On Lucien enquiring, in a rather contemptuous tone, who these unseemly guests might be, Nepomucene requests him to speak low for fear of bringing their wrath on his head.

"Do you wish, madman, that they should cut you in slices, chop you into mince meat, and put you in a bottle of spirits to be preserved? Rash youth! these men would devour you alive without even the ceremony of plucking: several of them have not yet dined.' You are joking, cousin.' You are quite mistaken; I never jest on people whose commons are short and uncertain: it would be ter rible sport. Do not look too attentively in their direction; they are like tinder at taking offence; and if one opens on you, the whole pack will join their throats in a moment. Beware! You would be surprised to behold personages of rank and influence bowing before them. Ah, ha! these are the lords of pen, ink, and paper, and powerful enough to sink you perches below the surface of the earth if you dare offend them. And then their lives are so wretched! for one that has wherewith to live, fifty are starving. See what furious looks they are darting towards us: I knew we would have them on our hands. Gently, gentlemen! you are all powerful writers, and honest critics. Be pacified; we have not the slightest intention of interfering to stop your supplies.'"

Lucien fancying that he has been neglected by the Countess during the evening, prepares to depart in dudgeon, and Nepomucene lauds his resolution. They have to pass near the spot occupied by the lady, and she simply utters the cabalistic word remain' in a low tone so as to be heard by our youth only.

I urged him gently to the entrance, and he moved as leisurely as was possible, cudgelling his brains for a decent pretext to shake me off. To every excuse he hazarded, I had a suitable reply: none seemed reasonable to me, and I objected to the whole, still getting him toward the fatal porch. The poor wretch was now beside himself; he was covered with a cold perspiration, and wriggled under my arm like an eel. Finally I took pity on him; I received his last sorry excuse as valid, and left him to his destiny. He made his escape, bounding for joy, and I gained the entrance, laughing in my sleeve at the punishment I had made him endure.”

On coming out, Nepomucene is joined by the indefatigable and heart-sore Eulalie, who had come to the soiree to render her own misery more decided. She relates to him as they return, by what means she had made the irruption into the enemy's camp.

"I had not the slightest hope of an invitation, nevertheless I did not delay my preparations for a moment. I drew out my deep blue gown, my jacket with gold cords whose effect is irresistible, my necklace and ear-rings of pearl,(best imitation), my embroidered handkerchief, my fan of the purest mother-of-pearl composition, and my

shippers of real satin. Thus caparisoned and armed at all points, where did I first direct my steps think you?' To the Hotel Mauleon I suppose. By no means, my friend. I am none of these impudent people who force their entry; I know the usages of good society. I visited Trinachon, the great Trinachon, the favored of the Countess. He was dressing when I arrived, but I could not stand on trifles, and he was at the time in one of his darkest lunes: I do not believe that he was sensible of my presence. I aided his efforts at decency; adjusted his cravat, and gave his coat a touch of the brush of which it had great need. I then deposited him in the fiacre, and so we arrived without accident at the Hotel.

When we arrived, I made my debut in triumph, hanging on his arm. But the Countess ?' Ah! the poor Countess: it was refreshing to witness her perplexity. She came up to us, stiff as a pike, and looked from one to the other: lost labour, a genuine check-mate. Trinachon's feet were in the clouds; he spoke no word, I courtsied to the very floor. She returned to the charge, and enveloped us with a still more haughty regard: Trinachon preserved his immobility, and my reverences were lower than before. At last, to loose us from this dead lock, she pointed out a seat in a small side apartment, the impertinent dame! Ach! what a shabby entertainment! you took notice of it, I suppose.' 'Scarcely indeed. That was not my case; I saw all, I tasted all, Refreshments indeed! nothing but rinsings; and the punch, warm water; as if rum and sirop were not to be had at the grocers'. It is a general rule, my friend, that where the punch lacks body, the house is badly managed. And the lighting-bah! those little lampions that seemed to chase each other, and strive which should give least light! I think that the liveries were borrowed; at all events I noticed more than one pair of cotton gloves. And it is with such frippery that we think we can play the great lady, and allow ourselves insulting airs: oh! it cries for vengeance: if the punch had even been strong!'"

