ore a year had gone by, the
wealthy manufacturer was suddenly struck down by heart disease, as he
stood by the open grave of a friend. The incident made quite a sensation
in Paris at the time.

It was the bereaved widow, then, that Claude met at his uncle's. The
late husband had been on terms of close friendship with the tanner, and
had appointed him one of the executors of his will. But all business
connected with this had been settled nearly a twelvemonth ago, and now
l'oncle Auguste thought it about time to put his abilities in the
matrimonial agency line to the test. So, as Claude had correctly
guessed, he had prepared his little guet-apens.

With Claude it was love at first sight--that is, if we may apply the
term love to what is begotten of intense admiration for the creature
beauties of woman. She had eyes, so it seemed to me at least, that might
rest when off duty, but would ever be on the alert where they could be
used to advantage. Her mouth, I must say, was most attractive. The lips
were carved, curved, and coloured to perfection, and I cannot recollect
ever having seen any of their kind better fitted to be met by other
lips. Her pallor was interesting, her hair jet black, and her manners
fascinating; but for all that I could never have worshipped at her
shrine. Not so Claude. He saw everything in her that a man sees when he
is struck blind by the God of love.

As we walked home together, on his return from that first meeting, we
talked it all over. When we got home we talked it all over again. First
it was daytime; then came the night; then the day broke again, and we
were still talking--always on that inexhaustible theme that, since
articulate sound was created, has used up more language than all other
themes put together.

It must have been thus, I feel confident, that Orestes and Pylades
talked by the hour when one of them or both were in love, and so too all
the O.'s and P.'s, and, for the matter of that, all the other initials
of the alphabet, ranging from the Alpha to the Omega.

At first I was not sympathetically inclined, and put spokes into the
wheels that were running away with Claude. After a while I merely tried
to apply the brake, lest he should rush down hill too rapidly, but I
finally found myself running and rolling along, doing my best to keep
pace with him.

The fact is his enthusiasm was catching. He described that woman so
vividly that, for the time being, I could not help seeing h