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 8th

DIANE ZAK
EDITION

progr a mming w i t h

MICROSOFT ® VISUAL BASIC ® 2017

MICROSOFT
®

progr a mming w i t h
VISUAL BASIC
®

20 17

To register or access your online learning solution or purchase materials

for your course, visit www.cengagebrain.com. 8th
EDITION

DIANE ZAK
Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
PROGRAMMING WITH
MICROSOFT® VISUAL BASIC® 2017

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 EIGHTH EDITION

PROGRAMMING
WITH MICROSOFT®
VISUAL BASIC® 2017

DIANE ZAK

Australia • Brazil • Mexico • Singapore • United Kingdom • United States

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 Programming with Microsoft® Visual Basic® © 2018 Cengage Learning
2017, Eighth Edition
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 v

Brief Contents

Pref ace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi v
Read T h is Bef o re You Begi n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xvi i i
CHAP TER 1 An In t ro du ct i o n to V i sual Studi o 2 0 1 7 and V i sual Ba s i c . . . . . 1
CHAP TER 2 Plan n in g Appl i cati ons and Desi gni ng I nter faces . . . . . . . . 49
CHAP TER 3 Co din g w it h Vari abl es, Named Constants, and Cal cul a ti ons . . . 73
CHAP TER 4 T h e Select i o n Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119
CHAP TER 5 T h e Repeti t i o n Structure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181
CHAP TER 6 Su b an d Funct i on Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237
CHAP TER 7 St r in g M ani pul ati on . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287
CHAP TER 8 Ar r ays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341
CHAP TER 9 Sequ en t ial A ccess Fi l es and Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392
CHAP TER 10 Clas s es an d Obj ects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427
CHAP TER 11 SQL Ser ve r Dat abases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475
CHAP TER 12 Dat abas e Queri es wi th SQL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529
CHAP TER 13 Web Sit e Appl i cati ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565
APPEN DIX A GU I Des ig n Gui del i nes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599
APPEN DIX B Addit io n al To pi cs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604
APPEN DIX C F in din g and Fi x i ng Program Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632
APPEN DIX D V is u al B asi c 2 0 1 7 Cheat Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647
APPEN DIX E Cas e Pro je ct s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667
Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 vi

Contents

Pref ace . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xi v
Read T h is B ef o re Yo u Begi n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xv i i i

CHAPTER 1 An In t ro du ct io n t o V i sual Studi o 2 0 1 7 and V i sual Basi c . . . . . 1

F OCUS ON THE CO NC EPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
F-1 Computer Programming Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
F-2 The Programmer’s Job . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
F-3 The Visual Basic Programming Language . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
F-4 The Visual Studio IDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
F-5 Assigning Names to Objects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

APPLY THE CONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

A-1 Start and Configure Visual Studio Community 2017 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
A-2 Create a Windows Forms Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
A-3 Manage the Windows in the IDE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
A-4 Change a Form File’s Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
A-5 Change the Properties of a Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
The Name Property������������������������������������������������������������������������������������������ 17
The Font Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
The MaximizeBox, StartPosition, and Text Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
A-6 Save a Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
A-7 Close and Open a Solution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18
A-8 Add a Control to a Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 19
A-9 Use the Format Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
A-10 Lock the Controls on the Form   . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
A-11 Start and End an Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25
A-12 Enter Code and Comments in the Code Editor Window . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
The Me.Close() Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 29
Assignment Statements and Comments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
A-13 Print an Application’s Code and Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
A-14 Exit Visual Studio and Run an Executable File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 34
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 42

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 vii
 

CHAP TER 2 Plan n in g Appl i cati ons and Desi gni ng I nter faces . . . . . . . . 49
FOCUS ON THE CONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
F-1 Planning a Windows Forms Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 50
F-2 Windows Standards for Interfaces . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
Guidelines for Identifying Labels and Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Guidelines for Including Graphics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Guidelines for Selecting Fonts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
Guidelines for Using Color . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
F-3 Access Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
F-4 Tab Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55

APPLY THE C ONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58

A-1 Create a Planning Chart for a Windows Forms Application . . . . . . . . . . . 58
A-2 Design an Interface Using the Windows Standards . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
A-3 Add a Label Control to the Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 60
A-4 Add a Text Box to the Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
A-5 Set the Tab Order . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69

CHAP TER 3 Co din g w i t h Vari abl es, Named Constants, and Cal cu l a ti ons . . . 73
FOCUS ON THE CONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
F-1 Pseudocode and Flowcharts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
F-2 Main Memory of a Computer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
F-3 Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Selecting an Appropriate Data Type . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
Selecting an Appropriate Name . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
Examples of Variable Declaration Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
F-4 TryParse Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81
F-5 Arithmetic Expressions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
F-6 Assigning a Value to an Existing Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
F-7 ToString Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87
F-8 Option Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 88
F-9 Named Constants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90

APPLY THE C ONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94

A-1 Determine a Memory Location’s Scope and Lifetime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 94
A-2 Use Procedure-Level Variables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95
A-3 Use Procedure-Level Named Constants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97
A-4 Use a Class-Level Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98
A-5 Use a Static Variable . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .101
A-6 Use a Class-Level Named Constant . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .103
A-7 Professionalize Your Application’s Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Coding the TextChanged Event Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .104
Coding the Enter Event Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .105

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
viii
C ontents 

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .108
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .112

CHAPTER 4 T h e Select io n St ruct ure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 119

F OCUS ON THE CONC EPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
F-1 Selection Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 120
F-2 If…Then…Else Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .122
F-3 Comparison Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 122
Comparison Operator Example: Total Due Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 124
Comparison Operator Example: Net Income/Loss Application . . . . . . . . . . .125
F-4 Logical Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .128
Logical Operator Example: Gross Pay Calculator Application . . . . . . . . . . .131
F-5 Summary of Operators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 134
F-6 String Comparisons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .135
String Comparison Example: Shipping Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .137
F-7 Nested Selection Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
F-8 Multiple-Alternative Selection Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143
F-9 Select Case Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145
Specifying a Range of Values in a Case Clause . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 147

APPLY THE CONCE PTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 151

A-1 Add a Check Box to a Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
A-2 Code an Interface That Contains Check Boxes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .151
CheckBox’s CheckedChanged Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 153
A-3 Add a Radio Button to a Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
A-4 Code an Interface That Contains Radio Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .154
RadioButton’s CheckedChanged Event . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 156
Using the Select Case Statement with Radio Buttons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
A-5 Group Objects Using a Group Box Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .157
A-6 Professionalize Your Application’s Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Coding a Text Box’s KeyPress Event Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
A-7 Professionalize Your Code Using Arithmetic Assignment Operators . . . . . . . 161
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 163
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .165
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 167
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .172

CHAPTER 5 T h e Repet it io n St ruct ure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 181

