leasant social recognition in the homes of the great Federalist
merchants. He would give Carteaux's statement to the Secretary of State
and demand that De Courval be dismissed and punished. He felt that he
could thus annoy and embarrass the administration; but still,
distrusting Carteaux, he waited. His delay was ended by the gossip which
began to be rumored about in regard to the attack on Carteaux, and
concerning the mysterious loss of Despatch No. 10.

Chovet had been abruptly dismissed, unpaid, and the German having gone
away in some haste with no thought of his promise to pay, none knew when
he would return. The little doctor was furious. His habit of imprudent
gossip had been controlled by Schmidt's threats and still more surely by
his pledge of payment. By and by, in his exasperation, he let drop
hints, and soon the matter grew. He had been cheated by Carteaux, and if
people only knew the truth of that story, and so on, while he won
self-importance from holding what he half believed to be a state secret.

At last, increasingly uneasy about his fee, it occurred to him to ask
Miss Wynne if it were certain that Schmidt would not return. If not--ah,
there was the young man who must pay, or the whole story should be told.

That Miss Gainor kept him waiting for half an hour he felt as a slight
and regarded it as an addition to the many wrongs he had suffered at the
hands of a woman who had learned from time and experience no lessons in
prudence.

Increasingly vexed at her delay, when she came in he was walking about
with reckless disregard of the priceless china with which she delighted
to crowd her drawing-room. As she entered he looked at his watch, but
Mistress Gainor was to-day in high good humor, having won at piquet of
Mrs. Bingham the night before enough to make her feel comfortably
pleased with Gainor Wynne.

"Bonjour, Monsieur," she said in her fluent anglicized French. "I beg
pardon for keeping you waiting; I was dressing." Chovet had rarely been
able to sacrifice his liking to annoy to the practical interests of the
moment, and now, disbelieving her, he said, "If you will speak English,
I may be able to understand you." This was a little worse than usual.

"Sir," she said, with dignity, "your manners are bad. Never do I permit
such things to be said to me. I might say something such as you have
said to me in regard to your English and there would be an end of our
conversation," upon which she laughed ou