joys and
griefs, hopes and fears, lay so entirely outside their circle that I
scarce noticed whether they noticed me or not. I felt and behaved coldly
toward them! to the women because their voices never had the ring of
genuine liking in speaking to me; to the men because I found them as a
rule shallow, ignorant, and pretentious; repellent to me, as I dare say
I, with my inability to understand them, was to them. I saw most men and
things through a distorting glass; that of contrast, conscious or
unconscious, with Courvoisier.

My musician, I reasoned, wrongly or rightly, had three times their wit,
three times their good looks, manners and information, and many times
three times their common sense, as well as a juster appreciation of
his own merits; besides which, my musician was not a person whose
acquaintance and esteem were to be had for the asking--or even for a
great deal more than the asking, while it seemed that these young
gentleman gave their society to any one who could live in a certain
style and talk a certain _argot_, and their esteem to every one who
could give them often enough the savory meat that their souls loved, and
the wine of a certain quality which made glad their hearts, and rendered
them of a cheerful countenance.

But my chief reason for mixing with people who were certainly as a rule
utterly distasteful and repugnant to me, was because I could not bear to
leave Adelaide alone. I pitied her in her lonely and alienated misery;
and I knew that it was some small solace to her to have me with her.

The tale of one day will give an approximate idea of most of the days I
spent with her. I was at the time staying with her. Our hours were late.
Breakfast was not over till ten, that is by Adelaide and myself. Sir
Peter was an exceedingly active person, both in mind and body, who saw
after the management of his affairs in England in the minutest manner
that absence would allow. Toward half past eleven he strolled into the
room in which we were sitting, and asked what we were doing.

"Looking over costumes," said I, as Adelaide made no answer, and I
raised my eyes from some colored illustrations.

"Costumes--what kind of costumes?"

"Costumes for the maskenball," I answered, taking refuge in brevity of
reply.

"Oh!" He paused. Then, turning suddenly to Adelaide:

"And what is this entertainment, my lady?"

"The Carnival Ball," said she, almost inaudibly, between her closed
lips, as she shut th