sy,
active life.

One evening, as he was ruminating over the past, his servant brought him
a card, and said the gentleman was waiting to see him.

He read the name on the card: _Louis de Clameran_.

Many years had passed since Gaston had experienced such violent
agitation. His blood rushed to his face, and he trembled like a leaf.

The old home affections which he thought dead now sprung up anew in his
heart. A thousand confused memories rushed through his mind. Like one
in a dream, he tottered toward the door, gasping, in a smothered, broken
voice:

"My brother! oh, my brother!"

Hurriedly passing by the frightened servant, he ran downstairs.

In the passage stood a man: it was Louis de Clameran.

Gaston threw his arms around his neck and held him in a close embrace
for some minutes, and then drew him into the room.

Seated close beside him, with his two hands tightly clasped in those of
Louis, Gaston gazed at his brother as a fond mother would gaze at her
son just returned from the battle-field.

There was scarcely any danger and excitement which the mate of the
redoubtable Captain Warth had not experienced; nothing had ever before
caused him to lose his calm presence of mind, to force him to betray
that he had a heart. The sight of this long unseen brother seemed to
have changed his nature; he was like a woman, weeping and laughing at
once.

"And is this really Louis?" he cried. "My dear brother! Why, I should
have recognized you among a thousand; the expression of your face is
just the same; your smile takes me back twenty-three years."

Louis did indeed smile, just as he smiled on that fatal night when his
horse stumbled, and prevented Gaston's escape.

He smiled now as if he was perfectly happy at meeting his brother.

And he was much more at ease than he had been a few moments before. He
had exerted all the courage he possessed to venture upon this meeting.
Nothing but pressing necessity would have induced him to face this
brother, who seemed to have risen from the dead to reproach him for his
crimes.

His teeth chattered and he trembled in every limb when he rang Gaston's
bell, and handed the servant his card, saying:

"Take this to your master."

The few moments before Gaston's appearance seemed to be centuries. He
said to himself:

"Perhaps it is not he; if it is he, does he know? Does he suspect
anything? How will he receive me?"

He was so anxious, that when he saw Gaston running dow