w in Paris. Desire Minoret, a slight youth, slender and fair like his
mother, from whom he obtained his blue eyes and pale skin, smiled from
the window on the crowd, and jumped lightly down to kiss his mother. A
short sketch of the young fellow will show how proud Zelie felt when she
saw him.

He wore very elegant boots, trousers of white English drilling held
under his feet by straps of varnished leather, a rich cravat, admirably
put on and still more admirably fastened, a pretty fancy waistcoat, in
the pocket of said waistcoat a flat watch, the chain of which hung down;
and, finally, a short frock-coat of blue cloth, and a gray hat,--but his
lack of the manner-born was shown in the gilt buttons of the waistcoat
and the ring worn outside of his purple kid glove. He carried a cane
with a chased gold head.

"You are losing your watch," said his mother, kissing him.

"No, it is worn that way," he replied, letting his father hug him.

"Well, cousin, so we shall soon see you a lawyer?" said Massin.

"I shall take the oaths at the beginning of next term," said Desire,
returning the friendly nods he was receiving on all sides.

"Now we shall have some fun," said Goupil, shaking him by the hand.

"Ha! my old wag, so here you are!" replied Desire.

"You take your law license for all license," said Goupil, affronted by
being treated so cavalierly in presence of others.

"You know my luggage," cried Desire to the red-faced old conductor of
the diligence; "have it taken to the house."

"The sweat is rolling off your horses," said Zelie sharply to the
conductor; "you haven't common-sense to drive them in that way. You are
stupider than your own beasts."

"But Monsieur Desire was in a hurry to get here to save you from
anxiety," explained Cabirolle.

"But if there was no accident why risk killing the horses?" she
retorted.

The greetings of friends and acquaintances, the crowding of the young
men around Desire, and the relating of the incidents of the journey took
enough time for the mass to be concluded and the worshippers to issue
from the church. By mere chance (which manages many things) Desire saw
Ursula on the porch as he passed along, and he stopped short amazed at
her beauty. His action also stopped the advance of the relations who
accompanied him.

In giving her arm to her godfather, Ursula was obliged to hold her
prayer-book in one hand and her parasol in the other; and this she
did with the innate grace w