th, however, she became for a moment perfectly beautiful, as, when the
young painter had finished his story, with an expression that showed how
bitterly he regretted his abandoned art, she took both his hands in hers,
and exclaimed: "No, _mon enfant_, you shall not be thus disappointed. Your
genius"--she already took it for granted he had genius--"shall have an
opportunity for development. Your mother cannot do what is necessary--she
has played her part. I will be a--second mother to you, in return f"r the
little affection you can bestow on me without ingratitude to her to whom
you owe your life."

"My life has to be paid for twice," said he, kissing her hand. Nathalie
could not help looking round proudly to me. It was so flattering to
receive the gallant attentions of so handsome a young man, that I think
she tried to forget how she had bought them.

In the exuberance of her hospitality, the little old maid invited both
Claude Richer and myself to spend some time in the large farmhouse of her
brother-in-law. I declined, with a promise to be a frequent visitor; but
Claude, who was rather commanded than asked, could do nothing but accept.
I left them at the diligence office, and saw them walk away, the little
Nathalie affecting to support her feeble companion. For the honor of human
nature let me add, that the conductor said nothing about the fare. "It
would have been indelicate," he said to me, "to remind Mlle. Nathalie of
her promise in the young man's presence. I know her well; and she will pay
me at a future time. At any rate I must show that there is a heart under
this waistcoat." So saying, the conductor thumped his breast with simple
admiration of his own humanity, and went away, after recommending me to
the Cafe de Paris--indeed and excellent house.

I shall say nothing of a variety of little incidents that occurred to me
at Avignon, nor about my studies on the history of the popes who resided
there. I must reserve myself entirely for the development of Nathalie's
romance, which I could not follow step by step, but the chief features of
which I was enabled to catch during a series of visits I paid to the
farmhouse. Nathalie herself was very communicative to me at first, and
scarcely deigned to conceal her sentiments. By degrees, however, as the
catastrophe approached, she became more and more reserved; and I had to
learn from others, or to guess the part she played.

The farmhouse was situated on the other side