rgiving her. For one thing he could
not be happy till he had forgiven her.

She walked into the room with a calm, dignified, stately air, and before
he could utter one word of his grave remonstrance, attacked him thus:
"You wish to speak to me, sir. If it is to apologize to me, I will save
your vanity the mortification. I forgive you."

"YOU forgive ME!" cried Edouard furiously.

"No violence, if you please," said the lady with cold hauteur. "Let us
be friends, as Josephine and Raynal are. We cannot be anything more
to one another now. You have wounded me too deeply by your jealous,
suspicious nature."

Edouard gasped for breath, and was so far out-generalled that he
accepted the place of defendant. "Wasn't I to believe your own lips? Did
not Colonel Raynal believe you?"

"Oh, that's excusable. He did not know me. But you were my lover; you
ought to have seen I was forced to deceive poor Raynal. How dare you
believe your eyes; much more your ears, against my truth, against my
honor; and then to believe such nonsense?" Then, with a grand assumption
of superior knowledge, says she, "You little simpleton, how could the
child be mine when I wasn't married at all?"

At this reproach, Edouard first stared, then grinned. "I forgot that,"
said he.

"Yes, and you forgot the moon isn't made of green cheese. However, if I
saw you very humble, and very penitent, I might, perhaps, really forgive
you--in time."

"No, forgive me at once. I don't understand your angelical, diabolical,
incomprehensible sex: who on earth can? forgive me."

"Oh! oh! oh! oh!"

Lo! the tears that could not come at a remonstrance were flowing in a
stream at his generosity.

"What is the matter now?" said he tenderly. She cried away, but at the
same time explained,--

"What a f--f--foolish you must be not to see that it is I who am without
excuse. You were my betrothed. It was to you I owed my duty; not my
sister. I am a wicked, unhappy girl. How you must hate me!"

"I adore you. There, no more forgiving on either side. Let our only
quarrel be who shall love the other best."

"Oh, I know how that will be," said the observant toad. "You will love
me best till you have got me; and then I shall love you best; oh, ever
so much."

However, the prospect of loving best did not seem disagreeable to her;
for with this announcement she deposited her head on his shoulder, and
in that attitude took a little walk with him up and down the Pleasaunce:
s