f Sweden grew very black, and his face
had something of the benign expression of the growling pug on his
daughter's knee.

"Who is that person, Christina?"

But Christina looked at her father with an alarmed glance, which she
shortly after converted into a smile, and went on in her pleasing
occupation of smoothing the raven down of her favourite, but did not
say a word.

The father, who seemed to be no great judge of pantomime, repeated his
question.

"Who is that person, Christina?"

Christina disdained hypocrisy, and, moreover, was immensely spoiled.

"Who _should_ it be, but your gallant nephew, Adolphus Hesse, dear
father?"

"You haven't had the impudence, I hope, to engage yourself to that
boy?"

"Boy--why he is twenty-one! He is my oldest friend--we learned all our
lessons together. I can't recollect the time we were not engaged, it
is so long since we loved each other!"

"Nonsense! You were brought up together by his mother; it is nothing
but sisterly affection."

"Not at all--not at all!" cried Christina; "it would make me quite
miserable if Adolphus were my brother."

"It is all you must think him, nevertheless. He has no fortune; he has
nothing but his commission; and my generosity is"----

"Immense, my dear father; inexhaustible! And then Adolphus is so
brave--so magnanimous; and, upon my word, when I saw how much he liked
me, and heard him speak so much more delightfully than any body else,
I never thought of asking if he was rich; and you know you love him
yourself, dear father."

Christina neglected the pug in her lap for a moment, and laid her hand
coaxingly on the old man's shoulder.

"But not enough to make him my heir," said the Count, gruffly.
Christina renewed her attentions to the dog.

"He would be your heir notwithstanding," she said, "if I were to die."

There was something in the tone of her voice, or the idea suggested of
her death, that softened the old man. He looked for a long time at the
young and beautiful face of his child; and the shade of uneasiness her
words had raised, disappeared from his brow.

"There is nothing but life there," he said, gently tapping her on the
forehead; "and therefore I must marry you, my girl!"

"And you will make us the happiest couple in the world. Adolphus will
be so grateful," said Christina, her bright eyes sparkling through
tears.

"Who the devil said a word about Adolphus?" said the father, looking
angrily at Christina; but he a