Scarcely acknowledging his politeness, she cast a glance over her shoulder at Margaret which haunted her all the afternoon. It seemed to say as plainly as if the lady had spoken it: "You do not like me, but I am determined to win you over in spite of yourself." And in spite of herself, her thoughts wandered toward the lovely stranger for hours, and she grew quite impatient for the dinner hour to arrive, that she might see her again. When it came, Mr. Davenport being absent, receiving or sending some telegrams to a village near the seat of war, in which there seemed some reason to believe the missing colonel was with a detachment of Vermonters, the chevalier, with great politeness, appeared at Margaret's door to escort her to the dining-room. Poor Margaret was by this time so inured to petty and daily disappointments, that when her friends returned at night rarely asked what success they had had in their search, though she clung with a fond belief to the chevalier's often vaunted integrity, and would not allow the lawyer's suspicions to enter her mind. "Did you notice the pretty madam, your _vis-a-vis_ at _dejeuner_?" asked Calembours, as they descended together. "Oh, yes, I have been thinking of her all the afternoon." "_Ma foi!_ and so have I! General Legrange, who knows everybody, tells me she is Madame Hesslein, a young widow, whose husband was Plenipotentiary from the French Court to Austria; and I have been fortunate enough to find out also that she is a Frenchwoman--by gar! she is a Venus di Medicis! Ah!" roughly aspirated monsieur, and became silent with admiration. There under the blazing gasalier, whose strong light might have brought into too bold relief the imperfections of other women, sat the fair stranger, serenely pecking at her viands, and seemingly unconscious of the general sensation which her beauty created, in fact, so absorbed in thought that she paid no heed to anything outside of the small circle formed by her own plate. She was dressed in a dark green velvet evening dress, whose white lace bertha was carelessly pinned with a magnificent solitaire. Her hair was combed out like a fleecy vail down her back, and glittered with diamond powder until it resembled the gorgeous plumage of a tropical bird. She formed so bright a center to the room that every eye instinctively wandered that way to admire her glittering clothing and fascinating face; and yet again, Margaret took her seat opposite with some uneasy feeling weighing upon her now which had weighed upon her before. Almost immediately the extraordinary green orbs were lifted from their meditative study, and Madame Hesslein bowed her recognition, and smiled with honeyed sweetness. "She has some special purpose in making my acquaintance!" thought Margaret. CHAPTER XXVIII. NEWS OF ST. UDO BRAND.