"For mademoiselle," he said with a bow; and as he handed it to me,
his eyes opened wide in surprise. He, too, perceived the change in
my appearance. But he was dignity itself, and instantly suppressed
his astonishment into the polite impassiveness of a truly
accomplished waiter, and gliding from the room on the points of his
toes, as was his usual custom, he disappeared. The note was from
Cellini, and ran as follows:

"If mademoiselle will be so good as to refrain from choosing any
flowers for her toilette this evening, she will confer a favour on
her humble friend and servant,

"RAFFAELLO CELLINI."

I handed it to Amy, who was evidently burning with inquisitiveness
to know its contents.

"Didn't I say he was a queer young man?" she exclaimed, as she
perused the missive attentively. "This is only his way of saying
that he means to send you some flowers himself. But what puzzles me
is to think how he could possibly know you were going to make any
special 'toilette' this evening. It is really very mysterious when I
come to think of it, for Madame Didier said plainly that she would
not ask Cellini to the dance till she saw him at the table d'hote
to-night."

"Perhaps Alphonse has told him all about it," I suggested.

My friend's countenance brightened.