He has married the only daughter of a French Duke--a lovely creature, as soulless and heartless as a dressmaker's stuffed model; but she carries his jewels well on her white bosom, and receives his guests with as much dignity as a well-trained major-domo.

These qualities suffice to satisfy her husband at present; how long his satisfaction will last is another matter.

He has not quite forgotten Zara; for on every recurring Jour des Morts, or Feast of the Dead, he sends a garland or cross of flowers to the simple grave in Pere-la-Chaise.

Heliobas watches his career with untiring vigilance; nor can I myself avoid taking a certain interest in the progress of his fate.

At the moment I write he is one of the most envied and popular noblemen in all the Royal Courts of Europe; and no one thinks of asking him whether he is happy.