when he was apprised of the arrival of the cardinal, thought it right to
precipitate the symposium. With great tact, when the cardinal rose to
greet him, Mr. Giles withdrew his eminence from those surrounding, and,
after a brief interchange of whispered words, quitted him and then
brought forward and presented Lothair to the cardinal, and left them.

"This is not the first time that we should have met," said the cardinal,
"but my happiness is so great at this moment that, though I deplore, I
will not dwell on, the past."

"I am, nevertheless, grateful to you, sir, for many services, and have
more than once contemplated taking the liberty of personally assuring
your a eminence of my gratitude."

"I think we might sit down," said the cardinal, looking around; and then
he led Lothair into an open but interior saloon, where none were yet
present, and where they seated themselves on a sofa and were soon
engaged in apparently interesting converse.

In the mean time the world gradually filled the principal saloon of
Apollonia, and, when it approached overflowing, occasionally some
persons passed the line, and entered the room in which the cardinal and
his ward were seated, and then, as if conscious of violating some sacred
place, drew back. Others, on the contrary, with coarser curiosity, were
induced to invade the chamber from the mere fact that the cardinal was
to be seen there.

"My geographical instinct," said the cardinal to Lothair, "assures me
that I can regain the staircase through these rooms, without rejoining
the busy world; so I shall bid you good-night and even presume to give