He wondered at it a little, however, and he wondered still more when, on entering the drawing-room, he saw Lomaque walk straight up to his sister, and--apparently not noticing that Danville was sitting at the harpsichord and singing at the time--address her confusedly and earnestly with a set speech of thanks for his hot cup of coffee.

Rose looked perplexed, and half inclined to laugh, as she listened to him.

Madame Danville, who sat by her side, frowned, and tapped the land-steward contemptuously on the arm with her fan.
"Be so good as to keep silent until my son has done singing," she said.
Lomaque made a low bow, and retiring to a table in a corner, took up a newspaper lying on it.

If Madame Danville had seen the expression that came over his face when he turned away from her, proud as she was, her aristocratic composure might possibly have been a little ruffled.
Danville had finished his song, had quitted the harpsichord, and was talking in whispers to his bride; Madame Danville was adding a word to the conversation every now and then; Trudaine was seated apart at the far end of the room, thoughtfully reading a letter which he had taken from his pocket, when an exclamation from Lomaque, who was still engaged with the newspaper, caused all the other occupants of the apartment to suspend their employments and look up.
"What is it ?" asked Danville, impatiently.
"Shall I be interrupting if I explain ?" inquired Lomaque, getting very weak in the eyes again, as he deferentially addressed himself to Madame Danville.
"You have already interrupted us," said the old lady, sharply; "so you may now just as well explain." "It is a passage from the _Scientific Intelligence_ which has given me great delight, and which will be joyful news for every one here." Saying this, Lomaque looked significantly at Trudaine, and then read from the newspaper these lines: "ACADEMY OF SCIENCES, PARIS .-- The vacant sub-professorship of chemistry has been offered, we are rejoiced to hear, to a gentleman whose modesty has hitherto prevented his scientific merits from becoming sufficiently prominent in the world.

To the members of the academy he has been long since known as the originator of some of the most remarkable improvements in chemistry which have been made of late years--improvements, the credit of which he has, with rare, and we were almost about to add, culpable moderation, allowed others to profit by with impunity.