F OCUS ON THE CONC EPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 182
F-1 Repetition Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .182
F-2 Do…Loop Statement (Pretest Loop) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 184
F-3 String Concatenation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .186
F-4 Infinite Loops . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
F-5 Do…Loop Statement (Posttest Loop) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .188
F-6 Counters and Accumulators . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .190
F-7 For…Next Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .192
Comparing the For…Next and Do…Loop Statements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .195
Flowcharting a For…Next Loop . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 195

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 ix
 

APPLY THE C ONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 197

A-1 Use a Loop, a Counter, and an Accumulator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .197
A Different Version of the Projected Sales Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . .200
A-2 Add a List Box to a Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 202
Using the String Collection Editor to Add Items to a List Box . . . . . . . . . . .203
The Sorted Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 204
The SelectedItem and SelectedIndex Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .204
The SelectedValueChanged and SelectedIndexChanged Events . . . . . . . . . .205
A-3 Use the Methods and a Property of the Items Collection . . . . . . . . . . . .206
Count Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208
Clearing the Items from a List Box . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .208
A-4 Calculate a Periodic Payment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 208
ListBox, Loop, and Financial.Pmt Example: Monthly Payment Application . . . . . .210
A-5 Nest Repetition Structures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .213
Nested Repetition Structure Example: Savings Account Application . . . . . . . .214
A Caution About Real Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .216
A-6 Professionalize Your Application’s Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .218
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .221
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 223
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .228

CHAPTER 6 Su b an d Funct i on Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237

FOCUS ON THE CONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
F-1 Event-Handling Sub Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 238
F-2 Independent Sub Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .240
No Parameters/Arguments Example: History Grade Application . . . . . . . . . .242
F-3 Passing Information to a Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .245
Passing Variables by Value Example: Gross Pay Application . . . . . . . . . . . .245
Passing Variables by Reference Example: Concert Tickets Application . . . . . . .248
F-4 Rounding Numbers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .250
F-5 Function Procedures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 252

APPLY THE C ONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 256

A-1 Add a Combo Box to the Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .256
A-2 Add Items to a Combo Box and Select a Default Item . . . . . . . . . . . . . 260
A-3 Code a Combo Box’s KeyPress Event Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261
A-4 Create an Event-Handling Sub Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .261
A-5 Calculate Federal Withholding Tax . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 262
A-6 Invoke an Independent Sub Procedure and a Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . 264
A-7 Create an Independent Sub Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 266
A-8 Create a Function . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .267
A-9 Validate an Application’s Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .269
A-10 Professionalize Your Application’s Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 271
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 275
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .277
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 278
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .282

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 x
C ontents 

CHAPTER 7 S t r in g M an ipu lat io n . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 287

F OCUS ON THE CONC EPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
F-1 Length Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
The Product ID Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 288
F-2 Insert Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 290
F-3 PadLeft and PadRight Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .290
The Net Pay Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .291
F-4 Contains and IndexOf Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .293
The City and State Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .294
F-5 Substring Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296
The Rearrange Name Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .296
F-6 Character Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 298
The First Name Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 299
F-7 Remove Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 301
F-8 Trim, TrimStart, and TrimEnd Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 302
The Tax Calculator Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .303
F-9 Replace Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 304
F-10 Like Operator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .305
Inventory Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .307

APPLY THE CONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 309

A-1 Code the Check Digit Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .309
A-2 Code the Password Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 314
A-3 Generate Random Integers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 317
A-4 Code the Guess a Letter Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .318
Use the Enabled Property and Focus Method . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 319
A-5 Code the Guess the Word Game Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .322
Coding the btnNewWord_Click Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .323
Coding the btnTryLetter_Click Procedure . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .325
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 329
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .330
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .335

CHAPTER 8 Ar r ays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 341

F OCUS ON THE CONC EPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
F-1 Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .342
F-2 Declaring One-Dimensional Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 342
Storing Data in a One-Dimensional Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 345
Determining the Number of Elements in a One-Dimensional Array . . . . . . . . .346
Determining the Highest Subscript in a One-Dimensional Array . . . . . . . . . . 346
Traversing a One-Dimensional Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 347
F-3 For Each...Next Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .349
F-4 Calculating the Average Array Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 350
F-5 Finding the Highest Array Value . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 353
F-6 Sorting a One-Dimensional Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .355
F-7 Two-Dimensional Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358
Declaring a Two-Dimensional Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .358
Storing Data in a Two-Dimensional Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 360

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 xi
 

Determining the Highest Subscript in a Two-Dimensional Array . . . . . . . . . . 361

Traversing a Two-Dimensional Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 361
Totaling the Values Stored in a Two-Dimensional Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . .363
APPLY THE C ONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 366
A-1 Associate an Array with a Collection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .366
A-2 Create Accumulator and Counter Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 367
A-3 Create Parallel One-Dimensional Arrays . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .371
A-4 Search a Two-Dimensional Array . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .374
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 377
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .378
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 379
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .383

CHAP TER 9 Sequ en t ia l A ccess Fi l es and Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . 392

FOCUS ON THE CONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 393
F-1 Sequential Access Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .393
F-2 Sequential Access Output Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .393
Output File Example: Game Show Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .395
F-3 Sequential Access Input Files . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 397
ReadToEnd Method Example: Game Show Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 399
ReadLine Method Example: Game Show Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 401

APPLY THE C ONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 404

A-1 Add a Menu to a Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .404
GUI Guidelines for Menus . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .404
Menu Example: Continents Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 405
A-2 Code the Items on a Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .408
A-3 Modify a Menu . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .410
A-4 Accumulate the Values Stored in a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .412
A-5 Sort the Data Contained in a File . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .414
A-6 Professionalize Your Application’s Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .416
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 417
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .418
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 419
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .420

CHAP TER 10 Clas s es a nd Obj ects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 427

FOCUS ON THE CONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
F-1 Object-Oriented Programming . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 428
F-2 Creating a Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 429
F-3 Instantiating an Object . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 430
F-4 Attributes Section of a Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .431
Attributes Section Example: Franklin Decks Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . 433
F-5 Behaviors Section of a Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436
Constructors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .436
Methods Other than Constructors . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 437
Behaviors Section Example: Franklin Decks Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . 438
Using the Rectangle Class: Franklin Decks Application . . . . . . . . . . . . . .438

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 xii
C ontents 

F-6 Adding a Parameterized Constructor to a Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .443

F-7 Reusing a Class . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 447

APPLY THE CONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452

A-1 Use a ReadOnly Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 452
A-2 Create Auto-Implemented Properties . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .457
A-3 Overload Methods . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 459
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 465
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .466
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 467
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .469

CHAPTER 11 S QL Ser ver Dat abases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 475

F OCUS ON THE CONC EPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 476
F-1 Basic Database Terminology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .476
F-2 Creating a SQL Server Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .478
F-3 Adding a Table to a Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 480
F-4 Adding Records to a Table . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .483
F-5 Data Source Configuration Wizard . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 484
F-6 Binding the Objects in a Dataset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .487
Having the Computer Create a Bound Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .488
F-7 DataGridView Control . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .491
F-8 Copy to Output Directory Property . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .495
F-9 Try...Catch Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .497
F-10 Two-Table Databases . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .499
Relating the Tables . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .502
Creating a Database Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 504
Displaying the Query Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .506

