our.

That red ray of the vanishing sun was like a blow in the face to
Baptiste. It stopped him short, dazed and bewildered. Then he came to
himself, wheeled, and ran up the rocks faster than he had come down.

"Marie-Anne! Alma!" he shouted, as he dashed past the door of the house,
"all of you! To me, in the tower!"

He was up in the lantern when they came running in, full of curiosity,
excited, asking twenty questions at once. Nataline climbed up the ladder
and put her head through the trap-door.

"What is it?" she panted. "What has hap--"

"Go down," answered her father, "go down all at once. Wait for me. I am
coming. I will explain."

The explanation was not altogether lucid and scientific. There were some
bad words mixed up with it.

Baptiste was still hot with anger and the unsatisfied desire to whip
somebody, he did not know whom, for something, he did not know what.
But angry as he was, he was still sane enough to hold his mind hard and
close to the main point. The crank must be adjusted; the machine must be
ready to turn before dark. While he worked he hastily made the situation
clear to his listeners.

That crank must be turned by hand, round and round all night, not too
slow, not too fast. The dial on the machine must mark time with
the clock on the wall. The light must flash once every minute until
daybreak. He would do as much of the labour as he could, but the wife
and the two older girls must help him. Nataline could go to bed.

At this Nataline's short upper lip trembled. She rubbed her eyes with
the sleeve of her dress, and began to weep silently.

"What is the matter with you?" said her mother, "bad child, have you
fear to sleep alone? A big girl like you!"

"No," she sobbed, "I have no fear, but I want some of the fun."

"Fun!" growled her father. "What fun? NOM D'UN CHIEN! She calls this
fun!" He looked at her for a moment, as she stood there, half defiant,
half despondent, with her red mouth quivering and her big brown eyes
sparkling fire; then he burst into a hearty laugh.

"Come here, my little wild-cat," he said, drawing her to him and kissing
her; "you are a good girl after all. I suppose you think this light is
part yours, eh?"

The girl nodded.

"B'EN! You shall have your share, fun and all. You shall make the tea
for us and bring us something to eat. Perhaps when Alma and 'Zilda
fatigue themselves they will permit a few turns of the crank to you. Are
you content? Run now an