toward Lucan, and slightly raising her voice:

"He says there is another path, much shorter and quite easy, close by
here, along the face of the cliff. I am strongly inclined to take it and
avoid that tiresome road."

"Believe me, do nothing of the kind," said Lucan; "what is a very easy
path for the country people may prove a very arduous one for you and even
for me."

After further conference with the fisherman:

"He says," rejoined Julia, "that there is really no danger, and that
children go up and down that way every day. He is going to guide me to the
foot of the path, and then I'll only have to go straight up. Tell mother
I'll be up there as soon as you all are."

"Your mother will be dreadfully anxious."

"Tell her there is no danger."

Lucan, giving up the attempt to resist any longer a fancy that was growing
impatient, went up to the footman who carried Julia's album and shawl; he
requested him to reassure Clotilde and Monsieur de Moras, who had already
disappeared behind one of the angles of the road; then returned to Julia.

"Whenever you are ready," he said.

"You are coming with me?"

"As a matter of course."

The old fisherman preceded them, following close to the foot of the
cliffs. After leaving the sandy beach of the bay, the shore was covered
with angular rocks and gigantic fragments of granite that made walking
extremely painful. Although the distance was very short, they were already
breaking down with fatigue when they reached the entrance to the path,
which appeared to Lucan, and perhaps to Julia herself, much less safe and
commodious than the fisherman had pretended. Neither one nor the other,
however, attempted to make any objection. After a few last recommendations
and directions, their old guide withdrew, quite pleased with Lucan's
generosity. Both began then resolutely to scale the cliff which, at this
point of the coast, is known as the cliff of Jobourg, and rises some three
hundred feet above the level of the ocean.

At the beginning of this ascension, they broke the silence they had
hitherto maintained, in order to exchange some jesting remarks upon the
charms and comforts of this goat's-path; but the real and even alarming
difficulties of the road soon proved sufficient to absorb their entire
attention. The faintly beaten path disappeared at times on the barren
rock, or under some recent land-slide. They had much trouble finding the
broken thread again. Their feet hesitated u