but it is a sacred object, and if it had carried me to death I hope it

would have sustained me.”

“Not to death,” said the uncle; “it is not necessary to say, to

death.”

“I doubt, sir,” returned the nephew, “whether, if it had carried

me to the utmost brink of death, you would have cared to stop me

there.”

The deepened marks in the nose, and the lengthening of the

fine straight lines in the cruel face, looked ominous as to that; the

uncle made a graceful gesture of protest, which was so clearly a

slight form of good breeding that it was not reassuring.

“Indeed, sir,” pursued the nephew, “for anything I know, you

may have expressly worked to give a more suspicious appearance

to the suspicious circumstances that surrounded me.”

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“No, no, no,” said the uncle, pleasantly.

“But, however that may be,” resumed the nephew, glancing at

him with deep distrust, “I know that your diplomacy would stop

me by any means, and would know no scruple as to means.”

“My friend, I told you so,” said the uncle, with a fine pulsation

in the two marks. “Do me the favour to recall that I told you so,

long ago.”

“I recall it.”

“Thank you,” said the Marquisvery sweetly in deed.

His tone lingered in the air, almost like the tone of a musical

instrument.

“In effect, sir,” pursued the nephew, “I believe it to be at once

your bad fortune, and my good fortune, that has kept me out of a

prison in France here.”

“I do not quite understand,” returned the uncle, sipping his

coffee. “Dare I ask you to explain?”

“I believe that if you were not in disgrace with the Court, and

had not been overshadowed by that cloud for years past, a letter

de cachet would have sent me to some fortress indefinitely.”

“It is possible,” said the uncle, with great calmness. “For the

honour of the family, I could even resolve to incommode you to

that extent. Pray excuse me!”

“I perceive that, happily for me, the Reception of the day before

yesterday was, as usual, a cold one,” observed the nephew.

“I would not say happily, my friend,” returned the uncle, with

refined politeness; “I would not be sure of that. A good

opportunity for consideration, surrounded by the advantages of

solitude, might influence your destiny to far greater advantage

than you influence it for yourself. But it is useless to discuss the

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question. I am, as you say, at a disadvantage. These little

instruments of correction, these gentle aids to the power and

honour of families, these slight favours that might so incommode

you, are only to be obtained now by interest and importunity.

They are sought by so many, and they are granted (comparatively)