"Yes; you are far more like her, than your father, and you are scarcely
so tall as he was."

"Perhaps not, madam."

"But you have his manner, sir, the graceful and captivating dignity that
distinguished all your house; this would betray you to the eyes of all
who have enjoyed the high privilege of knowing your family."

The allusion to our house showed that we were royalties, and I laid my
hand on my heart, and bowed as a prince ought, blandly but haughtily.

"Ah, sir," said she, with a deep sigh, "your present enterprise fills me
with apprehension. Are you not afraid, yourself, of the consequences?"

I sighed, too; and if the truth were to be told, I was very much afraid.

"But, of course, you are acting under advice, and with the counsel of
those well able to guide you."

"I cannot say I am, madam; I am free to tell you that every step I am
now taking is self-suggested."

"Oh, then, let me implore you to pause, sir," said she, falling on her
knees before me; "let me thus entreat of you not to go further in a path
so full of danger."

"Shall I confess, madam," said I, proudly, "that I do not _see_ these
dangers you speak of?"

I thought that on this hint she would talk out, and I might be able to
pierce the veil of the mystery, and discover who I was; for though very
like my mother, and shorter than my father, I was sorely puzzled about
my parentage; but she only went off into generalities about the state of
the Continent and the condition of Europe generally. I saw now that my
best chance of ascertaining something about myself was to obtain from
her the newspaper that first suggested her discovery of me, and I said
half carelessly, "Let me see the paragraph which struck you in the
'Courrier.'"

"Ah, sir, you must excuse me, these ignoble writers have little delicacy
in alluding to the misfortunes of the great; they seem to revenge the
littleness of their own station on every such occasion."

"You can well imagine, madam, how time has accustomed me to such petty
insults: show me the paper."

"Pray let me refuse you, sir; I would not, however blamelessly, be
associated in your mind with what might offend you."

Again I protested that I was used to such attacks, that I knew all about
the wretched hireling creatures who wrote them, and that instead of
offending, they positively amused me,--actually made me laugh.

Thus urged, she proceeded to search for the newspaper, and only after
some minutes was it