as I one day she
took a walk in the street, and they caught her, and then indeed it was
all over with her. I only hope Minette will not get out, but she is so
lean that they would find little but bones and fur."

"Ah, how I wish I could take you and her home to Uncle Joe, and give you
both good bread and milk! Take my hand, and shut your eyes, and we will
suppose and suppose very hard, and, perhaps, you will come there with
me. Paris is not so very far off."

CHAPTER XVI.

THE AMERICAN GUEST.

[Illustration: "What can that be, coming at this time of day?"

_Page 126._]

NO; supposing very hard did not bring poor little French Coralie home
with Lucy; but something almost as wonderful happened. Just at the time
in the afternoon, blind man's holiday, when Lucy had been used to ride
off on her dream to visit some wonderful place, there came a knock at
the front door; a quite real substantial English knock and ring, that
did not sound at all like any of the strange noise of the strange worlds
that she had lately been hearing, but had the real tinkle of Uncle Joe's
own bell.

[Illustration: "Good morning. Where do you come from?"

_Page 131._]

"Well," said Mrs. Bunker, "what can that be, coming at this time of day?
It can never be the doctor coming home without sending orders!
Don't you be running out, Miss Lucy; there'll be a draught of cold right
in."

Lucy stood still; very anxious, and wondering whether she should see
anything alive, or one of her visitors from various countries.

"There is a letter from Mr. Seaman," said a brisk young voice, that
would have been very pleasant if it had not gone a little through the
nose; and past Mrs. Bunker there walked into the full light a little
boy, a year or two older than Lucy, holding out one hand as he saw her
and taking off his hat with the other. "Good morning," he said, quite at
his ease; "is this where you live?"

"Good morning," returned Lucy, though it was not morning at all; "where
do you come from?"

"Well, I'm from Paris last; but when I'm at home, I'm at Boston. I am
Leonidas Saunders, of the great American Republic."

"Oh, then you are not real, after all?"

"Real! I should hope I was a genuine article."

"Well, I was in hopes that you were real, only you say you come from a
strange country, like the rest of them, and yet you look just like an
English boy."

"Of course I do! my great grandfather came from England," said Leonidas;
"we a