to 'une histoire scandaleuse!'"

"No, my gracious lady, of the last no one takes any notice--it belongs
to the order of the day!"

"That I can easily believe!" said Miss Sophie.

The man of business now inquired after the Chamber. The cousin's answer
was quite satisfactory. The lady of the house wished to hear of the
flower-markets, and of the sweet little inclosed gardens in the Places.
Sophie wished to hear of Victor Hugo. She received a description of him,
of his abode in the Place Royale, and of the whole Europe litteraire
beside. Cousin Joachim was extremely interesting.

Otto did not pay another visit for two days.

"Where have you been for so long?" asked Sophie, when he came again.

"With my books!" replied he: there lay a gloomy expression in his eyes.

"O, you should have come half an hour earlier--our cousin was here!
He was describing to me the Jardin des Plantes in Paris. O, quite
excellently!"

"He is an interesting young man!" said Otto.

"The glorious garden!" pursued Sophie, without remarking the emphasis
with which Otto had replied. "Do you not remember, Mr. Thostrup, how
Barthelemi has spoken of it? 'Ou tout homme, qui reve a son pays absent,
Retrouve ses parfums et son air caressant.' In it there is a whole
avenue with cages, in which are wild beasts,--lions and tigers! In small
court-yards, elephants and buffaloes wander about at liberty! Giraffes
nibble the branches of high trees! In the middle of the garden are the
courts for bears, only there is a sort of well in which the bears
walk about; it is surrounded by no palisades, and you stand upon the
precipitous edge! There our cousin stood!"

"But he did not precipitate himself down!" said Otto, with indifference.

"What is the matter?" asked Sophie. "Are you in your elegiac mood? You
look as I imagine Victor Hugo when he has not made up his mind about the
management of his tragic catastrophe!"

"That is my innate singularity!" replied Otto. "I should have pleasure
in springing down among the bears of which you relate!"

"And in dying?" asked Sophie. "No, you must live. 'C'est le bonheur de
vivre Qui fait la gloire de mourir.'"

"You speak a deal of French to-day," said Otto, with a friendliness
of manner intended to soften the bitterness of the tone. "Perhaps your
conversation with the lieutenant was in that language?"

"French interests me the most!" replied she. "I will ask our cousin to
speak it often with me. His accent is exce