I wonder if Burton guessed the deep emotion he was causing me--My little darling! with her beautiful blue eyes full of tears, and I impotent to comfort or help her--! "Yes--yes?" I said--. "She told me then that he'd been delicate since birth, and she feared the winter in Paris for him--I do believe Sir, it's that she works so hard for, to get him away south." "Burton--what the devil can we do about it?" "I don't very well know, Sir Nicholas--Many's the time I've badly wanted to offer her the peaches and grapes and other things, to take back to him--but of course I know my place better than to insult a lady--tisn't like as if she were of another class you see Sir--she'd have grabbed 'em then, but bein' as she is, she'd have been bound to refuse them, and it might have tempted her for him and made things awkward." Burton not only knows the world but has tact--! He went on, now once started. "I saw her outside a wine shop once when I got off the tram at Auteuil--She was looking at the bottles of port--and I made so as to pass, and her not see me, but she turned and said friendly like--'Burton, do you suppose this shop would keep really good port--?' I said as how I would go in and see, and she came with me--They had some fairly decent--though too young, Sir Nicholas, and it was thirty-five francs the bottle--I saw she had not an idea it would be as much as that--her face fell--Do you know, Sir, I could see she hadn't that much with her,--it was the day before she's paid you see--her colour came and went--then she said--'I wonder Burton if you could oblige me with paying the ten extra francs until to-morrow--I must have the best!'--You may believe me, Sir Nicholas, I got out my purse quick enough--and then she thanked me so sweet like--'The Doctor has ordered it for my mother, Burton,' she said--'and of course she couldn't drink any but the best!'" "Who on earth can she be, Burton? It does worry me--can't you possibly find out? I would so like to help them." "I feel that, Sir--but here's the way I figure it--When gentry lives in foreign towns and don't seem anxious for you to know their address it don't seem right like to pry into it." "Burton, you dear old brick!--well supposing we don't try to pry, but just try how we can possibly help her--You could certainly be sympathetic about the brother since she has spoken to you--and surely something can be done--? I saw her at the Duchesse's you know--do you suppose she knows her--?" "I do, Sir Nicholas--I never meant to speak of it, but one day Her Grace came to see you and you were out and she caught sight of Miss Sharp through the half open door--and she jumped like a cat, Her Grace did, 'Halthee'--she cried out--or some name like that,--and Miss Sharp started up and went down the stairs with her--She seemed to be kind of explaining, and I am not sure that Her Grace was too pleased--." (Burton thinks all Duchesses should be called "Grace" whether they are French or English.)