ghter. Yet I am certain that the old lady
has remembered me in her will."

"Yes, I believe that you WILL come in for a good deal," I said with
some assurance.

"Yes, for she is fond of me. But how come you to think so?"

I answered this question with another one. "That Marquis of yours," I
said, "--is HE also familiar with your family secrets?"

"And why are you yourself so interested in them?" was her retort as she
eyed me with dry grimness.

"Never mind. If I am not mistaken, the General has succeeded in
borrowing money of the Marquis."

"It may be so."

"Is it likely that the Marquis would have lent the money if he had not
known something or other about your grandmother? Did you notice, too,
that three times during luncheon, when speaking of her, he called her
'La Baboulenka'? [Dear little Grandmother]. What loving, friendly
behaviour, to be sure!"

"Yes, that is true. As soon as ever he learnt that I was likely to
inherit something from her he began to pay me his addresses. I thought
you ought to know that."

"Then he has only just begun his courting? Why, I thought he had been
doing so a long while!"

"You KNOW he has not," retorted Polina angrily. "But where on earth did
you pick up this Englishman?" She said this after a pause.

"I KNEW you would ask about him!" Whereupon I told her of my previous
encounters with Astley while travelling.

"He is very shy," I said, "and susceptible. Also, he is in love with
you.--"

"Yes, he is in love with me," she replied.

"And he is ten times richer than the Frenchman. In fact, what does the
Frenchman possess? To me it seems at least doubtful that he possesses
anything at all."

"Oh, no, there is no doubt about it. He does possess some chateau or
other. Last night the General told me that for certain. NOW are you
satisfied?"

"Nevertheless, in your place I should marry the Englishman."

"And why?" asked Polina.

"Because, though the Frenchman is the handsomer of the two, he is also
the baser; whereas the Englishman is not only a man of honour, but ten
times the wealthier of the pair."

"Yes? But then the Frenchman is a marquis, and the cleverer of the
two," remarked Polina imperturbably.

"Is that so?" I repeated.

"Yes; absolutely."

Polina was not at all pleased at my questions; I could see that she was
doing her best to irritate me with the brusquerie of her answers. But I
took no notice of this.

"It amuses me to see you grow angry," she c