know what this honor imposes on me."

"I have faith in you," said Felina; "understand me, though, and do not
require what I cannot give. Do not add to my grief, the vengeance and
excess of which you cannot calculate."

"Threats!" said the Count, bitterly. He was about to speak to the
Duchess of the fragments of the letter, but was prevented by a secret
presentiment.

"No," said Felina, "not threats. Such are not intended for friends, and
to me you are a friend."

The Count took her hand. It was cold as death.

"Come to see me often," said she; "invalids need a physician; and
skilful as the one you brought last night may be, your visits will exert
a better effect--you will enable me to contend with myself. Then, too,"
said she, growing pale, "I will see you.... Now leave me, for I am
feeble. Since you wish me to live, I must not exhaust the rest of my
life ... I will try to sleep; but I will not sleep as long as I expected
to last night." Then, as if she was completely exhausted by such a
variety of shocks, she bade the Count adieu.

Monte-Leone left her. Just as he was about to cross the peristyle, he
saw the shadow of a man gliding into the hotel through the half open
door. The face of this man was suddenly lighted up by one of the
reflectors of the palace, and Monte-Leone remembered features yet
present to his memory. They were the features of STENIO SALVATORI of
_Torre del Greco_.

XIV.--THE MAGNETIZER.

The lecture the Prince had given to his son seemed to have done him
good. For two months the family of the Prince de Maulear had been calm
and happy. Aminta, in the care, attention, and watchfulness of her
husband, enjoyed again all the emotions of her early marriage days. Her
letters to her mother were filled with hope far different than that
expressed in the one we have read. Henri constantly avoided every thing
which could possibly awaken the sad passion which chance, temptation,
and the weakness of his character had led him into. He never approached
the card-table, and paid no attention to the challenges of his old
adversaries. He began to learn whist and other games of combination,
calculation, and science, which leave the head cold and the reason
sound, and at which no one ever pretended to bet a thousand francs a
trick, as was subsequently done in 1846, at the house of Count A. ----
and that of M. de R----, Minister of D. People then played whist for
whist's sake, not to become rich or bankrupt.