just before the birth of her twin-daughters--her only children--one of
whom was my great-grandmother."

"And what was this wonderful old lady's name?"

"Gatienne Aubery; she married a Breton squire called Budes, who was a
_gentilhomme verrier_ near St. Prest, in Anjou--that is, he made
glass--decanters, water-bottles, tumblers, and all that, I suppose--in
spite of his nobility. It was not considered derogatory to do so;
indeed, it was the only trade permitted to the _noblesse_, and one had
to be at least a squire to engage in it.

"She was a very notable woman, _la belle Verriere_, as she was called;
and she managed the glass factory for many years after her husband's
death, and made lots of money for her two daughters."

"How strange!" I exclaimed; "Gatienne Aubery! Dame du Brail--Budes--the
names are quite familiar to me. Mathurin Budes, Seigneur de Monhoudeard
et de Verny le Moustier."

"Yes, that's it. How wonderful that you should know! One daughter,
Jeanne, married my greatgrandfather, an officer in the Hungarian army;
and Seraskier, the fiddler, was their only child. The other (so like her
sister that only her mother could distinguish them) was called Anne, and
married a Comte de Bois something."

"Boismorinel. Why, all those names are in my family too. My father used
to make me paint their arms and quarterings when I was a child, on
Sunday mornings, to keep me quiet. Perhaps we are related by blood,
you and I."