would prevent him, he said, enjoying the
full hour of absence granted to the Greek class of the Ursulines.

"Mademoiselle Angelique has of course gone to Belmont, if pressing
engagements prevent YOU, Chevalier," said Louise Roy. "How provoking it
must be to have business to look after when one wants to enjoy life!"
The Chevalier half spun round on his heel under the quizzing of Louise's
eye-glass.

"No, Angelique has not gone to Belmont," replied he, quite piqued.
"She very properly declined to mingle with the Messieurs and Mesdames
Jourdains who consort with the Bourgeois Philibert! She was preparing
for a ride, and the city really seems all the gayer by the absence of so
many commonplace people as have gone out to Belmont."

Louise de Brouague's eyes gave a few flashes of indignation. "Fie,
Chevalier! that was naughtily said of you about the good Bourgeois and
his friends," exclaimed she, impetuously. "Why, the Governor, the Lady
de Tilly and her niece, the Chevalier La Corne St. Luc, Hortense and
Claude de Beauharnais, and I know not how many more of the very elite of
society have gone to do honor to Colonel Philibert! And as for the
girls in the Convent, who you will allow are the most important and
most select portion of the community, there is not one of us but would
willingly jump out of the window, and do penance on dry bread and salt
fish for a month, just for one hour's pleasure at the ball this evening,
would we not, Louises?"

Not a Louise present but assented with an emphasis that brought
sympathetic smiles upon the faces of the two young chevaliers who had
watched all this pretty play.

The Chevalier des Meloises bowed very low. "I regret so much, ladies, to
have to leave you! but affairs of State, you know--affairs of State!
The Intendant will not proceed without a full board: I must attend the
meeting to-day at the Palace."

"Oh, assuredly, Chevalier," replied Louise Roy. "What would become of
the Nation, what would become of the world, nay, what would become
of the internes of the Ursulines, if statesmen and warriors and
philosophers like you and the Sieurs Drouillon and La Force here (this
in a parenthesis, not to scratch the Chevalier too deep), did not take
wise counsel for our safety and happiness, and also for the welfare of
the nation?"

The Chevalier des Meloises took his departure under this shower of
arrows.

The young La Force was as yet only an idle dangler about the city; but
in