ket over his
shoulders and heaping more wood upon the fire in the grate.

"More fire, you idiot!" cried the marquis, peevishly. "Do you not see
that I am freezing?"

"It is ten degrees above the temperature my lord always ordered,"
retorted Francois, coolly.

"Ten degrees! Oh, you wish to remind me that the end is approaching?
You do not dare deny it!" The valet shrugged his shoulders.

"But I am not gone yet." He wagged his head cunningly and began to
laugh to himself. His mind apparently rambled, for he started to chant
a French love song in a voice that had long since lost its capacity
for a sustained tone. The words were distinct, although the melody was
broken, and the spectacle was gruesome enough. As he concluded he
looked at the valet as if for approbation and began to mumble about
his early love affairs.

"Bah, Francois," he said shrilly, "I'll be up to-morrow as gay as
ever. _Vive l'amour! vive la joie!_ It was a merry life we led, eh,
Francois?"

"Merry indeed, my lord."

"It kept you busy, Francois. There was the little peasant girl on the
Rhine. What flaxen hair she had and eyes like the sky! Yet a word of
praise--a little flattery--"

"My lord was irresistible," said the valet with mild sarcasm.

"Let me see, Francois, what became of her?"

"She drowned herself in the river."

"That is true. I had forgotten. Well, life is measured by pleasures,
not by years, and I was the prince of coxcombs. Up at ten o'clock;
no sooner on account of the complexion; then visits from the
tradespeople and a drive in the park to look at the ladies. It was
there I used to meet the English actress. 'Twas there, with her, I
vowed the park was a garden of Eden! What a scene, when my barrister
tried to settle the case! Fortunately a marriage in England was not
a marriage in France. I saw her last night, Francois"--with an
insane look--"in the flesh and blood; as life-like as the night
before we took the stage for Brighton!" Suddenly he shrieked and a
look of terror replaced the vain, simpering expression.

"There, Francois!" Glancing with awe behind him. And truly there stood
a dark shadow; a gruesome presence. His face became distorted and he
lapsed into unconsciousness.

The valet gazed at him with indifference. Then he went to an inner
room and brought a valise which he began packing carefully and
methodically. After he had completed this operation he approached the
dressing table and took up a magnificent jew