ou-Pasha have contracted another marriage since the date of
his will? Out of delicacy I kept out of the way, in order not to disturb
their affectionate greetings, but as my uncle passed my door on his way
out, he said to me,

"Andre, aren't you coming?" I followed him. We arrived just as the lady
was stepping briskly up the doorsteps.

"Too late, captain!" she said, "I could not stay there, penned up in
that carriage."

This reproach did not prevent them from shaking hands very heartily.
Then as I came up, my uncle said in his quick way,

"Kiss your aunt Eudoxia!"

At this injunction I forthwith embraced my aunt, and I must admit that
as I kissed her I could not repress a smile, recollecting this
sacramental phrase of my uncle's.

"My goodness! is that Andre?" she exclaimed, "Oh! excuse me, sir," she
continued rapidly; "this familiar name slipped from my tongue, at
remembrance of the bonny boy of old times."

"Pray take it for granted, madam!" I answered.

"Then don't call me madam!"

"What does that matter, _my aunt_; to obey you I shall be delighted to
return to old times."

"Very well then, _my nephew_," she added; "see that my servants are
looked after, and then let us come in!"

All this was said in that free-and-easy tone which denotes aristocratic
breeding, and with so much of the assurance of a woman accustomed to the
best society, that I was for a moment almost taken aback by it. My early
impressions of her had only left in my mind confused recollections of an
amiable and fascinating young woman (so far as I could judge at that
age), and now my aunt suddenly appeared in a character which I had not
at all anticipated. Assuredly I should never have recognised her,
although time had not at all impaired the beauty of her face.

I will therefore draw her portrait afresh. Picture to yourself a woman
of about thirty-five, although her real age is forty-two. Her figure
exhibits a decided _embonpoint_, but this detracts not in the least from
its gracefulness, for she is a tall woman, and has also quite a
patrician style about her. Her erect head, and the profound dignity of
her expression--everything about her in fact--might be taken to denote a
haughty nature, were it not for that extreme simplicity of manner which
appears natural to her. Notwithstanding the firmness of her language,
the tone in which it is uttered is as soft as velvet, and her light,
musical accent suggests the frank and easy bearing of