to me the appe'ance ligue the chile of
p'ospe'ity."

"Eh?" said Richling, hollowing his hand at his ear,--"child of"--

"P'ospe'ity?"

"Yes--yes," replied the deaf man vaguely, "I--have a relative of that
name."

"Oh!" exclaimed the Creole, "thass good faw luck! Mistoo Itchlin, look'
like you a lil mo' hawd to yeh--but egscuse me. I s'pose you muz be
advancing in business, Mistoo Itchlin. I say I s'pose you muz be gittin'
along!"

"I? Yes; yes, I must."

He started.

"I'm 'appy to yeh it!" said Narcisse.

His innocent kindness was a rebuke. Richling began to offer a cordial
parting salutation, but Narcisse said:--

"You goin' that way? Well, I kin go that way."

They went.

"I was goin' ad the poss-office, but"--he waved his hand and curled his
lip. "Mistoo Itchlin, in fact, if you yeh of something suitable to me I
would like to yeh it. I am not satisfied with that pless yondeh with
Doctah Seveeah. I was compel this mawnin', biffo you came in, to 'epoove
'im faw 'is 'oodness. He called me a jackass, in fact. I woon allow
that. I 'ad to 'epoove 'im. 'Doctah Seveeah,' says I, 'don't you call me
a jackass ag'in!' An' 'e din call it me ag'in. No, seh. But 'e din like
to 'ush up. Thass the rizz'n 'e was a lil miscutteous to you. Me, I am
always polite. As they say, 'A nod is juz as good as a kick f'om a bline
hoss.' You are fon' of maxim, Mistoo Itchlin? Me, I'm ve'y fon' of them.
But they's got one maxim what you may 'ave 'eard--I do not fine that
maxim always come t'ue. 'Ave you evva yeah that maxim, 'A fool faw
luck'? That don't always come t'ue. I 'ave discove'd that."

"No," responded Richling, with a parting smile, "that doesn't always
come true."

Dr. Sevier denounced the world at large, and the American nation in
particular, for two days. Within himself, for twenty-four hours, he
grumly blamed Richling for their rupture; then for twenty-four hours
reproached himself, and, on the morning of the third day knocked at the
door, corner of St. Mary and Prytania.

No one answered. He knocked again. A woman in bare feet showed herself
at the corresponding door-way in the farther half of the house.

"Nobody don't live there no more, sir," she said.

"Where have they gone?"

"Well, reely, I couldn't tell you, sir. Because, reely, I don't know
nothing about it. I haint but jest lately moved in here myself, and I
don't know nothing about nobody around here scarcely at all."

The Doctor shut himself agai