t was George. "Do you repeat your
invitation, General?" he asked.

The General certainly seemed to grow an inch taller, assumed a
more stately demeanor, and took two steps backward and one step
forward, as if he were dancing a minuet, and then came as much gravity
and expression into the face of the General as the General could
contrive to infuse into it; but he replied,

"I never retract my words! You are invited, Professor!" and he
bowed with a glance at the King, who must have heard the whole
dialogue.

Now, there was a company to dinner at the General's, but only
the old Count and his protege were invited.

"I have my foot under his table," thought George. "That's laying
the foundation stone."

And the foundation stone was really laid, with great ceremony,
at the house of the General and of the General's lady.

The man had come, and had spoken quite like a person in good
society, and had made himself very agreeable, so that the General
had often to repeat his "Charming!" The General talked of this dinner,
talked of it even to a court lady; and this lady, one of the most
intellectual persons about the court, asked to be invited to meet
the Professor the next time he should come. So he had to be invited
again; and he was invited, and came, and was charming again; he
could even play chess.

"He's not out of the cellar," said the General; "he's quite a
distinguished person. There are many distinguished persons of that
kind, and it's no fault of his."

The Professor, who was received in the King's palace, might very
well be received by the General; but that he could ever belong to
the house was out of the question, only the whole town was talking
of it.

He grew and grew. The dew of favor fell from above, so no one
was surprised after all that he should become a Privy Councillor,
and Emily a Privy Councillor's lady.

"Life is either a tragedy or a comedy," said the General. "In
tragedies they die, in comedies they marry one another."

In this case they married. And they had three clever boys--but not
all at once.

The sweet children rode on their hobby-horses through all the
rooms when they came to see the grandparents. And the General also
rode on his stick; he rode behind them in the character of groom to
the little Privy Councillors.

And the General's lady sat on her sofa and smiled at them, even
when she had her severest headache.

So far did George get, and much further; else it had not b