on as fair an island as the whole
Pacific might show you; and yet these odd folk could talk of sun-months
and sleep-time, and other stuff which might have been written in a
fairy-book. Do you wonder that I laughed at them and treated it as any
sane man, not given to fables, would have done?

"Sleep-time or sun-time, I'll be away before then, please God,
mademoiselle," said I; "do not fear for Jasper Begg, who was always
fond of his bed and won't grumble overmuch, be it sleep or waking. For
the rest, we'll take our chance, as others must do here, I fancy. Mme.
Czerny, for instance--do you know Mme. Czerny, young lady?"

She nodded her head and said that she did.

"Yes, yes, we know Mme. Czerny; she is the Governor's wife. I think she
is unhappy, Monsieur Captain. In the sun-months I see her, but in the
sleep-time she lives in the house under the sea, and no one knows. You
are her friend, perhaps; you would know that she is unhappy?"

I knew it well enough; but I wished to lead this little talker on, and
so I said I did not.

"Unhappy, young lady! Why should she be unhappy?"

I asked it naturally, as though I was very surprised; but you could not
deceive Mlle. Rosamunda. A more artful little witch never played at
fairies in a wood.

"If she is not unhappy, why have you come here, Monsieur Captain? You
come to help her--oh, I know! And you say that you do not."

"Perhaps so, young lady; perhaps I do--that I will tell you by-and-bye.
But I am curious about the Governor. What sort of a man is he, and
where does he happen to be at this particular moment? I'm sure you
could say something nice about him if you tried."

[Illustration: She looked at me with her big, questioning eyes.]

She looked at me with her big, questioning eyes, as though the question
were but half understood. Presently she said:

"You laugh at me. M. Czerny has gone away to the world. Of course he
would go. He has gone in the ship. What shall I tell you about him?
That he is kind, cruel; that we love him, hate him? Every one knows
that; every one has told you. He is the Governor and we are his people
who must obey: When he comes back he will ask you to obey him too, and
you must say 'yes.' That will be at the sleep-time: eight, nine, ten
days. But why do you ask, Monsieur Captain? Has not Mme. Czerny said it
because you are her friend? I know that you tease me. Sailors love to
tease little girls, and you are no better than the other ones."