France when ruled by her legitimate sovereigns.

I had told him all that I knew myself of my birth and family, and
frequently would he allude to the subject of my reading, by saying, 'The
son of an old "Garde du Corps" needs no commentary when perusing such
details as these. Your own instincts tell you how nobly these servants
of a monarchy bore themselves--what chivalry lived at that time in men's
hearts, and how generous and self-denying was their loyalty.'

Such and such like were the expressions which dropped from him from time
to time; nor was their impression the less deep when supported by the
testimony of the memoirs with which he supplied me. Even in deeds of
military glory the Monarchy could compete with the Republic, and Urleben
took care to insist upon a fact I was never unwilling to concede--that
the well born were ever foremost in danger, no matter whether the banner
was a white one or a tricolour.

'Le bon sang ne peut pas mentir' was an adage I never disputed, although
certainly I never expected to hear it employed to the disparagement of
those to whom it did not apply.

As the winter set in I saw less of the general. He was usually much
occupied in the mornings, and at evenings he was accustomed to go
down to the village, where, of late, some French _emigre_ families
had settled--unhappy exiles, who had both peril and poverty to contend
against! Many such were scattered through the Tyrol at that period, both
for the security and the cheapness it afforded. Of these, Urleben rarely
spoke; some chance allusion, when borrowing a book or taking away a
newspaper, being the extent to which he ever referred to them.

One morning, as I sat sketching on the walls, he came up to me and said,
'Strange enough, Tiernay, last night I was looking at a view of this
very scene, only taken from another point of sight; both were correct,
accurate in every detail, and yet most dissimilar--what a singular
illustration of many of our prejudices and opinions! The sketch I speak
of was made by a young countrywoman of yours--a highly gifted lady, who
little thought that the accomplishments of her education were one day
to be the resources of her livelihood. Even so,' said he, sighing, 'a
marquise of the best blood of France is reduced to sell her drawings!'

As I expressed a wish to see the sketches in question, he volunteered
to make the request if I would send some of mine in return; and thus
accidentally grew up a sort