lever women who can talk and so on. She'd
bore you to death in an hour, Augustin."

"Would she?" said I innocently. I was amused at William Adolphus' simple
cunning. "I daresay I should bore her too."

"Perhaps you would," he chuckled. "Only she wouldn't tell you so, of
course."

"But Wetter doesn't seem to bore her," I observed.

"Good God, doesn't he?" cried my brother-in-law.

There were limits to the amusement to be got out of him. I yawned and
looked across the house again. Wetter's place was empty. I drew William
Adolphus' attention to the fact.

"I wonder if the fellow's gone behind?" he said uneasily.

"We'll go after the next act."

"You'll go?"

"Of course I shall send and ask permission."

William Adolphus looked puzzled and gloomy.

"I didn't know you cared for that sort of thing; I mean the theatre and
all that."

"We haven't a Coralie Mansoni here every day," I reminded him. "I don't
care for the ordinary run, but she's something remarkable, isn't she?"

He muttered a few words and turned away. A moment later Varvilliers
knocked at the door of my box and entered. Here was a good messenger for
me. I sent him to ask whether Coralie would receive me after the next
act. He went off on his errand laughing.

I need not record the various stages and the gradual progress of my
acquaintance with Coralie Mansoni. It would be for the most part a
narrative of foolish actions and a repetition of trivial conversations.
I have shown how I came to enter on it, led by a spirit of rebellion
and the love of a joke, weary of the repression that was partly
inevitable, partly self-imposed, glad to find an outlet for my youthful
impulses in a direction where my action would involve no political
danger. On one good result I can pride myself; I was undoubtedly the
instrument of sending my brother-in-law back to his wife a humbled and
repentant man. Coralie had no scruple about allowing him to perceive
that her attentions had been paid to his rank, not to himself; and his
rank was now eclipsed. A few days of sulking was followed by a violent
outburst; but my position was too strong. He could not quarrel seriously
with his wife's brother on such a ground. He returned to Victoria, and,
I had no doubt, received the castigation which he certainly deserved. My
interest in him vanished as he vanished from the society that centred
round Mlle. Mansoni. At the same time my share in his defeat and
humiliation left a sorenes