I myself could return thither and take
her under my protection.

So I said nothing; but with perfect gallantry, just as if fat Mme.
Fournier had been a young and beautiful woman, I begged her to give
herself the trouble of mounting into the carriage which was waiting
for her.

It took time and trouble, Sir, to hoist that mass of solid flesh into
the vehicle, and the driver grumbled not a little at the unexpected
weight. However, his horses were powerful, wiry, mountain ponies, and
we made headway through the darkness and along the smooth,
departmental road at moderate speed. I may say that it was a miserably
uncomfortable journey for me, sitting, as I was forced to do, on the
narrow front seat of the carriage, without support for my head or room
for my legs. But Madame's bulk filled the whole of the back seat, and
it never seemed to enter her head that I too might like the use of a
cushion. However, even the worst moments and the weariest journeys
must come to an end, and we reached the frontier in the small hours of
the morning. Here we found the customs officials ready to render us
any service we might require. Leroux had not failed to order the fresh
relay of horses, and whilst these were being put to, the polite
officers of the station gave Madame and myself some excellent coffee.
Beyond the formal: "Madame has nothing to declare for His Majesty's
customs?" and my companion's equally formal: "Nothing, Monsieur,
except my personal belongings," they did not ply us with questions,
and after half an hour's halt we again proceeded on our way.

We reached St. Claude at daybreak, and following Madame's directions,
the driver pulled up in front of a large house in the Avenue du Jura.
Again there was the same difficulty in hoisting the unwieldy lady out
of the vehicle, but this time, in response to my vigorous pull at the
outside bell, the concierge and another man came out of the house, and
very respectfully they approached Madame and conveyed her into the
house.

While they did so she apparently gave them some directions about
myself, for anon the concierge returned, and with extreme politeness
told me that Madame Fournier greatly hoped that I would stay in St.
Claude a day or two as she had the desire to see me again very soon.
She also honoured me with an invitation to dine with her that same
evening at seven of the clock. This was the first time, I noticed,
that the name Fournier was actually used in connexion with