ld. Octave
entered his room after supper, humming an Italian air, evidently in such
good spirits that his friend was quite surprised.

"I give it up, I can not understand your conduct," said the latter; "you
have been as solemn as an owl all day, and now here you are as gay as a
lark; have you had an understanding?"

"I am more vexed than ever."

"And you enjoy being so?"

"Very much."

"Ah! you are playing 'who loses wins!'"

"Not exactly; but as my good sentiments lead to nothing, I hope to
conduct myself in such a disagreeable way as to force this capricious
creature to adore me."

"The devil! that is clever. Besides, it is a system as good as any
other. Women are such extraordinary creatures!"

"Woman," said Octave, "resembles a pendulum, whose movement is a
continual reaction; when it moves to the right, it has to go to the left
in order to return to the right again, and so on. Suppose virtue is on
one side and love on the other, and the feminine balance between them,
the odds are that, having moved to the right in a violent manner, it
will return none the less energetically to the left; for the longer
a vibration has been, the greater play the contrary vibration has. In
order to hasten the action of this pendulum I am about to attach to
it--to act as extra balance-weight--a little anguish which I ought to
have employed sooner."

"Why make her suffer, since you believe that she loves you?"

"Why? Because she drives me to it. Do you fancy that I torture her
willingly; that I take pleasure in seeing her cheeks grow pale from
insomnia and her eyes show traces of tears? I love her, I tell you; I
suffer and weep with her. But I love her, and I must make sure of her
love. If she will leave but a road full of brambles and sharp stones for
me to reach her, must I give up the struggle just because I run the risk
by taking her with me, of wounding her charming feet? I will cure them
with my kisses!"

"Listen to me! I am not in love; I am an artist. If I have some peculiar
ideas, it is not my fault. And you, in your character of docile lover,
have you decided to yield?"

"Morally."

"Very well! after all, you are right. The science of love resembles
those old signs upon which one reads: 'Here, hair is dressed according
to one's fancy.' If this angel wishes her hair pulled, do it for her."

BOOK 3.

CHAPTER XIII. MONSIEUR DE BERGENHEIM

Some men in society marry too soon, a great number too la