the cause of all his troubles.  He was professor of elocution in one of the celebrated colleges, holding an enviable and lucrative position, but lost it because of his inveterate irregularities.  He is his own worst enemy, poor Blazius!  In the midst of all the confusion and serious disadvantages of a vagabond life, I have always been able to hold myself somewhat apart, and remain pure and innocent.  My companions, who have known me from babyhood, look upon me as a sister or daughter, and treat me with invariable affection and respect; and as for the men of the outside world who haunt the coulisses, and seem to think that an actress is public property, off the stage as well as upon it, I have thus far managed to keep them at a distance—­continuing in real life my role of modest, ingenuous, young girl, without hypocrisy or false pretensions.”

Thus, as they strolled along together, and could talk confidentially without fear of listeners, Isabelle related the story of her life to de Sigognac, who was a most attentive and delighted listener, and ever more and more charmed with his fair divinity.

“And the name of the prince,” said he, after a short pause, “do you remember it?”

“I fear that it might be dangerous to my peace to disclose it,” she replied; “but it is indelibly engraven upon my memory.”

“Are there any proofs remaining to you of his connection with your mother?”

“I have in my possession a seal-ring bearing his coat of arms” Isabelle answered; “it is the only jewel of all he had lavished upon her that my mother kept, and that entirely on account of the associations connected with it, not for its intrinsic value, which is small.  If you would like to see it I will be very glad to show it to you some day.”

It would be too tedious to follow our travellers step by step on their long journey, so we will skip over a few days—­which passed quietly, without any incidents worth recording—­and rejoin them as they were drawing near to the ancient town of Poitiers.  In the meantime their receipts had not been large, and hard times had come to the wandering comedians.  The money received from the Marquis de Bruyeres had all been spent, as well as the modest sum in de Sigognac’s purse-who had contributed all that he possessed to the common fund, in spite of the protestations of his comrades in distress.  The chariot was drawn now by a single horse-instead of the four with which they had set off so triumphantly from the Chateau de Bruyeres—­and such a horse! a miserable, old, broken-down hack, whose ribs were so prominent that he looked as if he lived upon barrel-hoops instead of oats and hay; his lack-lustre eyes, drooping head, halting gait, and panting breath combined to make him a most pitiable object, and he plodded on at a snail’s pace, looking as if he might drop down dead on the road at any moment.  Only the three women were in the chariot—­the men all walking, so as to relieve their poor, jaded beast as much as possible.  The weather was bitterly cold, and they wrapped their cloaks about them and strode on in silence, absorbed in their own melancholy thoughts.