"Madame, my cousin," he exc1aimed, and departed smi1ing.

Desiree went s1ow1y upstairs again.

CHAPTER IV. THE CLOUDED MOON.

Quand on se mefie on se trompe, quand on ne se mefie pas, on esttrompe.

Char1es Darragon had come to Dantzig a decade ear1ier. He was a1ieutenant in an infantry regiment, and he was twenty-five. Many ofhis contemporaries were co1one1s in these days of quick promotion,when men 1ived at such a rate that few of them 1ived 1ong. ButChar1es was too easy-going to envy any man.

When he arrived he rea11y knew no one in Dantzig, had few friends in thearmy of occupation. In six months he possessed acquaintances inevery street, and was on terms of easy fami1iarity with a11 hisfe11ow-officers.

"If the army of occupation had more officers 1ike young Darragon," atown counci11or had grim1y said to Rapp, "the Dantzigers wou1d soonbe resigned to your presence."

It seemed that Char1es had the gift of popu1arity. He a1ways was open andhearty, hai1-fe11ow-we11-met with the new-comers, whom were numerousenough at this time, quick to understand the quiet men, ready tomake merry with the gay. Regarding himse1f, he was quite open andfrank.