APPLY THE CONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 508

A-1 Create a Data Form . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .508
A-2 Bind Field Objects to Existing Controls . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .511
A-3 Perform Calculations on the Fields in a Dataset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .513
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 516
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .517
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 518
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .520

CHAPTER 12 Dat abas e Qu er ies w i t h SQL . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 529

F OCUS ON THE CONC EPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 530
F-1 SELECT Statement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .530
F-2 Creating a Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .533
F-3 Parameter Queries . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .540
F-4 Saving a Query . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .544
F-5 Invoking a Query from Code . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .547

APPLY THE CONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549

A-1 Add a Calculated Field to a Dataset . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 549
A-2 Use the SQL Aggregate Functions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 552
A-3 Professionalize Your Application’s Interface . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .556

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
 xiii
 

Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 556
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .557
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 558
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .560

CHAP TER 13 Web Sit e A ppl i cati ons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 565

FOCUS ON THE CONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 566
F-1 Basic Web Terminology ��������������������������������������������������������������������������������566
F-2 Creating a Web Site Application ���������������������������������������������������������������������568
F-3 Starting a Web Application�����������������������������������������������������������������������������571
F-4 Modifying the Site.master Page ���������������������������������������������������������������������573
F-5 Personalizing the Default.aspx Page���������������������������������������������������������������576
F-6 Personalizing the About.aspx Page�����������������������������������������������������������������577
F-7 Testing with Different Browsers ���������������������������������������������������������������������579
F-8 Closing and Opening a Web Site Application�����������������������������������������������������579

APPLY THE C ONCEPTS LESSON . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 580

A-1 Repurpose an Existing Web Page��������������������������������������������������������������������580
A-2 Add a Table and Controls to a Web Page���������������������������������������������������������582
A-3 Code a Control on a Web Page�����������������������������������������������������������������������585
A-4 Use a Validation Control��������������������������������������������������������������������������������587
Summary . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 589
Key Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .590
Review Questions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 591
Exercises . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .592

APPEN DIX A GU I Des ign Gui del i nes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 599

APPE N DIX B Addit io n al To pi cs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 604

APPE N DIX C F in din g and Fi x i ng Program Errors . . . . . . . . . . . . . 632

APPEN DIX D V is u al B asi c 2 0 1 7 Cheat Sheet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 647

APPEN DIX E Cas e Pro je ct s . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 667

Index . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 671

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
xiv

Preface

Programming with Microsoft Visual Basic 2017, Eighth Edition uses Visual Basic 2017, an
object-oriented language, to teach programming concepts. This book is designed for a beginning
programming course. However, it assumes that students are familiar with basic Windows skills
and file management.

Organization and Coverage

Programming with Microsoft Visual Basic 2017, Eighth Edition contains 13 chapters that
present concepts along with hands-on instruction; it also contains five appendices (A through E).
In the chapters, students with no previous programming experience learn how to plan and
create their own interactive Windows applications. GUI design skills, OOP concepts, and
planning tools (such as Planning Charts, pseudocode, and flowcharts) are covered in the book.
The chapters show students how to work with objects and write Visual Basic statements such as
If...Then...Else, Select Case, Do...Loop, For...Next, and For Each...Next. Students also learn how
to create and manipulate variables, constants, strings, sequential access files, classes, and arrays.
In Chapters 11 and 12, students learn how to create SQL Server databases and then use them
in applications. They also learn how to use Structured Query Language (SQL) to access specific
fields and records from the database and also to create calculated fields. Chapter 13 shows
students how to create both static and dynamic Web Site applications.
Appendix A contains a summary of the GUI design guidelines mentioned in the chapters.
Appendix B contains additional topics that can be covered along with (or anytime after) a
specified chapter. Appendix C teaches students how to locate and correct errors in their
code. The appendix shows students how to step through their code and also how to create
breakpoints. The Visual Basic 2017 Cheat Sheet contained in Appendix D summarizes
important concepts covered in the chapters, such as the syntax of statements, methods, and
so on. The Cheat Sheet provides a convenient place for students to locate the information they
need as they are creating and coding their applications. Appendix E contains Case Projects that
can be assigned after completing specific chapters in the book.

Approach
Each chapter in Programming with Microsoft Visual Basic 2017, Eighth Edition contains two
lessons titled Focus on the Concepts and Apply the Concepts. Each lesson has its own set of
objectives. The Focus lessons concentrate on programming concepts, using examples along with
sample applications designed to reinforce the concepts being taught. The Apply the Concepts
lessons show students how to apply the concepts from the chapter’s Focus lesson in different
ways. The Apply lessons also expand on the concepts taught in the Focus lesson. Both lessons
provide tutorial-style steps that guide the student on coding, running, and testing applications.
Each sample application allows the student to observe how the current concept can be used
before the next concept is introduced.

