she had not had time to be a child. At fourteen years her
face was serious and sad. It was not the face of a little girl.

Five minutes after I had hung my harp on the wall, I was telling them
all what had happened the night before, how we had hoped to sleep on the
race-course, when I heard a scratching on the door which opened onto the
garden; then there was a plaintive whine.

"Capi! Capi!" I cried, jumping up quickly.

But Lise was before me; she had already opened the door.

Capi sprang upon me. I took him in my arms; with little howls of joy,
and his whole body trembling, he licked my face.

"And Capi?..." I asked.

My question was understood.

"Well, Capi will remain with you, of course," said the father.

As though he knew what we were saying, the dog jumped to the ground and
putting his paw straight on his heart, he bowed. It made the children
laugh, especially Lise, and to amuse them I wanted Capi to perform some
of his tricks, but he had no wish to obey me; he jumped on my knee and
commenced to lick my face; then he sprung down and began to drag me by
the sleeve of my coat.

"He wants me to go out."

"To take you to your master."

The police, who had taken Vitalis away, had said that they wished to
question me when I was better. It was very uncertain as to when they
would come, and I was anxious to have news. Perhaps Vitalis was not dead
as they had thought. Perhaps there was still a spark of life left in my
master's body.

Upon seeing my anxiety, Monsieur Acquin offered to take me to the police
station. When we arrived there I was questioned at length, but I would
give no information until they had declared that poor Vitalis was really
dead. Then I told them what I knew. It was very little. Of myself I was
able to say that I had no parents and that Vitalis had hired me for a
sum of money, which he had paid in advance to my foster mother's
husband.

"And now?..." inquired the commissioner.

"We are going to take care of him," interrupted my new friend; "that
is, if you will let us."

The commissioner was willing to confide me to his care and complimented
him upon his kind act.

It is not easy for a child to hide much from a police officer who knows
his business. They very soon trap persons into telling what they wish to
hide. This was so in my case. The commissioner had quickly gleaned from
me all about Garofoli.

"There is nothing to do but to take him to this chap, Garofoli," he said