suaded myself that he was something very much above the
condition he assumed; and at other moments I suspected him to be below
even that. If he be an impostor, thought I, assuredly there are more
dupes than me, and in this very room too. My game soon absorbed my
attention, and I ceased to think of or look after him. I know not how
long this may have lasted; but I remember, when lifting my head from
my cards, I saw straight in front of me Madame von Geysiger steadily
contemplating me through her glass, and standing, to do so, in an
attitude that implied profound scrutiny. The moment she caught my eye
she dropped her "lorgnette," and hurried away, in what was clear to see
was an air of confusion.

It immediately struck me that the Count had broken faith with me, and,
whatever his secret scheme, had revealed it to the lady; and, indignant
at the treachery, I would have risen at once from the table if I could;
as it was, I took the very first opportunity that presented itself,
and, by feigning the fatigue of a long journey, I made my excuses and
withdrew.

My next care was to leave the house without attracting any notice; and
so I mingled with the crowd, and held on my way towards the room by
which we had entered. The dense throng interrupted my progress; and
in order to make my escape more rapidly, I passed out into the garden,
intending to enter the house again by some door lower down. To do
so more secretly, I moved into one of the dark alleys, which, after
following some time, brought me out upon a little open space, with a
small marble fountain spouting its tiny jet in the midst of a clear
and starlit pond. Though so near to the house, the spot was still and
noiseless, for the thick copse on every side effectually excluded sound.
The calming influence of the silence and the delicious freshness of the
night air induced me to linger here for a while; and even longer, too,
I should have stayed, had not the sound of voices warned me that some
persons were approaching. That they might pass without observing me, I
stepped hastily into the bosquet, and concealed myself in the thick and
leafy cover. My misery and terror may be imagined when I heard my own
name uttered, and then perceived that it was the Count and Madame von
Geysiger, who now stood within a few feet of where I was, in deep and
secret conference.

Not all my training in my odious mode of life had reconciled me to the
part of an eavesdropper. Yet what could I