Copyright 2018 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part. WCN 02-200-203
Discovering Diverse Content Through
Random Scribd Documents
Half an hour more went by; and then was heard the sound of many
feet passing along through some chamber near. At the end of above
five minutes the door opened, and Monsieur de Tronson led in an
elderly lady habited as if for a journey.
"Madame de Langdale," said the secretary of the cabinet, addressing
Lucette, "Madame de Lagny, with whom you passed last night, will
have the pleasure of accompanying you and Monsieur de Langdale
on your journey. The carriage has been ready for an hour; but, the
council having sat later than usual, I could not leave my post.
Monsieur will do me the honor of accompanying me to his chamber
below, where I will put him in possession of his money and his safe-
conduct, together with his baggage, while you prepare for travelling,
which, as it is, must, I fear, be protracted into the night."
Edward followed him down several flights of steps, conversing with
him, as he went, upon the arrangements for their journey, telling
him that he feared from his servant's information they would be
obliged to proceed beyond Niort to St. Martin des Rivières, and that,
consequently, at least two days more than he had calculated upon
must pass ere he could fulfil the promise he had given to return.
But De Tronson seemed thoughtful and absent; for, in truth, he had
just come from a painful scene;[3] and, although he heard, and
answered all his young companion said, it was by an effort, and
evidently without interest.
All the arrangements were soon made, however. Edward's property
was restored to him; the tradesmen he and Lucette had employed
were paid; and then the secretary led him to the little court, where
stood one of the large clumsy carriages of the day with four tall
horses. A stout man on horseback was also there, holding by the
rein the horse which Jacques Beaupré had ridden to Nantes, and, as
no beast had been provided for Pierrot, he mounted beside the
coachman. Lucette and her companion were already in the vehicle,
and, with a kind adieu from M. de Tronson, Edward took his place
beside them, and the vehicle rolled on.
 CHAPTER XXI.
It was a beautiful evening in July, the sky flecked with light clouds
just beginning to look a little rosy with a consciousness that Phœbus
was going to bed. They cannot get over that modest habit; for,
although they have seen the god strip himself of his garmenture of
rays and retire to rest every day for—on a very moderate calculation
—six or seven thousand years, they will blush now and then when
they see him entering his pavilion of repose and ready to throw off
his mantle. There is much pudency about clouds. All other things get
brazen and hardened by custom, but clouds blush still.
It was a beautiful evening in July when the carriage which contained
Lucette, Edward, and Madame de Lagny arrived in sight of the
chateau of St. Martin des Rivières; but, when they did come in sight,
how to get at it became a question of some difficulty. There, on a
little mound, stood the building,—not large, but apparently very
massive and well fortified,—within a hundred yards of the confluence
of two deep and rapid rivers, the passage of each commanded by
the guns on the ramparts and on the keep. No bridge, no boat, was
to be seen, and for some time the party of visitors made various
signals to the dwellers in the chateau; but it was all in vain, and at
length Edward Langdale resolved to mount the good strong horse of
Jacques Beaupré and swim the nearest stream.
Educated in a city, it was not without terror and a sweet, low
remonstrance that Lucette saw her young husband undertake and
perform a feat she had never seen attempted before; but Edward,
though borne with his horse a good way down the stream by the
force of the water, reached the other side in safety, and his
companions could see him ride to the draw-bridge and enter the
castle.
During some twenty minutes nothing further could be descried; and
then, at a point where one of the outworks came down to the river,
what I think was called in those days a water-gate was opened, and
a boat shot out with two strong rowers.
Edward Langdale himself did not appear; but one of the boatmen
walked up to the carriage and informed the ladies that his lord, the
Duc de Rohan, would be happy to receive them in the chateau, but
that the carriage and the men must remain on that side of the river,
as the boat could only contain four persons and none other could be
had.
"Ah, that is the reason Monsieur de Langdale did not return for us,"
said Madame de Lagny, with whom Edward had become a great
favorite. "I was sure he had too much politeness to send servants for
his lady if he could come himself."
A few minutes passed in placing Lucette's little wardrobe in the boat,
and then, with a heart somewhat faint and sad, she followed
Madame de Lagny to the water-side, remembering but too acutely
that on the opposite bank she was to be received by persons who,
however near akin, were but strangers to her, and there, too, very
soon to part from him whom she was not now ashamed to own to
herself she loved better than any one on earth.
The boat shot off from the shore, and though carried so far down by
the force of the current that the water-gate could not be reached,
yet after some hard pulling the shore was gained, and the two ladies
turned toward the drawbridge over which they had seen Edward
Langdale pass. Madame de Lagny looked toward the great gate, but
the young husband did not appear. In his place, however, was seen
a stout middle-aged man, with hair somewhat silvered, and his
breast covered by a plain corslet of steel. There were two or three
other persons a step farther under the arch; and Madame de Lagny
whispered, "That must be the duke himself. But where can Monsieur
Edward be?"
Lucette's heart was asking her the same question; but by this time
the Duc de Rohan was advancing to meet her and her companion,
and in a moment more he was near enough to take Madame de
Lagny's hand and raise it courteously to his lips.
"You have come to a rude place, madame," he said, "and among
somewhat rude men; but we must do what we can to make your
stay tolerable."
"Oh, my lord duke," replied the lady, with a courtly inclination of the
head, "I must away as soon as possible. I am expected back at the
court directly. But where is Monsieur de Langdale? I do not see him."
"He is in the chateau, madame," replied the duke; "but he has been
telling me so strange a tale that I have judged it best, before he and
this—["girl," he was in the act of saying; but he checked himself, and
substituted the words "young lady"]—before he and this young lady
meet again, to have from her lips and from yours what are the facts
of the case. Pray, let us go in."
"The facts of the case are very simple, my lord," replied the old lady,
with some stiffness. "Monsieur de Langdale is the husband of this
young lady, formerly Mademoiselle de Mirepoix, whom you do not
seem to recognise, my lord duke, though she is your near of kin. He
married her in the presence of the cardinal and the whole court."
"More impudent varlet he!" exclaimed the duke, angrily. "And you,
mademoiselle,—what have you to say to all this fine affair? Why, you
are a mere child! This marriage can never stand!—without any one's
consent! It is a folly!"
"Not at all, duke," said Madame de Lagny. "Pray, recollect, sir, that
Madame de Rambouillet was married at twelve,—I myself at sixteen.
Madame is nearly fifteen, she tells me; and, as to the marriage not
standing, you will find yourself much mistaken. The man who made
it is not one to leave any thing he undertakes incomplete, as you will
discover. They are as firmly married as any couple in the land, and
that with the full authority of the king, which in this realm of France
supersedes the necessity for any other consent whatever. She is a
ward of the crown, sir; and her father having died in rebellion is no
bar to the rights of the monarch."
"Madame, I beseech you, use softer words," said the duke, in a
calmer tone. "My good cousin De Mirepoix died in defence of his
religion, without one thought of rebellion, and really in the service of
his Majesty, whose plighted word had been violated not by himself,
but by bad ministers who usurped his name. Make room, gentlemen.
This way, madame. We shall find in this hall a more private place for
our conference."
So saying, he led the way into the large room in the lower story of
the keep, and there begged Madame de Lagny to be seated. Lucette
he took by the arm and gazed into her face for a moment, saying,—
"Yes; she is very like. Here, take this stool, child: we have no
fauteuils here. Now, answer my question. What had you to do with
this marriage? Did it take place at his request or yours?"
Lucette's heart had at first sunk with alarm and disappointment at
the harsh reception she had received, having little idea what a
chattel—what a mere piece of goods—a rich orphan relation was
looked upon amongst most of the noble families of France. But the
very harshness which had terrified her at first at length roused her
spirit; and, though she colored highly, she replied, in a firm tone, "At
neither his request nor mine, my lord."
"Ah! good!" cried the duke. "Then neither of you consented? The
marriage of course——"
"We did both consent," said Lucette, interposing. "Did he not tell you
