naturally / could not hear, requested
Ihim TO move. The interloper did no
adeign to answer, but sneeringly looked
up at Ferrand, as though to ask hin
/ what he meant by his intrusion. Pau


pointed to the opera glasses, but th'


stranger neither replied nor moved, bu


continued to appear as though he die


not hear. saw that matters were as


aumina dangerous complexion, for il