Will you accept of me Moufflard II?
But you must come and fetch him yourself, which will procure me the pleasure of seeing you at Maisons." The princess replied that she was on her way to England; that she was merely taking Paris in passing; that her hours were numbered; and two minutes later she announced to Mme.

de Lorcy that she would call on her the following day, in the afternoon.
True to her appointment, Princess Gulof entered Mme.

de Lorcy's _salon_ the following day.

The ladies occupied themselves first of all with the lapdog, which was found charming and quite worthy to succeed to Moufflard I.Mme.de Lorcy watched all the time for a suitable opportunity of introducing the subject nearest to her heart; when she thought it had come, she observed: "Apropos, princess, you who know everything, you who are a true cosmopolitan, have you ever heard of a mysterious personage who calls himself Count Abel Larinski ?" "Not that I am aware of, my dear, although his name may not be absolutely unknown to me." "Search among your reminiscences; you must have encountered him somewhere; you have visited all the countries of the world--" "Of the habitable world," she interposed; "but according to my especial point of view Siberia scarcely can be called so, and it is there, if I mistake not, that your Count Larinski must have been sent." "Would to heaven!--Perhaps there was question of procuring this little pleasure for his father; but, unfortunately, he took the precaution to emigrate to America.

The inconvenience of America is, that people can return from there, for my Larinski has returned, and it is that that grieves me." "What has he done to you ?" inquired the princess pinching the ears of the dog who was slumbering in her lap.
"I spoke to you at Ostend about my goddaughter Mlle.