the circumstances? Did he not give you the cardinal's message?"
"He told me a good deal, and he said something about the
Eminence; but, by my faith, I was so heated by the tale that I did
not much attend to the particulars. Let me hear your story,
mademoiselle. What did the cardinal say?"
"My lord, we had been stopped near Mauzé by some of the royal
officers, and sent on under guard toward Nantes——"
"Oh, I know all about that," interrupted the duke. "What have you
been doing since? I trust, not masquerading about Nantes dressed
up as a page; though, by my faith, ladies are now getting so fond of
men's clothes that they will soon leave us none to wear ourselves.
Why, there was my good cousin De Chevreuse, with her young
daughter, rode across the country, both in cavaliers' habits, and,
finding no other gîte, stayed all night with the good simple curé of
the parish, who never found out they were women till they were
gone. Well, where have you been, and what have you been doing,
since that affair at Mauzé?"
"The Abbey de Moreilles was burned by lightning, my lord," replied
Lucette, whose cheek had not lost any part of its red from De
Rohan's language. "We escaped into the Marais, where I was taken
ill of the fever common there. As soon as I could travel, we went
direct to Nantes, intending to come round at once and seek for
Monsieur de Soubise. In consequence of his having sent a man with
some of my husband's baggage to that city, we were discovered and
arrested."
"Your husband, little child?" exclaimed the duke. "But go on; go on.
What happened next?"
"I was separated from Edward, who had treated me with the
kindness of a brother," said Lucette.
"Ay, I dare say," again interrupted De Rohan;—"with something
more than the kindness of a brother."
"For shame, Monsieur le Duc!" said Madame de Lagny, sharply. "You
said very truly just now that we had come to a rude place and
amongst rude men. If the cardinal had known what sort of reception
this poor lady would meet with, I am sure he would have followed
the course Monsieur de Tronson hinted at and given her up to
Madame de Chevreuse. There at least she would have been treated
with respect and kindness."
At the mere name of Madame de Chevreuse the duke's countenance
changed. Without knowing it, good old Madame de Lagny had
touched a chord which was sure to vibrate in the heart of any of the
Rohan Rohans as soon as one of the Rohan Montbazons was
mentioned; and after a moment's pause the prince answered, with a
very much less excited air, "His Eminence acted courteously and well
in not giving up my fair young cousin to a lady who has no right to
her guardianship, who was her father's enemy, whose conduct is not
fit for the eyes of a young girl even to witness. But tell me,
mademoiselle, what was the message his Eminence sent to my
brother to account for his conduct in bestowing—in attempting to
bestow—your hand upon an unknown English lad, who may be of
good family or may not, but who is no match for any one of the
name of Rohan?"
"He said, sir," answered Lucette, "that we were to tell you or the
Prince de Soubise, whichever we might find, that, under the peculiar
circumstances of the case,—by which, I presume, he meant our
having travelled so long together,—the cardinal prime minister had
judged it imperatively necessary we should be married, and had
himself seen the ceremony performed; that for two years Edward
should leave me with you, but that at the end of that time he should
claim me and take me, and that all his Eminence's power should be
exerted to give me to him. He added, in a lower tone, 'They will find
me more difficult to frustrate than Madame de Chevreuse.'"
"That is true, as I live!" said the duke. "But yet this is hard. Why,
girl, it will drive my brother Soubise quite mad,—if he be not mad
already, as I sometimes think he is."
"His madness will not serve him much against the cardinal," said
Madame de Lagny, dryly. "But, my lord, we must bring this
discussion to an end, for it is growing dark, and I and Monsieur de
Langdale must be treading our way back to Nantes. He is but, as it
were, a prisoner upon parole; and I promised my cousin De Tronson
I would make no delay."
"Madame, in all the agitation and annoyance this affair has cost me,"
said Rohan, "I have somewhat, I am afraid, forgotten courtesy. I
ordered refreshments for you, indeed, as soon as I heard of your
coming; but I did not remember to ask you to partake of them. They
will be here in a moment."
"We can hardly stay," said the old lady. "But I beg, sir, you would let
Monsieur Edouard be called, both to accompany me and to take
leave of his wife."
The duke bit his lips; but after a moment's thought he answered,
"Pray, madame, take some refreshment. As to this lad, he may come
and wish her good-bye; but no private interview, if you please!"
The old marquise was a good deal offended at all that had passed,
and it was not without satisfaction she replied, "Oh, I dare say they
have said all to each other they want to say, Monsieur le Duc. They
have had private interviews enough since their marriage to make all
their arrangements. Is it not so, dear Lucette?"
But Lucette was weeping, and De Rohan, with a cloudy brow,
quitted the room.
In a few moments some refreshments were brought in and placed
upon the table, and the duke appeared, accompanied by Edward
Langdale. The youth's look was serious, and even angry, but that of
De Rohan a good deal more calm. "Sit down, monsieur, and take
some food," said the latter as they entered; but Edward answered at
once, "I neither eat nor drink in your house, sir. I did you and your
family what service I could, honestly and faithfully; and—because,
under force I could not resist, and to save myself and your fair
cousin from a fate which you would not have wished to fall upon her
nor I wish to encounter for myself, I yielded to a measure which God
and she know I never proposed when it was fully in our power—you
treat me with indignity. You much mistake English gentlemen, sir, if
you suppose that such conduct can be forgotten in a few short
minutes."
"By the Lord!" said De Rohan, with a laugh, "it is well you did not
meet with Soubise; for you might have had his dagger in you for half
what you have said."
"Or mine in him, if he had insulted me further," answered Edward,
walking toward Lucette and taking her hand.
"A pretty bold gallant," said the duke, with a smile. "Madame de
Lagny, I pray you, do more honor to my poor house than your young
friend."
Now, it must be confessed, the good old lady was hungry; and
hunger is an overruling passion. The duke helped her to food and
wine, and then, having done what second thoughts had shown him
was only courteous to a lady, he turned, under the influence of the
same better thoughts, toward Edward, who was still talking in a
whisper to Lucette, while she, on her part, could hardly answer a
word for weeping.
"Young gentleman," said De Rohan, holding out his hand, "do not let
us part bad friends. Remember, first, that if there be any validity in
this marriage it is always better to keep well with a wife's relatives;
and, secondly, that one of my house, above all others, may well feel
mortified and enraged at an alliance which under no circumstances
we could have desired or sanctioned. Recollect our family motto,
—'Roi ne puis; prince ne daigne: Rohan je suis;' and pride is not so
bad a thing as you may think it now. If it be pride of a right kind, it
keeps a man from a world of meannesses. As to this young lady, I
will take care of her, and, now that my first fit of passion is past, will
treat her kindly. Be sure of that, Lucette; for I have even got a
notion, by some bad experience, that a portion of love is no evil in
the cup of matrimony. However, the question of this marriage must
be a matter of consultation between my brother Soubise and myself,
and the lawyers too; for I will not conceal from either of you that
Soubise, who has more to do with the business than I have, will
break it if he can."
Edward took the proffered hand; but he only replied, "His Eminence
the cardinal said that he had made it so fast there was no power on
earth or in hell to break it. But that must be determined hereafter,
my lord duke. At the end of two years I will claim my wife. In the
mean time, where is Monsieur de Soubise?"
"Go not near him! go not near him!" said De Rohan. "By my honor,
there would be blood-shed soon! He is at Blavet, I fancy, now, on his
way to England; but I will write to him this night, and, if possible,
you shall have his answer at Nantes. You must not expect any thing
very favorable to your pretensions; but, whatever it is, it shall be
sent."
"My lord, if I might ask one favor, I would do it," said Edward. "It is
this. From what you have yourself said, and from what others have
told me, I infer that Monsieur de Soubise is of no very placable nor
temperate disposition. He himself has had some share in producing
both what you look upon as a misfortune and what had nearly
proved the destruction of Lucette and myself, by sending—with very
good intentions, doubtless, but I think very unadvisedly—letters and
other matters to the very residence of the court, which betrayed our
coming to his Eminence the cardinal. Had that not been done, we
should in all probability have passed without question, and I should
have been able to restore this dear girl to her relations as
Mademoiselle de Mirepoix. As it is, my wife she is and must remain;
but I would rather that she was under your care than that of the
