ch reached to the floor as she sat upon her
fauteuil.

"No matter, Lizette; do it up a la Pompadour, and make haste. My
brain is in as great confusion as my hair. I need repose for an hour.
Remember, Lizette, I am at home to no one to-night except the Chevalier
de Repentigny."

"The Chevalier called this afternoon, Mademoiselle, and was sorry he
did not find you at home," replied Lizette, who saw the eyelashes of
her mistress quiver and droop, while a flush deepened for an instant the
roseate hue of her cheek.

"I was in the country, that accounts for it! There, my hair will do!"
said Angelique, giving a glance in the great Venetian mirror before her.
Her freshly donned robe of blue silk, edged with a foam of snowy laces
and furbelows, set off her tall figure. Her arms, bare to the elbows,
would have excited Juno's jealousy or Homer's verse to gather efforts
in praise of them. Her dainty feet, shapely, aspiring, and full of
character as her face, were carelessly thrust forward, and upon one of
them lay a flossy spaniel, a privileged pet of his fair mistress.

The boudoir of Angelique was a nest of luxury and elegance. Its
furnishings and adornings were of the newest Parisian style. A carpet
woven in the pattern of a bed of flowers covered the floor. Vases of
Sevres and Porcelain, filled with roses and jonquils, stood on marble
tables. Grand Venetian mirrors reflected the fair form of their mistress
from every point of view--who contemplated herself before and behind
with a feeling of perfect satisfaction and sense of triumph over every
rival.

A harpsichord occupied one corner of the room, and an elaborate
bookcase, well-filled with splendidly bound volumes, another.

Angelique had small taste for reading, yet had made some acquaintance
with the literature of the day. Her natural quick parts and good taste
enabled her to shine, even in literary conversation. Her bright eyes
looked volumes. Her silvery laugh was wiser than the wisdom of a
precieuse. Her witty repartees covered acres of deficiencies with so
much grace and tact that men were tempted to praise her knowledge no
less than her beauty.

She had a keen eye for artistic effects. She loved painting, although
her taste was sensuous and voluptuous--character is shown in the choice
of pictures as much as in that of books or of companions.

There was a painting of Vanloo--a lot of full-blooded horses in a field
of clover; they had broken fence, and were luxu