with you, Monsieur Trudaine;
I feel them here." Saying this, Lomaque laid one hand on his heart,
and with the other pulled his stick out of the grass. He had looked as
little at the landscape or the setting sun as Monsieur Justin himself.

They sat down, side by side, on the empty bench; and then there followed
an awkward pause. Submissive Lomaque was too discreet to forget his
place, and venture on starting a new topic. Trudaine was preoccupied,
and disinclined to talk. It was necessary, however, in common
politeness, to say something. Hardly attending himself to his own words,
he began with a commonplace phrase: "I regret, Monsieur Lomaque, that we
have not had more opportunities of bettering our acquaintance."

"I feel deeply indebted," rejoined the land-steward, "to the admirable
Madame Danville for having chosen me as her escort hither from her son's
estate near Lyons, and having thereby procured for me the honor of this
introduction." Both Monsieur Lomaque's red-rimmed eyes were seized with
a sudden fit of winking, as he made this polite speech. His enemies
were accustomed to say that, whenever he was particularly insincere,
or particularly deceitful, he always took refuge in the weakness of his
eyes, and so evaded the trying ordeal of being obliged to look steadily
at the person whom he was speaking with.

"I was pleased to hear you mention my late father's name, at dinner, in
terms of high respect," continued Trudaine, resolutely keeping up the
conversation. "Did you know him?"

"I am indirectly indebted to your excellent father," answered the
land-steward, "for the very situation which I now hold. At a time when
the good word of a man of substance and reputation was needed to save me
from poverty and ruin, your father spoke that word. Since then I have,
in my own very small way, succeeded in life, until I have risen to the
honor of superintending the estate of Monsieur Danville."

"Excuse me, but your way of speaking of your present situation rather
surprises me. Your father, I believe, was a merchant, just as Danville's
father was a merchant; the only difference between them was that one
failed and the other realized a large fortune. Why should you speak of
yourself as honored by holding your present place?"

"Have you never heard?" exclaimed Lomaque, with an appearance of
great astonishment, "or can you have heard, and forgotten, that Madame
Danville is descended from one of the noble houses of France? H