ime the carriage had reached the chateau, where Pierre, in a
fine new livery--and a tremor of delight--was waiting to receive them.
After an affectionate, as well as respectful, greeting from the faithful
old servant, they entered the grand portico, which had been, like all
the rest, admirably restored, and, alighting from the carriage, paused a
moment to admire its magnificent proportions ere they passed on into the
frescoed hall, where eight or ten tall lackeys were drawn up in line,
and bowed profoundly to their new master and mistress. Skilful artists
had retouched the ancient frescoes, and made them glow with all their
original brilliant tints. The colossal figures of Hercules were still
supporting the heavy cornice, and the busts of the Roman emperors looked
out majestically from their niches. Higher up, the vine climbing on
its trellis was as luxuriant as in the olden time, and there were no
unsightly stains on the bright blue sky of the vaulted roof to mar its
beauty. A like metamorphosis had been worked everywhere--the worm-eaten
woodwork had been renewed, the uneven floors relaid, the tarnished
gilding restored to its original splendour--and the new furniture
throughout had been made exactly like the old that it replaced. The fine
old tapestry in de Sigognac's own room had been minutely copied, down to
the smallest detail, and the hangings of the bed were of green and white
brocade, in precisely the same delicate tint and graceful pattern as the
old.

Isabelle, with her innate delicacy and perfect taste, had not aimed
at producing a sensation, by any overwhelming magnificence or dazzling
splendour in renovating the intrinsically fine old Chateau de Sigognac,
but had simply wished to gratify and delight the heart of her
husband, so tenderly loved, in giving back to him the impressions and
surroundings of his childhood and youth, robbed of their misery and
sadness. All was bright and gay now in this lordly mansion, erst so
dreary and melancholy; even the sombre old family portraits, cleansed,
retouched and revarnished by skilful hands, smiled down upon them, as
if pleased with the new order of things; especially their own handsome,
richly gilt frames.

After looking through the interior of the chateau, de Sigognac and
Isabelle went out into the court, where no weeds or nettles were to be
seen, no grass growing up between the paving stones, no heaps of rubbish
in the corners, and through the clear glass panes of