as seated next her,
pressed her hand, and gave her an encouraging look, but her attention
was engaged by a man, who sat silently by the fire, observing St. Foix,
with a steady and earnest eye.

'You lead a jolly life here,' said the Count. 'The life of a hunter is
a pleasant and a healthy one; and the repose is sweet, which succeeds to
your labour.'

'Yes,' replied one of his hosts, 'our life is pleasant enough. We live
here only during the summer, and autumnal months; in winter, the place
is dreary, and the swoln torrents, that descend from the heights, put a
stop to the chace.'

''Tis a life of liberty and enjoyment,' said the Count: 'I should like
to pass a month in your way very well.'

'We find employment for our guns too,' said a man who stood behind the
Count: 'here are plenty of birds, of delicious flavour, that feed upon
the wild thyme and herbs, that grow in the vallies. Now I think of it,
there is a brace of birds hung up in the stone gallery; go fetch them,
Jacques, we will have them dressed.'

The Count now made enquiry, concerning the method of pursuing the
chace among the rocks and precipices of these romantic regions, and
was listening to a curious detail, when a horn was sounded at the gate.
Blanche looked timidly at her father, who continued to converse on the
subject of the chace, but whose countenance was somewhat expressive of
anxiety, and who often turned his eyes towards that part of the hall
nearest the gate. The horn sounded again, and a loud halloo succeeded.
'These are some of our companions, returned from their day's labour,'
said a man, going lazily from his seat towards the gate; and in a
few minutes, two men appeared, each with a gun over his shoulder, and
pistols in his belt. 'What cheer, my lads? what cheer?' said they,
as they approached. 'What luck?' returned their companions: 'have you
brought home your supper? You shall have none else.'

'Hah! who the devil have you brought home?' said they in bad Spanish,
on perceiving the Count's party, 'are they from France, or Spain?--where
did you meet with them?'

'They met with us, and a merry meeting too,' replied his companion aloud
in good French. 'This chevalier, and his party, had lost their way,
and asked a night's lodging in the fort.' The others made no reply, but
threw down a kind of knapsack, and drew forth several brace of birds.
The bag sounded heavily as it fell to the ground, and the glitter
of some bright metal within g