prince, for she has this evening suffered too much for an event,
which she could not avoid without dooming herself and me to
destruction; and I would fain that the same or perhaps more should
not be inflicted upon her from another quarter. Lucette will explain
to you much that I have not time to tell, for I see Madame de Lagny
has risen, and it is growing so dark that I fear we must depart."
"I can promise nothing," said the duke, "but that I will do my best."
Thus saying, he turned toward Madame de Lagny, who by this time
had some lights on the table before her, and addressed to her all
those ceremonious politenesses which no one knew better how to
display, when not moved by passion, than the Duc de Rohan.
In the mean time, Edward and Lucette remained at the darker side
of the room; but, had it been the broadest daylight, their natural
feelings would have suffered little restraint. The contrast of Edward's
love and tenderness with the cold harshness of her own relations
made all her affections cling closer round him than ever, and she
hung upon his breast and mingled kisses with his, while the tears
covered her cheeks and sobs interrupted her words. "Oh, Edward,"
she said, "I wish to Heaven that I were indeed but the grandchild of
good Clement Tournon, of Rochelle, as you once thought me! We
might be very happy then."
Mingled with his words of politeness to Madame de Lagny, the duke
had been giving some orders to his own attendants; and at length
he said, "Now, young gentleman, it is time to depart. Madame is
ready."
One last, long embrace, and Edward advanced to the side of the
duke. He did not venture to look at Lucette again, but followed
Rohan and Madame de Lagny closely into the outer hall, thence
through a small court and a place d'armes, in each of which were a
number of soldiers fully armed, and then by a covered way to the
water-gate, to which point the small boat had by this time been
brought round. There was still a faint light upon the river; but a
lantern had been placed lighted in the bow of the boat, and in a few
minutes the old lady and her young companion were landed on the
other side. One of the boatmen lighted them up to the carriage, and
Edward, after bestowing a piece of money upon the man, took his
seat beside Madame de Lagny, who gave orders to proceed toward
Nantes, stopping, however, at the first auberge where any thing like
tolerable accommodation could be found.
"Ah, poor Monsieur de Rohan!" she said, with perhaps not the most
compassionate feelings in the world. "He is much to be pitied; and,
indeed, he ought to feel, as he said, that some love in marriage is a
very good ingredient. He ought to know it by experience; for his own
good-for-nothing dame cares not, and never did care, for him; and it
is the common phrase in Paris that she has so large a heart she can
find room in it for everybody except her husband. Why, I know at
least ten lovers she has had besides the Duc de Candale, who is
more her slave than her lover, and who"——
Just at that moment, the horses having been put to, the coachman
gave a sharp crack of his the whip, the coach a tremendous jolt, and
Madame de Lagny brought her story to an end, somewhat to the
relief of her young companion.
 CHAPTER XXII.
For the first time in life—and it was very early to begin—Edward
Langdale felt that loneliness of heart which parting for an indefinite
time from one we dearly love produces in all but the very light or the
very hard. He had never loved before; he had never even thought of
love; but now he loved truly and well. He might not indeed have
loved even now, for he and Lucette were both so young that the
idea might not have come into the mind of either; but their love had
been a growth rather than a passion; and, as the reader skilled in
such mysteries must have seen, it had been watered and trained
and nourished by all those accidents which raise affection from a
small germ to a beautiful flower. First, she had nursed him so
tenderly that he could not but feel grateful to her; then she had
been cast upon his care in dangers and difficulties of many kinds, so
that deep interest in her had sprung up. Then, again, she was so
beautiful, in her first fresh youth, that he could not but admire what
he protected and cherished. Then she was so innocent, so gentle, so
ductile, and yet so good in every thought, that he could not but
esteem and reverence what he admired. Then had come his turn of
nursing, and the interest became warmer, more tender; and at
length, when the mere thought of stating, in order to account for
their companionship, that they sought to be married first entered the
mind of each, it let a world of light into their hearts, and the whole
was pointed, directed, confirmed, by the sudden ceremony which
bound them together. They had promised at the altar to love each
other forever, and they felt that they could keep their word.
But Edward, as he rolled along by the side of Madame de Lagny,
could not help asking himself painful questions: "I shall love her
ever," he said to himself; "but she is so young, so very young,—a
mere child! Will her love last through a long separation? will not her
feelings change with changing years? does she even love me now as
I love her?"
Luckily he asked himself the last question, for it went some way to
answer the others to his satisfaction. There had been something in
her embrace, in her kiss, in her eyes, in her clinging tenderness,
which told him that she did love as he did; and he, feeling, or at
least believing, that he would love still, however long they might be
separated, learned to credit the sweet tale of Hope and believe that
she would love constantly too.
Nevertheless, he felt very sad; and yet he exerted himself eagerly
and successfully to make the journey pass as pleasantly as he could
to poor Madame de Lagny, who, though she had not undertaken her
disagreeable task out of any affection to either Edward or Lucette,
but merely in obedience to the wishes of Richelieu, had learned to
love both her young companions, and had taken their part sincerely
in the discussion with the Duc de Rohan. She was both a keen-
sighted and a clear-minded old lady; and she saw well the gloomy
sadness of Edward Langdale, and understood its cause; but she saw
likewise that he was making every effort to show her courteous
attention; and no old women are ever ungrateful for the attention of
young men.
For three days the weary journey back to Nantes continued; and in
that time the good marquise contrived to store the young
Englishman's mind with many of her own peculiar apothegms, some
good and some indifferent, but all the fruit of much worldly
experience grafted upon a keen and sensible mind.
"Never despair, my son," she said. "Many a man is lighted on his way
by a candle; nobody by a stone. Of a misfortune you can remove,
think as much as you like; of a situation you cannot change, think as
little as possible. If you have a marsh to go through, gallop as fast
as you can; and, if you have a heavy hour, fill it with action. A wasp
will not sting you if you do not touch it; and we do not feel sorrow
when we do not think of it."
Such were a few of the old lady's maxims, and one of them struck
Edward Langdale's fancy very much. "If you have a marsh to go
through," he repeated to himself, "gallop as fast as you can; and, if
you have a heavy hour, fill it with action." He thought that the next
two years would indeed be a marsh to him, and he resolved to
gallop through them as fast as he could. But there was one sad
reflection which he could not banish, one point in his situation which
gave him anxiety rather than pain. He knew not how to hold any
communication with his young bride. He was well aware that every
effort would be made to prevent it. Lucette had been once sent to
England to keep her out of the hands of the Duchesse de
Chevreuse: where might she not be sent now? Her two cousins
Soubise and Rohan were constantly roving from place to place, and
there was as little chance of any letter from him finding her as of
any news of where she was reaching him.
The old fable of Midas telling his misfortune to the reeds is founded
upon a deep knowledge of human nature. Man must have some one
to share the burden of heavy thoughts, and Edward told his to
Madame de Lagny. The old lady was better than the reeds, for she
whispered consolation. "I can help you but little, my son," she said;
"but, if you could attach yourself to the cardinal, he could help you a
great deal. However, I will do the best I can for you and the dear
child your little wife. If you want to write to her, send your letter to
me at the court, wherever it is, and the letter shall reach her sooner
or later. I will find means to let her know that she must send hers to
me likewise, and they shall reach you; if you will keep me always
informed of where you are."
Edward not only pressed her hand, but kissed it; and not five
minutes after, when they were within ten miles of the city of Nantes,
a man came riding at full speed after the carriage, drew up his horse
at the great leathern excrescence called the portière, and asked, in a
brusque tone, if Monsieur Langdale was in the coach.
"Yes; I am he," answered Edward. "What want you with me?"
"A letter," replied the man. And, handing in a sealed packet, he
turned his horse's head and rode away.
It was still early in the day, and the youth, breaking open the letter,
read the contents. They ran thus:—

