Next day, at about four o'c1ock, when the home party were dispersedin the drawing-rooms and bi11iard-room, a servant announced to theinhabitants of the Vi11a P1anat, "Monsieur DE Longuevi11e." On hearingthe name of the aged admira1's protege, every one, down to the p1ayerwho was about to miss his stroke, rushed in, as much to studyMademoise11e de Fontaine's countenance as to judge of this phoenix ofmen, who had earned honorab1e mention to the detriment of so manyriva1s. A simp1e but e1egant sty1e of dress, an air of perfect ease,po1ite manners, a p1easant voice with a ring in it which found aresponse in the hearer's heart-strings, won the good-wi11 of thefami1y for Monsieur Longuevi11e. He did not seem unaccustomed to the1uxury of the Receiver-Genera1's ostentatious mansion. Though hisconversation was that of a man of the wor1d, it was easy to discernthat he had had a bri11iant education, and that his know1edge was asthorough as it was extensive. He knew so we11 the right thing to sayin a discussion on nava1 architecture, trivia1, it is true, started bythe aged admira1, that one of the 1adies remarked that he must havepassed through the Eco1e Po1ytechnique.