"Handsome!" retorted Virginia, "do you call that man handsome!—his high cheek bones and swarthy complexion show his Indian blood rather too plainly for my taste, I must confess."
"That commingling of races is very common here, Virginia," said I, "Mr. E—— is a somewhat prominent member of the Canadian Parliament. I heard a speech from him, in French, yesterday morning, which was listened to with marked attention. There were a number of ladies in the side-boxes, too, and it is evident from his attention to his dress, if for no other reason, that Mr. E—— is an élégant!"
"All that may be," rejoined Virginia, "but I have no fancy for light blue 'unwhisperables,' as Tom calls them, nor for ruffled shirts!"
A change has come o'er the spirit of your dream, most queenly daughter of the 'sunny South!'—is this the sprightly Américaine who won all hearts the other day on the St. Lawrence,—from that magnificent British officer, to the quiet old priest whose very beard seemed to laugh, at least"——
"That, indeed, Col. Lunettes!—but for your ever-ready gallantry I would exclaim—
'Man delights me not, nor woman either!'
but here we are at the entrance of the famous donjon keep!"
We spent some time in examining the—to the ladies—novel attractions of the place. By-and-by, the fair Virginia, who had strayed off a little by herself, called to me to come and explain the mode of using a port-hole to her. In a few minutes, she said, in a low tone, sitting down, as she spoke upon a dismounted cannon, "Col. Lunettes, I beg you not to allude again to that—to the dinner, yesterday, or, at least, to my embarrassment"——
"Your embarrassment, my dear girl!" I exclaimed, "you astonish me! Do explain yourself"——