st consider them as prisoners, they shall receive all
courtesy at our hands, and be exchanged as soon as possible."

Of course Devereux again gave an account of their adventures, on the
truth of which Alphonse staked his honour.

"Very well; then if they will pass their parole, they shall be committed
to your charge, Count," said the general, with a more courteous glance
at the English officers than he had hitherto bestowed.

All arrangements having been made, the prisoners accompanied Alphonse to
his quarters, where, with the aid of the provisions they had brought, an
ample repast was soon spread before them. Of course they were all eager
to know how Alphonse had happened so opportunely to make his appearance.
He briefly told them that his father, who was no other than the old
gentleman in the chateau whom Paul and O'Grady had known as _Mon Oncle_,
was the Count de Montauban, and that his title having been restored by
the Emperor, he had, on his death, succeeded to it; that having left the
marine, of which his experiences had made him heartily sick, he had
entered the army, and had rapidly risen to the command of a troop in a
light cavalry regiment. His corps belonged to a division of the army
which for some strategical object had been pushed forward, but was
expected quickly to retreat, when he thought it very possible that the
general would set them at liberty.

The old friends spent a very pleasant evening, much pleasanter, O'Grady
remarked, for his part, than if he had expected to be taken out to be
shot the next morning as a spy. He asked, not without a blush,
increased when he saw Paul's laughing eye fixed on him, after Rosalie.

"Oh, my dear cousin is well, and merry as ever, if I may judge by her
letters, for she writes constantly to me; indeed, I may confess that our
parents have arranged an affair between us which we neither of us shall
be loath to carry out. When I saw her, she laughed a great deal at the
attempts of my young Irish friend, as she called you, O'Grady, to learn
French, and said that she was afraid she would have had to give you up
as a hopeless case."

Poor Paddy made an hysterical attempt to join the laugh of his
companions against himself, and it was observed that he never again, at
least not for some years, spoke about his dear little Rosalie.

After a detention of some weeks, the whole party were, as Alphonse had
anticipated they would be, released, and having ample funds which t