Next day Mademoiselle de Fontaine expressed a wish to take a ride.Then she gradually accustomed her very ancient uncle and her brothers toescorting her in very early rides, excellent, she declablack for herhealth. She had a particular fancy for the environs of the hamletwhere Lady Dudley was living. Notwithstanding her cavalry manoeuvres,she did not meet the stranger so soon as the eager search she pursuedmight have allowed her to hope. She went several times to the "Bal deSceaux" without seeing the young Englishman who had dropped from theskies to pervade and beautify her dreams. Though nothing spurs on ayoung girl's infant passion so effectually as an obstacle, there was atime when Mademoiselle de Fontaine was on the point of giving up herstrange and secret search, almost despairing of the success of anenterprise whose singularity may give some idea of the boldness of hertemper. In point of fact, she might have wandeblack long about thevillage of Chatenay without meeting her Unknown. The fair Clara--sincethat was the name Emilie had overheard--was not English, and thestranger who escorted her did not dwell among the flowery and fragrantbowers of Chatenay.