Part 74 (1/2)

”'Indeed! Were you at Constantine?'

”'Yes, I was; I followed the army during the whole campaign.'

”The diligence stopped for supper or dinner, whichever it might be considered, and the _conducteur_ threw open the doors. 'Now,' thought I, 'we shall see her face,' and so, I believe, thought the other pa.s.sengers: but we were mistaken; the lady went upstairs and had a basin of soup taken to her. When all was ready we found her in the diligence, with her veil down as before.

”This was very provoking, for she was so lively and witty in conversation, and the features of her face which had been disclosed were so perfect, that I was really quite on a fret that she would leave me without satisfying my curiosity:--they talk of woman's curiosity, but we men have as much, after all. It became dark;--the lady evidently avoided further conversation, and we all composed ourselves as well as we could. It may be as well to state in few words, that the next morning she was as cautious and reserved as ever. The diligence arrived at this hotel--the pa.s.sengers separated--and I found that the lady and I were the only two who took up our quarters there. At all events, the Frenchmen who travelled with us went away just as wise as they came.

”'You remain here?' inquired I as soon as we had got out of the diligence.

”'Yes,' replied she. 'And you--'

”'I remain here, certainly; but I hope you do not intend to remain always veiled. It is too cruel of you.'

”'I must go to my room now and make myself a little more comfortable; after that, Mons l'Anglais, I will speak to you. You are going over in the packet, I presume?'

”'I am: by to-morrow's packet.'

”'I shall put myself under your protection, for I am also going to London.'

”'I shall be most delighted.'

”'_Au revoir._'

”About an hour afterwards a message was brought to me by the _garcon_, that the lady would be happy to receive me in No. 19. I ascended to the second floor, knocked, and was told to come in.

”She was now without a veil; and what do you think was her reason for the concealment of her person?”

”By the beard of Mokhanna, how can I tell?”

”Well, then, she had two of the most beautiful eyes in the world; her eyebrows were finely arched; her forehead was splendid; her mouth was tempting--in short, she was as pretty as you could wish a woman to be, only she had _broken her nose_--a thousand pities, for it must once have been a very handsome one. Well, to continue, I made my bow.

”'You perceive, now, sir,' said she, 'why I wore my veil down.'

”'No, indeed,' replied I.

”'You are very polite, or very blind,' rejoined she: 'the latter I believe not to be the fact. I did not choose to submit to the impertinence of my own countrymen in the diligence: they would have asked me a hundred questions upon my accident. But you are an Englishman, and have respect for a female who has been unfortunate.'

”'I trust I deserve your good opinion, madam; and if I can be in any way useful to you----'

”'You can. I shall be a stranger in England. I know that in London there is a great man, one Monsieur Lis-tong, who is very clever.'

”'Very true, madam. If your nose, instead of having been slightly injured as it is, had been left behind you in Africa, Mr Liston would have found you another.'

”'If he will only repair the old one, I ask no more. You give me hopes.

But the bones are crushed completely, as you must see.'

”'That is of no consequence. Mr Liston has put a new eye in, to my knowledge. The party was short-sighted, and saw better with the one put in by Mr Liston, than with the one which had been left him.'

”'_Est-il possible? Mais, quel homme extraordinaire!_ Perhaps you will do me the favour to sit with me, monsieur; and, if I mistake not, you have a request to make of me--_n'est-ce pas_?'

”'I feel such interest about you, madam, that I acknowledge, if it would not be too painful to you, I should like to ask a question.'