e to myself for all this trouble that has come to Julian. I think
that if, three years ago, I had pressed it upon him that he ought to go
into the army, he would have done so; but certainly anything that I did
say was rather the other way, and since he has gone I see how wrong I
was, and I certainly won't repeat the mistake with you. Even now Julian
may come back long before you go. I don't mean before you go away from
here, but before you go out to join your regiment, wherever that may be.
You are sure to be a few months at the depot, and you know we have
agreed to write letters to Julian, telling him that the matter is all
cleared up, and that everyone knows he had nothing to do with the
murder, so of course he will try to escape as soon as he gets one of
them."

"Yes, when he gets one, Aunt. I will give the letters to men who are, I
know, connected with the smugglers, and possibly they may be taken over,
but that is a very different thing from his getting them. We may be sure
that the smugglers who have taken Julian over will not trouble
themselves about detaining him. They would never go to all the bother of
keeping and watching him for years. If they keep him at all it will be
on board their craft, but that would be a constant trouble, and they
would know that sooner or later he would be able to make his escape. If
they have handed him over to the French authorities he may have been
taken to a prison hundreds of miles from Nantes, and the smugglers would
not know where he was and would be unable to send a letter to him. No,
Aunt, I feel confident that Julian will come home, but I am afraid that
it will be a long time first, for as to his escaping from prison, there
is no chance whatever of it. There are numbers of English officers
there; many of them must be able to speak French well, and the naval
officers are able to climb ropes and things of that sort that Julian
could not do. It is very rare indeed that any of them, even with these
advantages, make their escape, and therefore I cannot hope that Julian
will be able to do so."

"Well, then, my dear, I must wait patiently until he does. I only hope
that I may be spared to see him back again."

"I am sure I hope so, Aunt. Why should you always call yourself an old
woman? when you know that you are not old in years. Why, you said last
birthday that you were fifty-nine, and it is only because you are such a
hand at staying indoors, and live such a quiet life, that