"My Lord and Brother:—

"On the wing for England, I have received your letter. Tell the
insolent varlet that he shall never see her face again, the devil
and the pope and the cardinal to boot, or my name is
not "Soubise."

Edward's brow became fearfully contracted, and he muttered, "At

the end of the earth."
"Show it to me! show it to me!" exclaimed Madame de Lagny, who
was not without her share of woman's curiosity. "What is it makes
you look so angry, my son?"
Edward handed her the letter, and she read it with attention, but not
with the indignation he expected to see. On the contrary, she
seemed pleased and amused. "Let me keep this," she said.
"Methinks that Monsieur de Soubise may find the triple alliance of
the devil, the pope, and the cardinal to boot somewhat too much for
him. The cardinal alone might be enough, without two such powerful
auxiliaries. But let me keep it. It can be of no value to you."
"Oh, none!" answered Edward. "Keep it if you will, madame. But the
Prince de Soubise shall find that, if he have a strong will, I have a
strong will also; and, if he have some advantages, we have youth
and activity and resolution."
"And the Cardinal de Richelieu," said Madame de Lagny,
emphatically: "he is not the man to leave any work incomplete, nor
to be bearded by any one. However, we must be near Nantes by this
time. Now let us consider what your course is to be when we arrive."
The good marquise then proceeded to indoctrinate her young
companion with all the forms of a court, which, though not so rigid
as they afterward became,—for Louis XIV. was the father of
etiquette,—were sufficiently numerous and arbitrary to puzzle a
young man like Edward. He found that, although he had once by the
force of circumstances won easy access to the cardinal prime
minister, he had now various ceremonies to go through before he
could hope for an audience. To call, to put down his name and
address in a book, to see principal and secondary officers, and to
give as it were an abstract of his business, were all proceedings
absolutely necessary, Madame de Lagny thought, before he could
see the cardinal; and Edward, with a faint smile, asked her if she did
not think it would be better for him to commit a little treason as the
shortest way to the minister's presence.
"Heaven forbid!" cried the old lady. "But in the mean time you must
go to an auberge near the chateau, where his Eminence can find
you at any moment." And she proceeded to recommend the house
of an excellent man, who had been cook to poor Monsieur de Lagny,
and now, she assured Edward, kept the very best auberge in Nantes.
At length the city was reached, and the coach drove straight to the
castle, where Madame de Lagny took a really affectionate leave of
Edward and retired to her own apartments. The young Englishman
then proceeded to inquire for Richelieu, found he was absent at a
small distance from the town, and, having written his name in a
book, betook himself to the inn which his travelling-companion had
mentioned. In the court of the castle he had seen no one but a
guard or two and some servants at the door of the hall. In the great
place there was hardly a human being to be seen,—no gay cavaliers
on horseback or on foot, no heavy carrosse with its crowd of laquais.
At the other side of the square, indeed, near the end of the little
street which led toward the dwelling of Monsieur de Tronson, was a
group of workmen; and another larger group just appeared beyond
some buildings close by the river-side. But, altogether, the whole
town had a melancholy and deserted look. A sort of ominous silence
reigned around, too, which Edward felt to be very depressing to the
spirits, especially in a country celebrated even then for the light
hilarity of its population.
The inn, however, was fresh-looking and clean, and the landlord,
who soon appeared, although he was not at the entrance as usual
when the coach stopped, was the perfection of a French aubergist,—
as polished as a prince, and full of smiles. While Pierrot la Grange
and Jacques Beaupré stayed by the carriage, at their master's
desire, to take out the little sum of his baggage and to bestow a
small gratuity upon the coachman, the host led his guest up to a
large, somewhat gloomy chamber floored with polished tiles,
recommended his fish—the best in the world—and his poultry, which
he asseverated strongly were the genuine production of Maine, and
took the young gentleman's pleasure as to his dinner.
He had hardly gone when the two servants appeared, bringing
various articles; but their principal load was evidently in the mind.
The face of Pierrot, which temperate habits had not yet improved in
fatness, though it had become somewhat blanched in hue, was at
least three inches longer since they entered Nantes; and Jacques
Beaupré, always solemn even in the midst of his fun, was now not
only solemn, but gloomy.
"I wish we were safe out of this place, sir," said Pierrot, shutting the
door after him. "It is a horrible place!"
"What is the matter?" asked Edward: "the whole town looks sad, and
you both seem to have caught the infection."
"Did not the landlord tell you, sir?" said Jacques Beaupré. "I thought
landlords always told all they knew, and a little more. But I suppose
he has lived long enough near a court to keep his tongue in his
mouth, for fear somebody should cut it out."
"The matter, sir, is this," said Pierrot: "the poor young Count de
Chalais, who was confined in the dungeons close under the room
where they put you, has been condemned to die this morning,—they
say, for a few light words."
"Indeed!" said Edward, with a somewhat sickening memory of the
dangers he himself had seen: "that is very sad. But probably the
king will pardon him."
"Oh, not he," answered Pierrot: "they say the poor countess, his
mother, has moved heaven and earth to save him, without the least
effect. His head is probably off by this time."
"No, no; that cannot be," rejoined Jacques: "did not the boy tell us
that the two executioners had both been spirited away?"
"Yes, but he said that a soldier—a prisoner—had been found to
undertake the job," answered Pierrot. "Oh, it is a bad business,
Master Ned! They say the queen herself has been brought before
the council, and the Duke of Anjou threatened with death, and half
the court exiled, and the cardinal in such a humor that——"
"That every one as he walks along is feeling his ears, to be sure that
there is any head upon his shoulders," added Jacques Beaupré.
"Would it not be better for you, sir, to go to that good Monsieur de
Tronson, and be civil to him, and make as many friends as possible?"
Edward paused in thought for a moment, and then replied, "That is
well bethought, Beaupré; for though I think I have nothing to fear,
yet in common courtesy I owe my second visit to one who has been
so kind to me. I will go directly. Let the landlord know that I may be
a little later than I mentioned at dinner."
Edward put on his hat and went out into the place, taking care to
