tty bright curls! If anybody is to buy them, I will. Yes,
doctor! that is famous. She wishes you to sell her hair? Very good; I
will buy it; it must be mine. I have more money than you think, perhaps.
I will buy mam'zelle's pretty curls; and she shall have the money, and
then there will be more than five pounds in her little purse. Tell me
how much they will be. Ten pounds? Fifteen? Twenty?"

"Nonsense, Tardif!" I answered; "keep one of them, if you like; but I
must have the rest. We will settle it between us."

"No, doctor," he said; "your cousin will not like that. You are going to
be married soon; it would not do for you to keep mam'zelle's curls."

It was said with so much simplicity and good-heartedness that I felt
ashamed of a rising feeling of resentment, and parted with him
cordially. In a few minutes afterward I was on board the yacht, and
laughing at Captain Carey's reproaches. Tardif was still visible on the
edge of the cliff, watching our departure.

"That is as good a fellow as ever breathed," said Captain Carey, waving
his cap to him.

"I know it better than you do," I replied.

"And how is the young woman?" he asked.

"Going on as well as a broken arm and a sprained ankle can do," I
answered.

"You will want to come again, Martin," he said; "when are we to have
another day?"

"Well, I shall hear how she is every now and then," I answered; "it
takes too long a time to come more often than is necessary. But you will
bring me if it is necessary?"

"With all my heart," said Captain Carey.

For the next few days I waited with some impatience for Miss Ollivier's
promised letter. It came at last, and I put it into my pocket to read
when I was alone--why, I could scarcely have explained to myself.

"Dear Dr. Martin," it began, "I have no little commission to
trouble you with. Tardif tells me it was quite a mistake, his
mother taking a sovereign from me each week. She does not
understand English money; and he says I have paid quite
sufficient to stay with them a whole year longer without
paying any more. I am quite content about that now. Tardif
says, too, that he has a friend in Southampton who will buy my
hair, and give more than anybody in Guernsey. So I need not
trouble you about it, though I am sure you would have done it
for me.

"I have not put my foot to the ground yet; but yesterday
Tardif carried me all the way down to his boa