hen appointed, by especial favour, to the office of
arranging the ribbon collar, or combing the silken mane and ruffled paws
of Silvie, Adrienne's little _chien lion_. And though ready enough (as
we have seen) to importune his mistress with worthless offerings of
paltry wild-flowers, it never entered his simple fancy to present her
with small, compact bouquets, sentimentally and scientifically combined
(the pensee never omitted, if in season), the stems wound together with
silk of appropriate hue, or wrapped round with a motto, or well-turned
couplet. In these, and all accomplishments of a similar nature, Walter
Barnard's genius was immeasurably distanced by that of the Marquis
d'Arval.

The latter was also peculiarly interesting in his character of a
despairing lover; and his attentions were particularly well-timed, at a
season when the absence of the happy lover had made a vacuum in the life
(of course not the _heart_) of Adrienne, who on her part was actuated by
motives of pure humanity in consoling d'Arval (as far as circumstances
permitted) for the success of his rival, by proofs of her warmest
friendship and tenderest commiseration.

Since the Marquis's arrival at St Hilaire, his universal genius had in
great measure superseded la petite Madelaine in her office of exorcist
to the demon of ennui, her fair cousin's relentless persecutor. She was
therefore less frequently, or rather less constantly, at the
Chateau--though still summoned to secret conference in Adrienne's
boudoir, and often detained there for hours by consultations or
occupations of that private and confidential nature, so interesting to
the generality of young ladies who have lovers in their hearts or heads,
though the details might be insipid to the general reader, if it were
even allowable to reveal mysteries little less sacred than the
Eleusinian.

It might have been inferred, however, that la petite Madelaine was but
an unwilling sharer of those secret conferences; for she often retired
from them with looks of more grave and even careful expression, than
were well in character with the youthful countenance, and an air of
dejection that ill suited the recent listener to a happy love-tale. And
when her services (whatever were their nature) were no longer required,
Adrienne evinced no inclination to detain her at St Hilaire.

She was still, however, politely and even kindly welcomed by the owners
of the Chateau; but when no longer necessary to t