It was not easy to shock him; to his natural, easy good-nature he united an innate respect for grandeurs and for princesses.

She did not neglect so good an opportunity to air her monkey-development theories.

He merrily flung back the ball; he declared that he should prefer to be a fallen angel rather than a perfected monkey; that in his estimation a parvenu made a much sorrier figure in the world than the descendent of an old family of ruined nobility.

She replied that she was more democratic than he.

"It is pleasant to me," said she, "to think that I am a progressive ape, who has a wide future before him, and who, by taking proper pains, may hope to attain new advancement." While they were thus chatting, Samuel Brohl was striving with all his might to recover from the terrible blow he had received.