ed the Frenchman.

"But I hope you will be a passenger on board of the Dornoch, as you
suggested to me a little while ago. I will give you a good stateroom,
though I cannot absolutely promise to take you to the port of our
destination, for accidents may happen in the midst of the blockaders."

"If I can go with you, my dear Captain Rombold, I shall be on board of
your ship by four to-morrow afternoon," replied the detective, as he
took the hand of his new friend for the last time.

Christy had finished his lunch, and they left the hotel together. The
carriage in which they had come called for them at the appointed time,
and they returned to Hamilton. The conversation was continued in French,
so that the driver was none the wiser for what he heard. At the Atlantic
they went to their rooms, where the information they had obtained was
collaborated, and written down in French, the detective concealing it in
a belt pocket he wore on his body.

"The wonder to me has been that these officers talked so freely," said
Christy, as they seated themselves at a window. "They talked to you as
plainly as though you had been their friend for life."

"Why shouldn't they? They can't help knowing that I am a Frenchman; and
I am sorry to say that my countrymen, like so many of the English,
sympathize with the South in the great Civil War. They take me for a
friend at once. Besides, as they understand the matter here, why should
these blockade-runners, or even the Confederate commander, object to
telling what they are going to do. There will be no mail steamer to New
York till after they have all gone off; and there is no telegraph yet."

"Perhaps you are right, M. Rubempre; but I think a good deal more
discretion would become them better, as they are likely to ascertain
very soon," added Christy.

"I suppose none of these people here would consider it possible or
practicable to land at these islands and pick up the news, as we have
done. This was my plan for Nassau, but I did not think of applying it to
the Bermudas, till Captain Chantor told me his difficulty as to waiting
for the Dornoch."

"It seems to me we have done all we can do here, and there is nothing
more to do."

"That is very true; but I supposed it would take at least two days to do
our business. We have been much more successful than I anticipated, and
performed the duty in half the time I supposed it would require. But it
was better to have too much time than too l