e
est charmante; mais l'autre, qui est cette nymphe, cet astre qui brille,
cette Diane qui descend sur nous?" And he started back, and pushed
forward, as Beatrix was descending the stair. She was in colors for the
first time at her own house; she wore the diamonds Esmond gave her; it
had been agreed between them, that she should wear these brilliants on
the day when the King should enter the house, and a Queen she looked,
radiant in charms, and magnificent and imperial in beauty.

Castlewood himself was startled by that beauty and splendor; he stepped
back and gazed at his sister as though he had not been aware before (nor
was he very likely) how perfectly lovely she was, and I thought blushed
as he embraced her. The Prince could not keep his eyes off her; he quite
forgot his menial part, though he had been schooled to it, and a little
light portmanteau prepared expressly that he should carry it. He pressed
forward before my Lord Viscount. 'Twas lucky the servants' eyes were
busy in other directions, or they must have seen that this was no
servant, or at least a very insolent and rude one.

Again Colonel Esmond was obliged to cry out, "Baptiste," in a loud
imperious voice, "have a care to the valise;" at which hint the wilful
young man ground his teeth together with something very like a curse
between them, and then gave a brief look of anything but pleasure to his
Mentor. Being reminded, however, he shouldered the little portmanteau,
and carried it up the stair, Esmond preceding him, and a servant with
lighted tapers. He flung down his burden sulkily in the bedchamber:--"A
Prince that will wear a crown must wear a mask," says Mr. Esmond in
French.

"Ah peste! I see how it is," says Monsieur Baptiste, continuing the
talk in French. "The Great Serious is seriously"--"alarmed for Monsieur
Baptiste," broke in the Colonel. Esmond neither liked the tone with
which the Prince spoke of the ladies, nor the eyes with which he
regarded them.

The bedchamber and the two rooms adjoining it, the closet and the
apartment which was to be called my lord's parlor, were already lighted
and awaiting their occupier; and the collation laid for my lord's
supper. Lord Castlewood and his mother and sister came up the stair
a minute afterwards, and, so soon as the domestics had quitted the
apartment, Castlewood and Esmond uncovered, and the two ladies went down
on their knees before the Prince, who graciously gave a hand to each.
He looked