ore from that fellow, as you
horsewhipped, Count, to let him know at Thomas's at once, for you must
not treat him as a gentleman, no how, the Colonel says; and if so be he
gives you any trouble, the Colonel can get his flint fixed--the Colonel
can!"

"Thank you, my man," replied the Count; "give my compliments to your
master, and I am much obliged for his interest. I shall do myself the
honour of waiting on the Colonel to-morrow. Be so good as to tell him
so."

"I will, sir," said the man; and rode away without another word.

"You see, Monsieur de Chatenoeuf, you must not dream of noticing the
fellow as a gentleman," said the Count.

"Impossible!" Lionel chimed in, almost in the same breath; and all the
ladies followed suit with their absolute "Impossible!"

A rapid drive brought us to the Judge's house at Kew, where we found
dinner nearly ready, though not waiting: and the events of the day were
the topic, and the Count the hero of the evening.

The next morning, we returned to town--Auguste and myself, I mean;
Monsieur de Chavannes having driven up from Kew in his own cabriolet
after dinner.

I called, according to my promise, and found Adele alone, and delighted
to see me, and in the highest possible spirits. She was the happiest of
women, she said; and Colonel Jervis was everything that she could wish--
the kindest, most affectionate of husbands; and all that she now
desired, as she declared, was to see me established suitably.

"You had better let matters take their course, Adele," I answered.
"Though not much of a fatalist, I believe that when a person's time is
to come, it comes. It avails nothing to hurry--nothing to endeavour to
retard it. I shall fare, I doubt not, as my friends before me, dear
Adele; and, if I can consult as well for myself as I seem to have done
for my friends, I shall do very well. Caroline, by the way, is quite as
happy as you declare yourself to be, and I doubt not are; for I like
your Colonel amazingly."

"I am delighted to hear it. He also is charmed with you. But who is
the Count de Chavannes, of whom he is so full just now? He says he is
the only Frenchman he ever saw worthy to be an Englishman--which, though
_we_ may not exactly regard it as a compliment, he considers the
greatest thing he can say in any one's favour. Who is this Count de
Chavannes, Valerie?"

I told her, in reply, all that I knew, and that you know, gentle reader,
about the Count de Chavannes