that ridiculous little half-mad faddist, Dr. Dean. He is going to
the Mena House, too. Well!--he will be the witness of a comedy or
a tragedy there,--and Heaven alone knows which it will be!"

And to distract his thoughts from dwelling any longer on the
haunting ideas that perplexed him, he took up one of the latest
and frothiest of French novels and began to read. Some one in a
room not far off was singing a French song,--a man with a rich
baritone voice,--and unconsciously to himself Gervase caught the
words as they rang out full and clearly on the quiet, heated air--

O toi que j'ai tant aimee
Songes-tu que je t'aime encor?
Et dans ton ame alarmee,
Ne sens-tu pas quelque remord?
Viens avec moi, si tu m'aimes,
Habiter dans ces deserts;
Nous y vivrons pour nous memes,
Oublies de tout l'univers!

And something like a mist of tears clouded his aching eyes as he
repeated, half mechanically and dreamily--

O toi que j'ai tant aimee,
Songes-tu que je t'aime encor?




CHAPTER XIII.