XXVII.— THE SANCTITY OF MARRIAGE 278 XXVIII.— THE EFFECT OF DR. DELANO’S FORGIVENESS 291 XXIX.— THE COUNT VON FRAUENSTEIN 301 XXX.— OUT OF THE JAWS OF DEATH 314 XXXI.— INTO A BETTER WORLD 330 XXXII.— THE DISTINGUISHED VISITOR 343 XXXIII.— LEGITIMATE, OR ILLEGITIMATE 360 XXXIV.— THE SLAVE OF THE LAMP 375 XXXV.— THE SLAVE OF THE LAMP OBEYS 387 XXXVI.— THE COUNT’S SPEECH TO HIS WORKMEN 405 XXXVII.— POETIC RETRIBUTION.—GROG-SELLERS INTERVIEWED BY WOMEN 425 XXXVIII.— PROGRESS OF THE WORK 441 XXXIX.— AN HONEST WOMAN 459 XL.— UNDER THE ORANGE-BLOSSOMS 473 XLI.— AFTER THE ORANGE-BLOSSOMS 492 XLII.— A VISIT TO THE SOCIAL PALACE 507 XLIII.— THE INAUGURATION OF THE SOCIAL PALACE 523 XLIV.— THE BIRTH OF THE HEIR 538 PAPA’S OWN GIRL. CHAPTER I. AN OLD LETTER. * * * * I was seven years old when they came—those mysterious little red-faced sisters, which the day before were nowhere in the universe, and the next had sprung up before my bewildered young eyes, full dressed in long white gowns, and looking every way as exactly alike as did the objects I used to see double by “crossing my eyes” as we called it; a habit that brought me many a reprimand. We lived then, as you know, in L——, Massachusetts, and I looked upon the advent of the little creatures on that fine September morning as the most wonderful stroke of fortune; but I remember that my mother, lying very pale and still among her pillows, watched my delight with sad eyes, and then turned her face wearily to the wall. Aunt Patty, the dear old Goody, long since sleeping in the village churchyard, entered kindly into my childish enthusiasm, turning up the skirts of the white dresses, and then unfolding a mass of soft flannel, finally exposed the velvety little feet, whose pink toes moved incessantly, as if enamored of the air. I very soon grew so boisterous in my delight that I had to be sent ignominiously from the room. I went immediately in search of my brother Dan, a handsome, rough fellow, whom I found in the kitchen busily employed with his fishing tackle; for the unusual excitement in the house afforded him an opportunity to sly off to the river, where mother had forbidden him to go on pain of severe penalties. I began eagerly imparting the news.