The American

corate with their pompous sameness the broad avenues manufactured by Baron Haussmann in the neighborhood of the Arc de Triomphe. Their apartment was rich in the modern conveniences, and Trist

fore a register, under

over your homesicknes

ked tendency to irony. Her taste on many points differed from that of her husband, and though she made frequent concessions it must be confessed that her concessions were not always graceful. They were founded upon a vague p

eard an enthusiastic musician, out of patience with a gifted bungler, declare that a fine voice is really an obstacle to singing properly; and it occurred to her that it might perhaps be equally true that a beautiful face is an obstacle to the acquisition of charming manners. Mrs. Tristram, then, undertook to be exquisitely agreeable, and she brought to the task a really touching devotion. How well she would have succeeded I am unable to say; unfortunately she broke off in the middle. Her own excuse was the want of encouragement in her immediate circle. But I am inclined to think that she had not a real genius for the matter, or she would have pursued the charming art for itself. The poor lady was very incomplete. She fell back upon the harmonies of the toilet, which she thoroughly understood, and contented herself with dressing in perfection. She lived in Paris, which she pretended to detest, because it was only in Paris that one could find things to exactly suit one's complexion. Besides out of Paris it was always more or less of a trouble to get ten-button gloves. When she railed at this serviceable city and you asked her where she would prefer to reside, she returned some very unexpect

feeling extremely serious. He was not shy, and so far as awkwardness proceeds from a struggle with shyness, he was not awkward; grave, attentive, submissive, often silent, he was simply swimming in a sort of rapture of respect. This emotion was not at all theoretic, it was not even in a high degree sentimental; he had thought very little about the "position" of women, and he was not familiar either sympathetically or otherwise, with the image of a President in petticoats. His attitude was simply the flower of his general good-nature, and a part of his instinctive and genuinely democratic assumption of everyone's right to lead an easy life. If a shaggy pauper had a right to bed and board and wages and a vote, women, of cou

to like him. She told him that he was "horribly Western," but in this compliment the adverb was tinged with insincerity. She led him about with her, introduced him to fifty people, and took extreme satisfaction in her conquest. Newman accepted every proposal, shook hands universally and promiscuously, and seemed equally unfamiliar with trepidation or with elation. Tom Tristram complained of his wife's avidity, and declared that he could never have a clear five minutes with his friend. If he had known how things were going to turn out, he never would have brought him to the Avenue d'Iéna. The two men, formerly, had not been intimate, but Newman remembered his earlier impression of his host, and did Mrs. Tristram, who had by no means taken him into her confidence, but whose secret he presently discovered, the justice to admit that her husband was a rather degenerate mortal. At twenty-five he had been a good fellow, and in this respect he was unchanged; but of a man of his age one expected something more. People said he was sociable, but this was as much a matter of course as for a dipped sponge to expand; and it was not a high order of sociability. He was a great gossip and tattler, and to produce a laugh would hardly have spared the reputation

s proposed an early adjournment to this institution. Mrs. Tristram protested, a

answered. "I know you loathe me qu

an kept his promise of following Mr. Tristram, in half an hour, to the Occidental, and sometimes he forgot it. His hostess asked him a great many questions about himself, but on this subject he was an indifferent talker. He was not what is called subjective, though when he felt that her interest was sincere, he made an almost heroic attempt to be. He told her a great many things he had done, and regaled her with anecdotes of Western life; she was from Philadelphia, and with her eight years in Paris, talked of hersel

ly. "Do you think so? How do y

s. Tristram, "whether you a

deep. That

with a certain air that you have no fe

" said Newman.

but you would not car

shouldn't believe you. The fact is I have never had time

u may have done that t

s no mistake

n a fury it can

ever in

hen, or d

long since I have been displease

angry. A man ought to be angry sometimes, and you are nei

rhaps once in

is hostess. "Before I have known you six

n to put me

e what must be the most agreeable thing in the world, the consciousness of having bought your pleasure bef

am happy," said N

en odiously

wman, "only so-so in railroads,

ans have made their money. Now you have the

ly I am tired of having it thrown up at me. Besides,

Mrs. Tristram answered. Then i

eign tongues, or any other learned matters. But I am not a fool, either, and I shall undertake to know something about Europe by the time I have done with

estern Barbarian, stepping forth in his innocence and might, gazing

, by a good deal. I am very much the reverse.

chief, or that you wear a blanket and

an. "I stick to that. If you don't belie

ke to make you prove it," she said, at last. "

o," sai

onceited sound!" his

"I have a very good

pledge. It did not appear that evening that she succeeded; but as he was rising to take his leave she passed suddenly, as she was very apt to do, from the

ism?" Christo

take it-really, you might take it for a declaration. But it has nothing to do with you personally; it's

d wondering what under

to undertake to tell you what to do. When you are embarrassed, do as you think b

told me," said Newman. "There are so

onies are what I

as good a right as another? They don't scare me, and you

in your own way. Settle nice questions for your

all never fumble ov

s unshuffled, so that there was a trio in the evening on the balcony. The talk was of many things, and a

y!" said Tristram, who on Sunday ev

ade up your mind not to mar

ed Newman. "I am ste

" said Tristram;

you do not mean to wa

ary, I am in

t. Do you expect a lady to

propose. I think a

ome of you

, slowly, "I want t

of sixty, then,

in wha

e. I shall be

proverb says, the most beautiful girl i

m lonely and helpless and dull. But if I marry now, so long as I didn't do it in hot haste when I was twenty, I must do it with my eyes open. I want to do the

ppelle parler!" c

ught an immense

much. The best thing is

s me, I shall love her enough. My

re's a chance for th

"You draw a fellow out and put him

serious. To prove it, I will make you a proposal.

