And the Duke pointed to a dark, plain carriage, which we had suddenly
come upon.

"Count Devereux," said the merry Regent, "you will enter; my duty
requires that, at this seductive hour, I should see a young gentleman of
your dangerous age safely lodged at his hotel!"

We entered, Chatran gave the orders, and we drove off rapidly.

The Regent hummed a tune, and his two companions listened to it in
respectful silence.

"Well, well, Messieurs," said he, bursting out at last into open voice,
"I will ever believe, in future, that the gods /do/ look benignantly on
us worshippers of the Alma Venus! Do you know much of Tibullus,
Monsieur Devereux? And can you assist my memory with the continuation
of the line--


"'Quisquis amore tenetur, eat--'"


"'tutusque sacerque
Qualibet, insidias non timuisse decet,'"*


answered I.


* "Whosoever is possessed by Love may go safe and holy withersoever he