ld man of law with no
ideas or interests outside the law; spectacled, nervous, formal, a
stranger to the passions; and the baroness was amused to hear of Storchel
and Alvan's placid talk together upon themes of law, succeeded by the
little advocate's bewildered fright at one of Alvan's gentler explosions.
Tresten sketched it. The baroness realized it, and shut her lips tight
for a laugh of essential humour.

CHAPTER HIV

Late in the day Alvan was himself able to inform her that he had overcome
Clotilde's father after a struggle of hours. The General had not
consented to everything: he had granted enough, evidently in terror of
the man who had captured Count Hollinger; and it way arranged that
Tresten and Storchel were to wait on Clotilde next morning, and hear from
her mouth whether she yielded or not to Alvan's request to speak with her
alone before the official interview in the presence of the notary, when
she was publicly to state her decision and freedom of choice, according
to Count Hollinger's amicable arrangement through his envoy.

'She will see me-and the thing is done!' said Alvan. 'But I have worked
for it--I have worked! I have been talking to-day for six hours
uninterruptedly at a stretch to her father, who reminds me of a caged
bear I saw at a travelling menagerie, and the beast would perform none of
his evolutions for the edification of us lads till his keeper touched a
particular pole, and the touch of it set him to work like the, winding of
a key. Hollinger's name was my magic wand with the General. I could get
no sense from him, nor any acquiescence in sense, till I called up
Hollinger, when the General's alacrity was immediately that of the bear,
or a little boy castigated for his share of original sin. They have been
hard at her, the whole family! and I shall want the two hours I
stipulated for to the full. What do you say?--come, I wager I do it
within one hour! They have stockaded her pretty closely, and it will be
some time before I shall get her to have a clear view of me behind her
defences; but an hour's an age with a woman. Clotilde? I wager I have her
on her knees in half an hour! These notions of duty, and station, and her
fiddle-de-dee betrothal to that Danube osier with Indian-idol eyes, count
for so much mist. She was and is mine. I swear to strike to her heart in
ten minutes! But, madam, if not, you may pronounce me incapable of
conquering any woman, or of taking an absolute impr