cordiale with every animal he ever
bestrode), but with that facile acquirement of any physical
accomplishment which ever distinguished him, he was soon perfectly at
ease on the ice.

It was while opposite the Place du Carrousel and almost out of sight of
the crowd of onlookers, that Calvert suddenly came upon Madame de St.
Andre. She had ventured upon the ice on skates, and was talking to St.
Aulaire, who skated slowly beside her. Even in the bright sunshine the
Baron de St. Aulaire did not show his age, and moved and bore himself
with incomparable grace on the ice. Indeed, in his rich dress and
splendid decorations he made a dazzling appearance, and quite eclipsed
Mr. Calvert in his sober garments and unpowdered hair. Calvert would
have passed by or retreated without intruding himself upon Madame de St.
Andre, but before he could do either she had caught sight of him, and he
saw, or fancied he saw, a look of relief pass over her face and a
welcome dawn in her eyes. Thinking so, he skated slowly toward her,
wishing to be sure that he was wanted, and, as he did so, the gentleman,
perceiving his approach, ceased speaking and looked most obviously
annoyed at the young man's arrival.

Madame de St. Andre waved her hand lightly. "Au revoir, Monsieur de St.
Aulaire!" she cried. "Here is Monsieur Calvert, who will take me back
over the ice, so I shall not have to trouble you," and she laughed in a
relieved, if somewhat agitated, fashion as St. Aulaire, doffing his hat
and scowling fiercely at Calvert, skated rapidly away. As Calvert looked
at the retreating figure, Beaufort's words of two days before flashed
through his mind again, and it was with a sort of horror that he thought
of this dissolute nobleman having even spoken with Madame de St. Andre.
Was this beautiful girl born under some unlucky star that she should
have to know and associate with such creatures? Calvert had only met her
the night before, and already he had seen her twice with a man whose
very presence was contaminating. 'Twas almost with the fear of finding
some visible sign of that debasing influence upon the fair face beside
him that he turned and looked at Madame de St. Andre. It would have been
impossible for anyone to have looked more innocently charming. The court
beauty was in eclipse, and in her place was a radiant, gracious young
girl. Perhaps it was the short, fur-trimmed dress she wore and the small
cap with its tuft of heron plumes, a fashion l