s to
her, and in due course put on _glace_ gloves, and lead her to the
altar: but that he, for his part, would do everything he could to
prevent such a course of events. The first thing in the morning, as he
would be having the honour to _friser_ his Countly Highness, he would
take an opportunity of laying the whole matter before him, and would
also take the liberty of begging him, as an uncle regardful of his
niece's best interests, to represent to her that the Herr Baron's
declaration of love was merely a species of "flourish" belonging to the
"tour" which he happened to be executing at the time--just as
declarations of the kind generally were. That, he thought, would be of
some service. Cochenille finally advised the Baron to go and see
Countess Victorine as soon as possible, and told him there would be an
opportunity of doing so that very day. Madame Bechs, the Consistorial
President's lady, was giving an aesthetic tea that afternoon, with tea
which (he had been told by the Russian Ambassador's valet) had come
direct overland from China through the Russian Embassy, and had an
extraordinarily delicious flavour and scent. There he would find
Victorine, and be enabled to put everything straight again.

Ludwig saw that it was nothing but unworthy doubt which had had the
power of disturbing his love-happiness: and he resolved to make himself
so marvellously charming at the "the" of Madame Bech, the Consistorial
President's lady, that Victorine should never so much as dream of being
at all "grumpy."

THE AESTHETIC TEA. CHOKING COUGH OF A TRAGIC POET. THE STORY TAKES A
SERIOUS TURN, AND TELLS OF BLOODY BATTLE, SUICIDE, AND SIMILAR
MATTERS.

The courteous reader must be good enough to accompany Ludwig and
Euchar to this aesthetic tea, which is now going forward at Madame
Bech's, the Consistorial President's lady. About a dozen of the fair
sex, appropriately attired, are seated in a semi-circle. One is
thoughtlessly laughing; another is immersed in a contemplation of the
tips of her shoes, with which she is managing to practise the "pas" of
a "Francaise," silently and unobserved; a third appears to be sweetly
sleeping (and dreaming more sweetly still); a fourth darts the fiery
beams from her eyes athwart the room in all directions, with the
intention that they shall impinge upon not one but all the men who are
present. A fifth lisps forth "Heavenly! Glorious! Sublime!" and those
utterances are for the behoo