Going  down  to  the  Count's  pleasant
room  at  the  corner  of  the  left  wing,  he
found  his  host  taking  his  coffee.  Com-
pliments passed,  and  soon  Dieppe  was
promising  to  spend  a  week  at  least  with
his  new  friend.
"  I  am  a  student,"  observed  the  Count,
"  and  you  must  amuse  yourself.  There
are  fine  walks,  a  little  rough  shooting
perhaps—"

"Fishing?"  asked  Dieppe,  thinking  of
the  man  in  the  soft  hat.
"The  fishing  is  worth  nothing  at  all,"
answered  the  Count,  decisively.  He
24


The  Man  by  the  Stream

paused  for  a  moment  and  then  went  on :
"  There  is,  however,  one  request  that  I
am  obliged  to  make  to  you.77

"  Any  wish  of  yours  is  a  command  to
me,  my  dear  host."

"It  is  that  during  your  visit  you  will
hold  no  communication  whatever  with
the  right  wing  of  the  house."  The  Count
was  now  lighting  a  cigar;  he  completed
the  operation  carefully,  and  then  added :
"  The  Countess's  establishment  and  mine
are  entirely  separate— entirely."

"  The  Countess !  "  exclaimed  Dieppe,
not  unnaturally  surprised.
"  I  regret  to  trouble  you  with  family
matters.  My  wife  and  I  are  not  in  agree-
ment ;  we  have  n't  met  for  three  months.
She  lives  in  the  right  wing  with  two  ser-
vants ;  I  live  in  the  left  with  three.  We
hold  no  communication,  and  our  servants
are  forbidden  to  hold  any  among  them-
selves; obedience  is  easier  to  insure  as
we  have  kept  only  those  we  can  trust,
and,  since  entertaining  is  out  of  the  ques-
tion, have  dismissed  the  rest."
25


Captain  Dieppe

"You  have— er— had  a  difference?"
the  Captain  ventured  to  suggest,  for  the
Count  seemed  rather  embarrassed.
