ore to his
taste than killing. He toiled on, cheering up his comrades, till
all that could be saved were placed upon shore; and when he stepped
at last upon the quay after the last voyage to the burning ships,
he found himself confronted by a fine soldierly man, whose dress
and manner bespoke him a personage of some importance.

"Well done, my good fellow," he said approvingly; "I shall not
forget your gallantry tonight. You doubtless belong to one of the
vessels, since I have no knowledge of your face. You had better
come up to the citadel, where you shall receive refreshment and a
place to rest in. We want all the soldiers we can get for the
defence of the town, since we are in evil case between foes on land
and foes on the sea."

Julian saluted, and spoke a few words of thanks, and the crowd bore
him towards the citadel.

"Who was it that spoke to me?" he asked of his next neighbour; and
the man replied with a laugh:

"Why, Governor Drucour to be sure! Are you blind with the smoke, my
friend? A very gallant governor and soldier he is, as you should
know. And as for Madame, his wife--ah, well, you must see her to
understand!"

Nor was Julian long in understanding something of what was meant by
this unfinished sentence; for he and his companions had not been
long seated at table, with a good meal before them, when the door
opened, and a tall, elegant lady entered the room, leaning on the
arm of the Governor, and instantly the whole company rose, whilst a
shout went up:

"Long live the Governor! Long live Madame his wife! Long live the
King!"

The lady came in, and motioned to the company to be seated. She
walked up and down amongst them, speaking brave words of thanks and
cheer; and halting beside Julian, she made him quite a little
special speech, telling him how she had heard that he had been the
foremost of all in seeking to save the lives of those who might
otherwise have perished in the flames.

No questions were asked of him, for the excitement was still
strong, and it was taken for granted that he had come off one of
the burning ships. The men were all talking together, with the
volubility of their race, and Julian took just enough share in the
conversation to avoid suspicion.

Besides, why should he be suspected? He looked in every respect a
Frenchman. And had he not risked his life more than once that night
to save those left on board the vessels?

The next morning he was able to take an excell