up a wife

found. I will br

't keep a matrimonial bureau. He w

up to my notions," said Newman,

n't quite understand you. I didn't suppose

to do with my success? To make it perfect, as I see it, there must be a beautiful woman perched on the pile, like a statue on a monument. She must be as good as she is beautiful, and as clever as she is good. I can give my wife a good deal, so I am not afraid to ask a go

t the outset?" Tristram demanded. "I hav

aid Mrs. Tristram. "I like to

atest victory over circumstances. When I say beautiful, I mean beautiful in mind and in manners, as well as in person. It is a thing every man has an equal right to; he may get

r marriage is to be rat

that if people notice my wife and adm

Mrs. Tristram, "ca

m will admire he

ave a taste

e; and then, "I honestly

ave already looked a

according to

een nothing tha

am bound to say in honesty that I have

and all those other insatiable gentlemen for whom nothing in this world was

pon him?" Tristram cried. "We know a good many pretty girl

Newman, who had tilted back his chair and, with his feet on a bar of th

ed apply," s

a foreigner, no," he said at

what terrible customers these foreign women are; especially the 'magnifice

to his knee. "I would marry a Japane

said Mrs. Tristram. "The only thing is, then,

ou an unappreciated gove

language, and that would be a comfort. But I am not afraid of a foreigner. Besides, I rather like the idea of taking in Europe

ardanapalus!" ex

nds the loveliest woman in the world. Neither more nor less. I don't say a very charming person

"you have kept very quiet abo

wife, "but you have no percept

is Claire? I

nd wish to marr

her mind. It will not be easy; she has had one hus

widow, then?

in the French fashion, to a disagreeable old man. But he had the good

e is F

versité, but their fortune is small, and they make a common household, for economy's sake. When I was a girl I was put into a convent here for my education, while my father made the tour of Europe. It was a silly thing to do with me, but it had the advantage that it made me acquainted with Claire de Bellegarde. She was younger than I but we became fast friends. I took a tremendous fancy to her, and she returned my passion as far as she could. They kept such a tight rein on her that she could do very little, and w

e to me to marry?" asked Newman.

now that you recogn

a while, stroking his moustache

N

en it's

nt things. A beauty has no faults in her face, the face of a

d Tristram. "She is as plain as a pike-

her twice, my husband sufficiently de

is she clever?

who is to know her, it is bad policy to go into details. I won't exaggerate. I simply r

o see her," said

t know that she will come. Her old feudal countess of a mother rules the family with an iron hand, and allows her t

lcony and announced that there were visitors in the drawing-room. When Newman's

y," he said, puffing the last whiffs

him, inquisitive. "You

é is a great white doll of a woman

's haugh

were so much thin air, and c

very pro

proud as

t good-

of beauty you must be intellectual to unders

and during this period sat perfectly silent, listening to a lady to whom Mrs. Tristram had straightway introduced him and who chattered, without a p

hat lady?

nch. How do y

too n

Certainly, you are fastid

your friend," he said, "Madame What's-her-name? the proud beauty. Ask

man young and pretty, dressed in white. The two ladies had risen and the visitor was apparently taking her leave. As Newman app

Newman. I have spoken of you to him and he has an extreme desire to make your acquaint

was the proud and beautiful Madame de Cintré, the loveliest woman in the world, the promised perfection, the proposed ideal, he made an instinctive movement to g

Cintré. "Unfortunately, as I have been telling

olemn bow. "I am ve

ame de Cintré added, taking her

led more intensely, as women do when they take such resolution. "I want Mr. Newman to know yo

should be more than one of the common formulas of politeness; and if she was prompted by charity, it was by the charity that begins at home. Madame de Cintré was her dearest Claire

pleasure," she said, l

cried the latter, "for

Newman. "Mrs. Tristram can speak bette

, with the same soft brightness. "Ar

p him," said

!" and Madame de Cintré

nger," said

time without her smile. Her eyes lingered a

d left Newman alone a moment. Presently she returned, rubbing her hands. "It was a fortunate chance," she said. "She had

," said Newman. "You must

stared. "Wha

me as so proud. I sh

inating. And what do

dsome!" s

was! Of course you

ow!" cri

aves Paris on Monday. If you don't see her; it will at least

d been directed had a dark, dusty, painted portal, which swung open in answer to his ring. It admitted him into a wide, gravelled court, surrounded on three sides with closed windows, and with a doorway facing the street, approached by three steps and surmounted by a tin canopy. The place was all in the shade; it answered to Newman's conception of a convent. The portress could not tell him whether Madame de Cintré was visible; he would please to apply at the farther door. He cross

er is visible. Come in, and if you will give

ed warily at his interlocutor. His glance was singularly reassuring; he liked the young man's face; it strongly resembled that of Madame de Cintré. He was evidently her brother. The young man, on his side, had made a rapid inspection of Newman's person. He had taken the card and was about to enter the house with it when another figure appeared on the threshold-an older man,

and then, turning to Newman, "

no malice, and retraced his steps. At the porter's lodge

he asked of the old woman who reapp

Monsieur

the o

onsieur le

which the old woman fortunately did not