marriage public at once, and set him at defiance," I
replied.

"Ay, but...."

"But what?"

"That alone will not content me. I must punish him with my own hand."

"He would be punished enough in the loss of the lady and her fortune."

"Not he! He has entangled her affairs sufficiently by this time to
indemnify himself for her fortune, depend on it. And as for
herself--pshaw! he does not know what love is!"

"But his pride----"

"But _my_ pride!" interrupted Dalrymple, passionately. "What of my
pride?--my wounded honor?--my outraged love? No, no, I tell you, it is
not such a paltry vengeance that will satisfy me! Would to Heaven I had
trusted only my own arm from the first! Would to Heaven that, instead of
having anything to say to the cursed brood of the law, I had taken the
viper by the throat, and brought him to my own terms, after my
own fashion!"

"But you have not yet told me what you are doing here?"

"I am waiting to see Monsieur de Simoncourt."

"Monsieur de Simoncourt!"

"Yes. That white house at the corner is one of his haunts,--a private
gaming-house, never open till after midnight. I want to meet him
accidentally, as he is going in."

"What for?"

"That he may take me with him. You can't get into one of these places
without an introduction, you know. Those who keep them are too much
afraid of the police."

"But do you play?"

"Come with me, and see. Hark! do you hear nothing?"

"Yes, I hear a footstep. And here comes a man."

"Let us walk to meet him, accidentally, and seem to be talking."

I took Dalrymple's arm, and we strolled in the direction of the new
comer. It was not De Simoncourt, however, but a tall man with a grizzled
beard, who crossed over, apprehensively, at our approach, but recrossed
and went into the white house at the corner as soon as he thought us
out of sight.

"One of the gang," said Dalrymple, with a shrug of his broad shoulders.
"We had better go back to our doorway, and wait till the right
man comes."

We had not long to wait. The next arrival was he whom we sought. We
strolled on, as before, and came upon him face to face.

"De Simoncourt, by all that's propitious!" cried Dalrymple.

"What--Major Dalrymple returned to Paris!"

"Ay, just returned. Bored to death with Berlin and Vienna--no place like
Paris, De Simoncourt, go where one will!"

"None, indeed. There is but one Paris, and pleasure is the true profit
of all who visit it."

"My dear De Simo