Eulalie out of her slender salary, has hired an Auvergnat porter, whose station is nearly opposite the Countess's house, to keep a watch on Lucien's entrances and exits; and he, like a conscientious agent, and one who wishes to make the temporary employment a permanent one, is not sparing of ingenuity in inaking his returns interesting. Lucien at first paid his visits at the ordinary hours; afterwards, when the usual guests had departed, and finally the commissionaire could not look on him in any other light than as a member of the family. Nepomucene had latterly observed a studied elegance in dress about his rebel son, and well knew that to preserve a recherché appearance he was obliged to live on a dry crust; every new pair of gloves was balanced by a domestic privation, but Lucien appeared the happiest of men.

"All these circumstances taken separately were of weight; but

united, they deprived me of every hope for the well being of my unfortunate pupil.

Shortly after, things got worse, the countess published a new work, and the flimsy veil was removed. I have mentioned that she was in the habit of seeking for studies in the tumultuous struggles of her own heart: she also had her heroes and living models at her command. Nothing more simple or easy than the process. She had under her hand, an animated being: she could count the throbbings of his heart, and the pulsations of his arteries; there was no trait, no gesture, no word, no accent, no movement of his features, no impulse, no cry, no joyful sound, no complaint, that could escape her. These were her property, her domain, and she enjoyed them without participation, Had she need of a situation? She could create it at her own convenience. She could excite wild joy or deep grief in her subject, in order to paint them more exactly. She could cast this soul from one extreme to the other, conduct it from Elysium to Tartarus in order to furnish a more truthful picture of the heart's fluctuations. Such are the advantages of acting a part: certainly they were only on one side, but victims were never wanting for the experiments.

She

It was now Lucien's turn; there was no mistake about it: he was the hero of the new book. All were there except the name and place; She even selected for the scene of action, a site which could be associated with ease to the souvenirs of Merinval. had sketched in, the mountains of Quercy under another name, There was nothing wanted; neither the hamlet, nor the presbytery, nor the figures of Madame Merinval and the good Cure. In this frame and among smiling friendly faces, the two walked hand in hand by the sides of thorn hedges, and under the old forest trees, over beds of moss.

Oh gods and goddesses! What beautiful things they said to each other, and what delightful invocations they made to nature. What irresistible arguments they discovered in favor of marriages made in the open air, and engagements not binding! With what vigour they cudgelled our prejudices and social slaveries, so contrary to the free development of the affections; and how clearly they established, that the true mode of celebrating heart-unions consisted in taking the sun or moon as witness to the sanctity of our vows.

Well they proved the vanity and disgrace of more serious contracts; and bitterly they lamented the lot of those females who have the cowardice and littleness of soul to submit to them. It was a veritable state of independence put within reach of all mankind, and particularly recommended to the initiated."

When Nepomucene encountered.his friend after the publication of the book, he hinted to him that he had been used as they use well made corporals at the life academy; in fact that he had figured in a pose, and Lucien fled from his presence in the reverse of a good humour.

Nepomucene gives his hearers no further information than

what has been dealt out already as to the domestic life at the Countess's. Consequently the most fastidious reader need not

fear piquant nor indiscreet revealings. In this point our Author deserves our very earnest praise, as he has not pandered to vicious or low tastes in any of his works that have come before us. Many writers pretending to disgust youth with vice, have produced the opposite effect, either by evil propensities inherent in themselves, or by a mistaken mode of proceeding-not so with Reybaud. He represents his female demen as fascinating and irresistible, and makes only moderate use of censure or hard words; and yet the general effect is not attraction, but terror of falling under the influence of such a being.

