us to secure Claude's assistance.

Thus it was that Mimi communicated to Claude all about her personal
affairs. There was something almost childish in this ready
communicativeness; but she knew no reason for concealing anything,
and therefore was thus frank and outspoken. Claude, also, was quite
as willing to tell all about himself; though his own story was
somewhat more involved, and could not be told piecemeal, but required
a longer and more elaborate explanation.

"Have you many friends in France?" asked Mimi, in an abrupt sort of
way, the next time they met.

"Friends in France?" repeated Claude; "not one, that I know of."

"No friends! Then what can you do there?" she asked, innocently.

"Well, I don't know yet," said he. "I will see when I get there. The
fact is, I am going there to find out something about my own
family--my parents and myself."

At this Mimi fastened her large eyes upon Claude with intense
interest.

"How strangely you talk!" said she.

"I'll tell you a secret," said Claude, after a pause.

"What?" she asked.

"You will never tell it to any one? It's very important."

"I tell it?" repeated Mimi; "I! Never. Of course not. So, now, what
is the secret?"

"Well, it's this: my name is not Motier."

"Well," said Mimi, "I'm sure I'm very glad that it isn't; and it
seemed strange when you told me first, for Motier is a plebeian name;
and you certainly are no plebeian."

"I am not a plebeian," said Claude, proudly. "You are right. My name
is one of the noblest in France. I wonder if you can tell me what I
want to know!"

"I! Why, how can I?" said Mimi. "But I should so like to know what
it is that you want to know! And O, monsieur, I should so love to
know what is your real name and family!"

"Well," said Claude, "I don't as yet know much about it myself. But I
do know what my real name is. I am the Count de Montresor."

"Montresor," exclaimed Mimi, "Montresor!"

As she said this, there was an evident agitation in her voice and
manner which did not escape Claude.

"What's the matter?" said he. "You know something. Tell me what it
is! O, tell me!"

Mimi looked at him very earnestly.

"I don't know," said she; "I don't know anything at all. I only know
this, that poor papa's troubles are connected in some way with some
one whose name is Montresor. But his troubles are a thing that I am
afraid to speak about, and therefore I have never found out anything
about them. So I don't kn