of their meaning, which made her infinitely more attractive. I gave her bonbons and pastilles, which I kept expressly for her in a box of light tortoise-shell, which pleased her extremely, for she is a dainty creature like the genuine kitten she is. As soon as I arrived, she would run to meet me and feel my pockets to see if the blessed bonbonnière was there; I would pass it from one hand to the other, and that would lead to a little battle in which she necessarily ended by gaining the upper hand and stripping me completely. One day, however, she contented herself by saluting me very gravely, and did not come as usual to see if the fountain of sweetmeats was still playing in my pocket; she sat haughtily upright in her chair, her elbows back. "Well, Ninon," I said, "are you fond of salt now or are you afraid that bonbons will make your teeth fall out?"--And, as I spoke, I tapped my box, which gave forth, under my waistcoat, the sweetest and most sugary sound in the world. She put her little tongue to her lips, as if to enjoy the sweet ideal of the absent bonbon, but she did not budge. Thereupon I took the box from my pocket, opened it and began religiously to devour the almonds, which she loved above everything: the instinct of gluttony was, for an instant, stronger than her resolution; she put out her hand to take some, but instantly drew it back, saying: "I am too big to eat bonbons!" And she sighed. "I hadn't noticed that you have grown much since last week; are you like the mushrooms that grow in one night? Come and let me measure you." "Laugh as much as you please," she continued with a charming pout; "I am not a little girl any longer; and I am going to be very big." "Those are excellent resolutions, in which you must persevere;--and might I know, my dear young lady, what has put these noble ideas into your head? For, a week ago, you seemed to be very well pleased to be a little girl, and you crunched almonds without a thought of compromising your dignity." The little lady looked at me with a curious expression, cast her eyes around the room, and, when she had made certain that no one could overhear us, leaned toward me with a mysterious air and said: "I have a lover." "The devil! I no longer wonder that you don't want pastilles; but you were unwise not to take some; you could have played at having dinner with him, or you could have exchanged them for a shuttlecock." The child shrugged her shoulders disdainfully and seemed to be profoundly sorry for me.--As she retained the attitude of an offended queen, I continued: "What is this victorious person's name? Arthur, I suppose, or Henri."--They were two little boys with whom she was in the habit of playing, and whom she called her husbands. "No, not Arthur or Henri," she said, fixing her bright, clear eye on me--"a gentleman."--She put her hand above her head to give me an idea of his height. "As tall as that? Why, this is becoming serious.--Pray, who is this tall lover?"