Mother of the heavens! but there was a man for you! There was a king that was worthy of such a queen.

Name of disaster! that she could not hold him, that the curse of virtue sapped such a splendid tree, and that she could take up with another after him!" "Why not ?" cried Toinette, as she tossed down the last half of her absinthe and twitched her flower-crowned head.

"A kingdom must have a king, _ma mere_; and Dieu: but he is handsome, this Monsieur Gaston Merode! And if he carries out his part of the work to-night he will be worthy of the homage of all." "'If' he carries it out--'if'!" exclaimed Marise, with a lurch of the shoulders and a flirt of her pudgy hand.

"Soul of me! that's where the difference lies.

Had it been the cracksman, there would have been no 'if'-- it were done as surely as he attempted it.