and took it therefrom and laid it upon a chair above the soiled
riding breeches of corduroy I had so lately discarded. I opened the
carved wooden box on the table underneath and took from it the silver
slippers and the stockings of silk, also the lace fan and the silver
band for the hair. Thereupon I walked to my mirror and commenced to
make a toilet of great care but of a great rapidity.

My first action was to take down that lovelock and with the oil of
roses to lay it in its accustomed place upon my cheek, which burned
with a beautiful rose of shame and at the same moment with some other
emotion that I did not understand; which emotion also made my eyes as
bright as the night stars out in that Camp Heaven. The silver band
held closely the rest of my mop and gave it the appearance of the very
close coiffure which is the fashion of this day, and one very sweet
young rose I put into it just above the curl with an effect of great
and wicked beauty.

The coiffure having been accomplished, the rest of the toilet, from
the slippers of the cloth of silver to the edge of fine old lace, now
the color of rich cream, that rested upon the arch of my bare white
breast was only a matter of a few moments, and then I stood away from
my mirror and beheld myself therein.

"You are as beautiful as you are wicked, Roberta, Marquise of Grez and
Bye, but you go to your death in a manner befitting a _grande
dame_ of your ancient house of France, whose daughters once showed
the rabble how to approach a guillotine, costumed in magnificence.
Descend for that cold knife to your heart!" And so speaking, I picked
up my fan and made my way through the hall to the halfway of the wide
steps. At that point a commotion occurred.

"Lordee! It's the old lady come to ha'nt!" exclaimed my good Bonbon
and with a groan he fled into the darkness in the back regions of the
house.

And it happened that his loud cry brought a response which came to me
before I was quite in readiness for it. As I reached the last step of
the wide staircase, under the bright light I raised my eyes, and
behold, the Gouverneur Faulkner to whom I had descended for the
purpose of mortal combat, stood before me!

And was it that cruel and wicked and cold Gouverneur Faulkner who was
to scourge me and keep me in the house of my Uncle, the General
Robert, for a dishonor? It was not. Before me stood a tall man who was
of a great paleness and a terrible fatigue also, covered with th