Lucien bestows little of his tediousness on his old friend; but one morning he enters in a disturbed state, and after considerable hesitation, he announces that he must request his good offices as second, for eitheir Marimus the beet-root painter or himself must kiss the sod.

Nepomucene seeks out Rigobert to act as the other second, and finds him with twelve small slips of paper before him; these are refreshers which, on the one subject-Rigobert's own konour and glory-and a little varied, he is about to dispatch to the different influential journals. Nepomucene acquaints him with the object of the visit, and Rigobert having no idea separate from seeking public applause, and being thoroughly incredulous as to the chance of a real duel in the present state of the world, rubs his hands in glee, walks backwards and forwards, and at last shouts out in joy, 'oh, the happy idea! oh, how well imagined!'

"Well imagined! What do you mean? Do you suppose that people imagine such things? I am sorry to say it is only too serious.' Do you take me for a school boy? Oh! it is only a healthy morning exercise. I tell you the life of a man is at stake.'

6

Do you imagine, my friend, that any one is killed in a duel nowadays? Can you quote an example?a hostile meeting is only a healthy exercise. I wish you would condescend to believe that the present business touches the life of a fiery young man; and that I am under the most extreme anxiety on his account.' Bless my soul! What fire is in your every gesture, and how well you simulate anxiety! It is in vain for you to refuse my praise; it is most divinely conceived.' I will really be offended if you continue in this vein, it shews very bad taste.' My dear friend, you could not have acted more to the advantage of Lucien ; you have anticipated his fame and glory by ten years; you have created

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an enviable position for him ;-enviable even to such old stagers as myself. Oh! What a delightful piece of excitement the day after the duel! I fancy myself present. Have you heard the news?" 'No.' 'Little Lucien has been on the sod. Indeed?' Yes, he has fought he nearly received four bullets and six sword thrusts.' Noble boy! real heart of chivalry ! Soul of bronze!' and so on, and so on. Now he has won a new position, he has his brevet of courage, his fame will fly abroad on the wings of two hundred journals; it will encircle the globe; and you wonder that I should be in raptures at the invention.

*

'An instant now for business. We will have a formal account of this affair to draw up. You may say 'tomorrow will be the proper time;' Ah my friend! tomorrow will see us under the influence of our feelings, and there will be no time for the little delicacies of form or style. Besides, it is probable that there will be a déjeûner in question; and then good bye to presence of mind. Let us compose the OFFICIAL at once: sit opposite, and give me the aid of your talents.' Write an account of a fact before it occurs !' 'Bah! they all are attended with the same circumstances; for instance:

A rencontre took place this morning in the wood of Vincennes, 'between the celebrated painter, Maximus, and Lucien Merinval. After the exchange of two pistol-shots, the seconds declared that honor was satisfied on both sides.'

Now, Nepomucene,' said he, fixing his eyes on me with much solemnity, how do you wish to figure in this affair? Speak to me with entire sincerity. Use my pen as that of a true friend; everything may be introduced into the paper in company with this celebrated duel. Shall I give you a warlike pose or paint you as the conciliatory genius of the meeting? May I enumerate your hereditary and personal titles?'

You will oblige me, chevalier, by not mentioning me in any manner whatever."

'Affecting instance of discretion; I must strive to imitate you. I might abuse this godsend to my own glorification; I will now not even use it legitimately; so I will only add

Among the seconds, figured the Chevalier Rigobert decorated with various orders. The name of this gentleman enjoys a European celebrity."

The Countess gets wind of the duel, and by her strenuous interference (as we may suppose, for the particulars are not told), she brings about a hollow reconciliation. Rigobert's chagrin and rage surpass all bounds when he hears the news. Such an opportunity lost for establishing Lucien's fame, and for getting his own composition accepted by the journals. Rather than lose this triumph he would fight Lucien himself. Finally he was appeased by a solemn engagement that Lucien should get up another duel somehow, and an opportunity be thus given for repaying Rigobert for his preparations, and what was worse, his disappointment of a triumph.