small bit of it, she was well aware, would be
sufficient to satisfy Count Ericson of the condition of all the rest.
But the lover was in a contemplative mood, and stood as silent as a
milestone, and looking almost as animated and profound. She sighed,
she coughed, she drops her handkerchief. All wouldn't do--the
milestone took no notice--Christina at last grew angry, and could
contain herself no longer.

"I dreamt of you last night," she said by way of a beginning. "I hope
in future you will leave my sleep undisturbed by your presumptuous
presence. It is bad enough to be forced to see you when one is awake."

"And I, also, had a dream," replied Ericson, starting from his
reverie, confused and only having heard the first part of the somewhat
fierce attack. "I dreamt that you looked at me with a smile, a long,
long look, so sweet, so winning. It was a happy dream!"

"It was a false one," she said, with tremendous bitterness. "I know
better where to direct my smiles, whether I am awake or asleep."

"And how did I appear to you?" asked the Count, presenting a splendid
specimen in his astonished look of the state of mind called "the
dumfoundered" by some learned philosophers, and by others "the
flabbergasted."

"You appeared to me like the nightmare! frightful and unsupportable as
you do to me now," was the answer, accompanied with the look and
manner that showed she was a judge of nightmares, and thought him a
very unfavourable specimen of the animal.

"Ill-natured little tyrant!" cried Ericson, rushing to her, "teach me
how you would have me love you, and I will do everything you ask!" In
a moment he had seized her in his arms, and imprinted a kiss of
prodigious violence on her cheek, which was redder than fire with rage
and surprise!

But the assault did not go unpunished. The might of Samson woke in
that insulted bosom, and lent such incredible weight to the blow that
fell on the aggressor's ear, that it took him a long time to believe
that the thump proceeded from the beautiful little hand he had so
often admired; or, in short, from any thing but a twenty-four pounder.
He rubbed the wounded organ with astonishing assiduity for some time.
At last he said, in a very calm and measured voice,

"Your father has deceived me, young lady. He led me to believe you did
not receive my visits with indifference."

"My father knows nothing about things of that kind," replied
Christina, still flaming with indignation, "or