e potent reason; and _that_ it
was not in his power to proffer. He made no further opposition, but
remained fidgeting about the room in the most distracting manner,
hindering the preparations of Maurice, stumbling over articles scattered
on the floor, now and then stammering out a broken, unintelligible
phrase, and altogether seeming wretchedly uncomfortable, yet unwilling
to leave until he saw the obstinate traveller in the _fiacre_ which
drove him to the railway station.

CHAPTER XVI.

A VOICE FROM THE LOST ONE.

A few days after the departure of Maurice for Dresden, the Duke de
Montauban made a formal proposal for the hand of Mademoiselle de
Merrivale. French etiquette not allowing a suitor the privilege of
addressing the lady of his love, except through some kindred or friendly
medium, his pretensions were of course made known to Bertha by her
uncle. She received the communication with a fretful tapping of her
little foot, and a toss of her gamboling, golden ringlets, which bore
witness to her undisguised vexation and saucy disdain. The
uncompromising manner in which she declined the proposed honor, threw
her guardian, who had strengthened himself to enact the part of Cupid's
messenger, by a somewhat liberal repast, into a state of astonishment
which threatened alarming disturbance to his laboring digestive
functions.

"Really, my dear, you speak so abruptly that you make me feel quite
dyspeptic. What possible objection can you have to the young duke?"

"A very slight one, according to the creed which governs matrimonial
alliances in our enlightened land," returned Bertha, pouting through her
sarcasm. "My objection is simply that he is not an object of the
slightest interest to me."

"But the match is such a suitable one that interest will come after it
is consummated," answered her uncle.

"I do not intend to marry upon _faith_," retorted Bertha; then she broke
out petulantly, "In a word, uncle, I do not intend to marry a man who is
so insipid that I could not even quarrel with him; whom I could not
think of seriously enough to take the trouble to dislike; to whom I am
so thoroughly indifferent that for me he has no existence out of my
immediate sight."

"There, there; keep cool, my dear. Nobody intends to force you to marry
him. I did not know that it was necessary to be able to dislike a man,
and to have a capacity for quarrelling with him, to fit him for the
position of a husband. A very unwho