young duke's
lively sallies, could not recover from his surprise at seeing him
sitting there opposite to himself, as a guest at his own table--making
himself very much at home, too, in the most charming, genial, easy way
imaginable--and yet he was the haughty, overbearing, insolent young
nobleman, who had been his hated rival; whom he had twice encountered
and defeated, in fierce combat, and who had several times tried
to compass his death by means of hired ruffians. What could be the
explanation of it all?

The Duke of Vallombreuse divined his companion's thoughts, and when the
old servant had retired, after placing a bottle of especially choice
wine and two small glasses on the table, he looked up at de Sigognac and
said, with the most amicable frankness, "I can plainly perceive, my dear
baron, in spite of your admirable courtesy, that this unexpected step of
mine appears very strange and inexplicable to you. You have been saying
to yourself, How in the world has it come about, that the arrogant,
imperious Vallombreuse has been transformed, from the unscrupulous,
cruel, blood-thirsty tiger that he was, into the peaceable, playful lamb
he seems to be now--which a 'gentle shepherdess' might lead about with a
ribbon round its neck!--I will tell you. During the six weeks that I was
confined to my bed, I made various reflections, which the thoughtless
might pronounce cowardly, but which are permitted to the bravest and
most valiant when death stares them in the face. I realized then, for
the first time, the relative value of many things, and also how wrong
and wicked my own course had been; and I promised myself to do very
differently for the future, if I recovered. As the passionate love that
Isabelle inspired in my heart had been replaced by a pure and sacred
fraternal affection--which is the greatest blessing of my life--I had
no further reason to dislike you. You were no longer my rival; a brother
cannot be jealous in that way of his own sister; and then, I was deeply
grateful to you, for the respectful tenderness and deference I knew you
had never failed to manifest towards her, when she was in a position
that authorized great license. You were the first to recognise her pure,
exalted soul, while she was still only an obscure actress. When she was
poor, and despised by those who will cringe to her now, you offered
to her--lowly as was her station--the most precious treasure that a
nobleman can possess: the time-honou