Lady Betty, who came of good fighting stock, fully understood this.
“Let me tell you, under the rose, here,” she said, “I like that Corsican, General Bonaparte. I believe he will do greater things for France than he has done yet.”
And De Bourmont, looking very black, whispered: “It is maddening—maddening to be here.”
Bastien being a marplot, and seeing how fast De Bourmont was establishing himself in Lady Betty’s good graces, was impelled by the devil of mischief-making to say, laughing: “De Bourmont is the only one of us who has any money, and what he has he won of me on a wager concerning the beautiful daughter of Counsellor Mackenzie, the lawyer in Castle Street.”
De Bourmont was not too well pleased that this escapade with the lawyer’s daughter in Castle Street should be dragged forth before the proud Lady Betty Stair; but being a bold fellow, and believing in the policy of rashness, he determined to tell the story on himself.
“Castle Street, you know,” said he, “is in the new town, where the rich lawyers and doctors and the retired tradesmen live; and it is cleaner and brighter than the old town, with its great rookeries belonging to the nobles. But the new town people are not invited to our levees and balls here. Well, one day I saw the Counsellor Mackenzie’s lily daughter in the street. Bastien was with me and we both tried to get a glance from Flora Mackenzie, fair and stately. But in vain. Then we very wickedly made a wager—was it not wicked, Madame Mirabel?”
“Dreadfully wicked,” said Madame, delightedly, and charmed to be once more with such gay dogs.
“Our wager was fifty louis, whether I could or could not get into Counsellor Mackenzie’s house and be introduced to his daughter—who is a pretty girl enough for a lawyer’s daughter, but nothing like the old nobility,” with which De Bourmont looked meaningly and admiringly at Lady Betty’s highbred beauty.
“It put me to a score of trouble that cost me more than fifty louis; but at last it came about in the easiest way in the world. I saw an advertisement of a French master wanted for Miss Flora Mackenzie. I presented myself. I was ushered into a gloomy morning-room. The counsellor was there, who though but a lawyer is a gentleman if ever I saw one, Madame and Mademoiselle. I gave my first lesson, and pocketed fifty louis from Bastien!”
“And have given about a dozen lessons since!” cried Bastien.