just said, "This ice sickens me! I do not taste the flavour of the
vanille." I answered, "It is here! It must--it cannot but be here!
You love the flavour of the vanille?" With her exquisite smile, I see
her now saying, "Too well! it is necessary to me! I live on it!"--when
up he came. In his eagerness, his foot just effleured my robe. Oh!
I never shall forget! In an instant he was down on one knee it was so
momentary that none saw it but we three, and done with ineffable grace.
"Pardon!" he said, in his sweet Portuguese; "Pardon!" looking up--the
handsomest man I ever beheld; and when I think of that odious wretch the
other night, with his "Oh! 'm sure, beg pardon, 'm sure! 'pon my honour!"
I could have kicked him--I could, indeed!'

Here the Countess laughed out, but relapsed into:

'Alas! that Belmarana should have betrayed that beautiful trusting
creature to De Pel. Such scandal! a duel!--the Duke was wounded. For a
whole year Eugenia did not dare to appear at Court, but had to remain
immured in her country-house, where she heard that Belmarana had married
De Pel! It was for her money, of course. Rich as Croesus, and as wicked
as the black man below! as dear papa used to say. By the way, weren't
we talking of Evan? Ah,--yes!'

And so forth. The Countess was immensely admired, and though her sisters
said that she was 'foreignized' overmuch, they clung to her desperately.
She seemed so entirely to have eclipsed tailordom, or 'Demogorgon,' as
the Countess was pleased to call it. Who could suppose this grand-
mannered lady, with her coroneted anecdotes and delicious breeding, the
daughter of that thing? It was not possible to suppose it. It seemed to
defy the fact itself.