“Life is not entirely extinct,” he said at last, turning to the anxious father, as he wiped the polished surface of his tiny mirror.  “The patient still breathes, and as long as there is life there is hope, But do not give yourself up to a premature joy that might render your grief more bitter afterwards.  I only say that the Duke of Vallombreuse has not yet breathed his last; that is all.  Now, I am going to probe the wound, which perhaps is not fatal, as it did not kill him at once.”

“You must not stay here, Isabelle,” said the prince, tenderly; “such sights are too trying for a young girl like you.  Go to your own room now, my dear, and I will let you know the doctor’s verdict as soon as he has pronounced it.”

Isabelle accordingly withdrew, and was conducted to an apartment that had been made ready for her; the one she had occupied being all in disorder after the terrible scenes that had been enacted there.

The surgeon proceeded with his examination, and when it was finished said to the prince, “My lord, will you please to order a cot put up in that corner yonder, and have a light supper sent in for my assistant and myself?  We shall remain for the night with the Duke of Vallombreuse, and take turns in watching him.  I must be with him constantly, so as to note every symptom; to combat promptly those that are unfavorable, and aid those that are the reverse.  Your highness may trust everything to me, and feel assured that all that human skill and science can do towards saving your son’s life shall be faithfully done.  Let me advise you to go to your own room now and try to get some rest; I think I may safely answer for my patient’s life until the morning.”

A little calmed and much encouraged by this assurance, the prince retired to his own apartment, where every hour a servant brought him a bulletin from the sick-room.

As to Isabelle, lying in her luxurious bed and vainly trying to sleep, she lived over again in imagination all the wonderful as well as terrible experiences of the last two days, and tried to realize her new position; that she was now the acknowledged daughter of a mighty prince, than whom only royalty was higher; that the dreaded Duke of Vallombreuse, so handsome and winning despite his perversity, was no longer a bold lover to be feared and detested, but a brother, whose passion, if he lived, would doubtless be changed into a pure and calm fraternal affection.  This chateau, no longer her prison, had become her home, and she was treated by all with the respect and consideration due to the daughter of its master.  From what had seemed to be her ruin had arisen her good fortune, and a destiny radiant, unhoped-for, and beyond her wildest flights of fancy.  Yet, surrounded as she was by everything to make her happy and content, Isabelle was far from feeling so—­she was astonished at herself for being sad and listless, instead of joyous and exultant—­but the thought of de Sigognac,