ggie has told me that you
were in my mother's service, there is a whole volume of things which,
I believe, you alone can relate to me. You shall tell me all that, one
day. But what seems to me the most curious, first of all, is your
presence here. We ourselves are only at Pulwick by chance."

"Mademoiselle," said Rene in an earnest voice, "if you knew the whole
story, you would soon understand that, since it was not to be, that I
should remain the humble servitor of Monseigneur le Comte de Savenaye,
Mademoiselle's father, or of Madame, who followed him to heaven,
notwithstanding all our efforts to preserve her, it is but natural
that I should attach myself (since he would allow it) to my present
master."

"Mr. Landale?" asked Molly, affecting ignorance.

"No, Mademoiselle," cried the Frenchman, hotly. "My master is Sir
Adrian. Had Mr. Landale remained the lord of this place, I should have
been left to die in my prison--or at least have remained there until
this spring, for it seems there is peace again, and the Tower of
Liverpool is empty now."

"_Voyons, voyons, conte moi cela_, Rene," said Molly, turning her
face, beautifully glowing from the caress of the keen air, eagerly to
her companion. And he, nothing loth to let loose a naturally garrulous
tongue in such company, and on such a theme, started off upon a long
story illustrated by rapid gesticulation.

"I will tell you," cried he, and plunged into explanation with more
energy than coherence, "it was like this:

"I had been already two years in that prison; we were some hundreds of
prisoners, and it was a cruel place. A cruel place, Mademoiselle,
almost as bad as that where we were shut up, my master and I together,
years before, at La Rochelle--and that I will tell you, if you wish,
afterwards.

"I had been taken by the marine conscription, when their Republic
became the French Empire. And a sailor I was then (just, as I heard
later, as Sir Adrian also was at the time; but that I did not know,
you understand), for they took all those that lived on the coast. Now
I had only served with the ship six months, when she was taken by the
English, and, as I say, we were sent to the prison in Liverpool, where
we found so many others, who had been already there for years. When I
heard it was Liverpool, I knew it was a place near Pulwick, and I at
once thought of Mr. Landale, not him, of course, they _now_ call Mr.
Landale, but him who had followed my mistress, Mada