d she, 'how could you say such a thing?'

"'If I only thought I was not hated,' said I, tremblingly.

"'Oh!' said she, again.

"'Despised.'

"'Oh!'

"'Loathed.'

[Illustration: MAJOR MONSOON AND DONNA MARIA.]

"She pressed my hand, I kissed hers; she hurriedly snatched it from me, and
pointed towards a lime-tree near, beneath which, in the cool enjoyment of
his cigar, sat the spare and detested figure of Don Emanuel.

"'Yes,' thought I, 'there he is,--the only bar to my good fortune; were
it not for him, I should not be long before I became possessor of this
excellent old chateau, with a most indiscretionary power over the cellar.
Don Mauricius Monsoon would speedily assume his place among the grandees of
Portugal.'

"I know not how long my revery lasted, nor, indeed, how the evening passed;
but I remember well the moon was up, and a sky, bright with a thousand
stars was shining, as I sat beside the fair Donna Maria, endeavoring, with
such Portuguese as it had pleased fate to bestow on me, to instruct her
touching my warlike services and deeds of arms. The fourth bottle of port
was ebbing beneath my eloquence, as responsively her heart beat, when I
heard a slight rustle in the branches near. I looked, and, Heavens, what a
sight did I behold! There was little Don Emanuel stretched upon the grass
with his mouth wide open, his face pale as death, his arms stretched out at
either side, and his legs stiffened straight out. I ran over and asked if
he were ill, but no answer came. I lifted up an arm, but it fell heavily
upon the ground as I let it go; the leg did likewise. I touched his nose;
it was cold.

"'Hollo,' thought I, 'is it so? This comes of mixing water with your
sherry. I saw where it would end.'

"Now, upon my life! I felt sorry for the little fellow; but somehow, one
gets so familiarized with this sort of thing in a campaign that one only
half feels in a case like this.

"'Yes,' said I, 'man is but grass; but I for one must make hay when the sun
shines. Now for the Donna Maria,'--for the poor thing was asleep in the
arbor all this while.

"'Donna,' said I, shaking her by the elbow,--'Donna, don't be shocked at
what I'm going to say.'

"'Ah, General,' said she, with a sigh, 'say no more; I must not listen to
you.'

"'You don't know that,' said I, with a knowing look,--'you don't know
that.'

"'Why, what can you mean?'

"'The little fellow is done for.' For the port was working strong now,
a