"Who can appreciate the excellence of the armourer's work as well as the warrior? The excellence of a horse as well as the rider? the excellence of a musical instrument as well as the person who plays upon it? Pope Paganini has canonised Stradivarius, the maker of those wonderful violins the great artist plays so divinely; and I, who could spend millions so admirably, shall certainly feel like canonising my uncle--that heroic martyr to avarice--if Fate so wills that the means of prodigality which he had been accumulating penny by penny ever falls into my hands." "My God!" "What is the matter, Louis?" "Then you do not know--" "What?" "I told you of my poor father's desire for a marriage between me and your cousin." "Yes, what of it?" "Your uncle, ignorant of my refusal, and anxious to hasten this union which he desired as ardently as my father, apparently, left Dreux yesterday, in company with his daughter, and this morning--" "Both arrived in Paris, I suppose. Why this hesitation, my dear Louis?" "Your uncle and cousin did not come straight through to Paris. They stopped at Versailles, Florestan, at Versailles, where my poor father went to--" But Louis could not finish the sentence. His emotion overcame him completely. "Courage, my friend," said Saint-Herem, deeply affected, "I understand your feelings." "Florestan," said the young man, drying his tears, after a long silence, "my father went to Versailles to meet your uncle and cousin." "Well?" "It was agreed that they were to accompany my father back to Paris. There is little doubt that they did so, and as it is almost certain that they were all in the same railway carriage--" "They, too! Oh, that would be too horrible!" exclaimed Saint-Herem, covering his face with his hands. The exclamation of horror and the tone of profound pity in Saint-Herem's voice were so sincere and so spontaneous that Louis was deeply touched by this proof of noble-heartedness on the part of his friend, who had manifested only a feeling of generous commiseration, without one particle of the satisfaction or selfish joy that might have been considered almost excusable under the circumstances. CHAPTER XIV. PLANS FOR THE FUTURE. Louis and Saint-Herem remained silent for several minutes. The former was the first to speak. "I cannot tell you how deeply your sensibility touches me, my dear Florestan," he said, at last "It is so thoroughly in accord with my own feelings at this sad moment."