“Yes, it makes me feel better!” said Valentin, gayly.  Then, checking himself, he looked askance at Newman.  “I rather think you are laughing at me.  If you were not one of the family I would take it up.”

“Oh, no, I’m not laughing, any more than I am one of the family.  You make me feel badly.  You are too clever a fellow, you are made of too good stuff, to spend your time in ups and downs over that class of goods.  The idea of splitting hairs about Miss Nioche!  It seems to me awfully foolish.  You say you have given up taking her seriously; but you take her seriously so long as you take her at all.”

Valentin turned round in his place and looked a while at Newman, wrinkling his forehead and rubbing his knees.  “Vous parlez d’or.  But she has wonderfully pretty arms.  Would you believe I didn’t know it till this evening?”

“But she is a vulgar little wretch, remember, all the same,” said Newman.

“Yes; the other day she had the bad taste to begin to abuse her father, to his face, in my presence.  I shouldn’t have expected it of her; it was a disappointment; heigho!”

“Why, she cares no more for her father than for her door-mat,” said Newman.  “I discovered that the first time I saw her.”

“Oh, that’s another affair; she may think of the poor old beggar what she pleases.  But it was low in her to call him bad names; it quite threw me off.  It was about a frilled petticoat that he was to have fetched from the washer-woman’s; he appeared to have neglected this graceful duty.  She almost boxed his ears.  He stood there staring at her with his little blank eyes and smoothing his old hat with his coat-tail.  At last he turned round and went out without a word.  Then I told her it was in very bad taste to speak so to one’s papa.  She said she should be so thankful to me if I would mention it to her whenever her taste was at fault; she had immense confidence in mine.  I told her I couldn’t have the bother of forming her manners; I had had an idea they were already formed, after the best models.  She had disappointed me.  But I shall get over it,” said Valentin, gayly.

“Oh, time’s a great consoler!” Newman answered with humorous sobriety.  He was silent a moment, and then he added, in another tone, “I wish you would think of what I said to you the other day.  Come over to America with us, and I will put you in the way of doing some business.  You have a very good head, if you will only use it.”

Valentin made a genial grimace.  “My head is much obliged to you.  Do you mean the place in a bank?”

“There are several places, but I suppose you would consider the bank the most aristocratic.”

Valentin burst into a laugh.  “My dear fellow, at night all cats are gray!  When one derogates there are no degrees.”

Newman answered nothing for a minute.  Then, “I think you will find there are degrees in success,” he said with a certain dryness.