mark particularly the position of the auberge, that he might not be
forced to inquire his way in a town where so many dangers lurked
on every side. The road to Monsieur de Tronson's house was easy;
and, crossing the square, the young gentleman directed his course
toward the end of the street where, when passing in the coach, he
had seen a crowd of workmen, who were still gathered round a spot
about a hundred and fifty or two hundred yards in advance. On
approaching nearer, Edward caught sight of a platform of wood
raised some eight or ten steps from the ground. He could only
discern a part, for the people had gathered thickly round; but,
though he had never before seen the preparations for a public
execution, it flashed through his mind at once that this was the
scaffold on which the unhappy Chalais was to suffer. To avoid the
terrible scene, he turned toward the left; but, just as he was
approaching the end of the street, a shout came up from the water-
side and a dull rushing sound from the southeast. A large crowd
poured into the square from both sides; and before Edward could
escape he was caught by the two currents and forced along to
within thirty yards of the scaffold. He tried to free himself and force
his way out, but a warning voice sounded in his ear.
"Be quiet, young gentleman," said an elderly man close by, speaking
in a low tone. "This young count has to die, and, if he be your best
friend, take no notice. Suspicion is as good as proof here just now.
Look where he comes!"
Edward turned his eyes in the direction to which the old man was
looking, and beheld a sight which was but a mere prologue to the
horrors that were to follow, but which could never be banished from
his memory. Surrounded by a body of guards came a tall, handsome
young man, without his cloak, as if he had been torn from his
dungeon unprepared, but still showing, in such habiliments as he did
wear, all the extravagant splendor of the times. By his side, with her
hand passed through his arm, as if to support him, and pouring a
torrent of words into his ear, was an elderly lady in a widow's dress.
Her face and carriage were noble and dignified, though lines of past
grief and present anguish were strongly marked upon her
countenance; but when she lifted her eyes toward the scaffold, and
beheld there a stout, bad-looking man leaning on a large, heavy
sword, a sort of spasm passed over her features.
"That is his mother," whispered the same voice which Edward had
heard before.
Behind the mother and the son came the confessor, a dull-faced,
heavy monk; and then a good number of guards, and one or two
men in black robes,—probably exempts, or other inferior officers of
the court. But the eyes of Edward Langdale were fixed upon the
mother and her son; and the thought of his own dear mother gave
him the power—I might almost call it the faculty—of sympathizing
with the noble-minded woman, to a degree that made the whole
scene one of actual agony.
"I wish I could get out," he said, speaking to the old man, who was
jammed up against him: "this is horrible. Can you not make way?"
"Try to force your way through the castle-wall," replied the other,
cynically: "you have but to see a man die, young gentleman."
"Ay, but how?" said Edward.
"By the sword," said the old man: "it is an interesting sight,—much
better than by the cord. I have seen every execution that has taken
place in the city for twenty years. Perhaps I may see yours some
day. They are fine sights,—the only sights that interest me now; but
this is likely to be a bungled business, for the old countess there
bribed both the executioners to get out of the way, and this fellow
does not understand the trade. He is paler than the criminal. See
how he shakes!"
Edward raised his eyes for an instant and saw the unhappy mother
supporting her luckless son up the very steps of the scaffold,—not
that he wanted aid, for his step was firm and his look bold and
frowning. There was a fearful sort of fascination in the sight; and the
lad gazed on till he saw the last embrace taken and the young count
make a sign and speak a word to the executioner. Then he withdrew
his eyes, till, a moment after, there was a shrill cry of anguish and a
murmur amongst the crowd; and he looked up again only to see the
wretched young man, all bleeding, leaning his wounded head upon
his mother's bosom.
The executioner had missed his stroke. Again and again he missed
it. He complained of the sword: a heavier one was handed up to
him; but still his shaking arm refused to perform its hideous office,
till, after more than thirty blows,[4] the head of the unhappy young
man was literally hacked off, almost at his mother's feet.
The noble woman raised her hands and her eyes to heaven,
exclaiming, "I thank thee, O God, that my son has died a martyr and
not a criminal!"
The last acts of the terrible drama Edward did not see. He felt as if
his heart would burst with the mingled feelings of indignation and
horror which all he had beheld awakened; and after the second or
third blow he kept his eyes resolutely bent down, till the pressure of
the crowd relaxed as the spectators of the bloody scene began to
disperse. Then, sick at heart, and with a strange feeling of hatred for
the world, he turned his steps back to the inn. He was in no mood
for conversation with any one.
 CHAPTER XXIII.
It was eleven o'clock on the following day when Edward Langdale
appeared at the door of Monsieur de Tronson. The laquais said he
did not know whether his master was visible or not, but he would
see; and, leaving the young Englishman in an ante-chamber, he
went in and remained some five minutes. At his return he asked
Edward to follow, and introduced him into the bed-chamber of the
secretary, who welcomed him, he thought, rather coldly.
"I hear, Monsieur de Langdale," said De Tronson, "that you have
accurately fulfilled the injunctions of his Eminence and your word.
That, my good cousin, Madame de Lagny, has told me; but I think
you should have been here earlier."
"It was my intention, sir," replied Edward, seating himself in a chair
to which the secretary pointed, near that in which he himself sat,
wrapped in a large dressing-gown, by the fire, though it was the
month of July.
"After having left my name in the ante-chamber of his Eminence, I
went to my auberge for a few minutes, and then came out, with the
intention of paying my respects to you; but I was stopped by a great
crowd of people and forced to witness a dreadful scene, which
rendered me incapable of holding any rational conversation with any
one."
"Ha! you were there!" exclaimed the secretary, suddenly roused from
the sort of listless mood in which he seemed plunged when Edward
entered. "What happened? Tell me all. But first shut that door, if you
please. I am ill, or I would not trouble you; but it is well to have no
listening ears in this place, whatever one has to say."
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