erception of beauty--had brought out a new side to her character; and
she quite surprised me, from time to time, with her saucy humor and
quick repartee.

We made a brilliant cavalcade, what with the uniforms of the officers,
and the richly embroidered saddles and bright-red burnouses of our
attendant spahis. After riding some miles across a monotonous tract of
stony desert, we came to a majestic sierra of crag, down which fell a
dozen water-falls, narrow and bright as sword-blades. A thin little
stream threaded the ravine, and on its banks grew clumps of the
tamarisk, the oleander, and the thuya, making an oasis grateful to the
eyes. Here we sat down and ate our Christmas breakfast, with stray
thoughts of village bells chiming at home, and school children lustily
singing their Christmas hymns.

Our host, the Capitaine, had provided a sumptuous feast of Desert
fare,--roast quails and plovers, cous-cous-sou, figs, dates, and
bananas, with the addition of champagne; and we were very merry.

"Mademoiselle," said the Capitaine, "think what our next Christmas will
be if you are not here. Persuade monsieur, your brother, to purchase
some land between Mascara and Teschoun, so that we shall not lose you
altogether."

The General nudged the Commandant.

"You see what our friend the Capitaine is dreaming of! Mon Capitaine,
your escadron is sure to be sent into the interior this spring; put all
romances out of your head, my dear fellow, and do not entice monsieur
into the committal of follies."

"I am not the only one to entertain romances," said the Capitaine,
coolly. "You, mon General, did us all the honor to spend Christmas at
Teschoun. We can but attribute such a condescension to the gracious
influence of mademoiselle."

"Look well after the Commandant when I am gone, gentlemen," continued
the General, looking round with a smile. "Matters are gone so far
already that he loses his temper if a fellow-officer but jests with him.
What a terrible slur it would be upon the glorious annals of
French-African conquest, if such a brave officer should show himself
fonder of stuffing birds for an English demoiselle than running swords
through ungrateful Arabs!" and the General looked round with a very
comical expression of mock horror.

"Mademoiselle has indiscriminately accepted our tokens of homage," the
Commandant said, maliciously.

"But it yet remains to be seen whose offering has been most acceptable
to her," went on the