ot
believe, I really do _not_ believe a little would hurt you. Ah! that's
it, Dr., a small wineglassful for Mrs. Abercorn. There, my dear, I am
sure you require it."

"Do you no harm," said Dr. Renaud. "'Tis fine stuff, the best French.
Makes one feel like a boy." And he began to sing.

"Quand j'etais sur mon pere,
Je n'avais rien a faire
Quand j'etais sui mon pere
Qu'une femme a chercher.
A present j'en ai une,
A present j'en ai une
Qui me fait enrage.

"Change that to '_en roulant ma boule_' and I'm with you," said Mr.
Abercorn, and the Doctor took him at his word; Mrs. Abercorn becoming
very sleepy, was provided with rugs and pillows on a sofa in the hall,
while the two gentlemen sipped cognac and munched celery till slumbers
also overtook them.

Ringfield then moved. "Where is M. Clairville?" he asked Mme.
Poussette, tilting his chair back as she passed.

"In his bed, M'sieu. He overwalked this morning and knows nothing of
the storm, and after a _petit verre_ of this good cognac he has gone to
sleep. It is good for the brain--this cognac; will not M'sieu join the
others?"

"No, thank you," he said, smiling, "You know I never touch these
things. But I was thinking of going out to see the night. Surely the
rain is almost over! Do I go this way?"

"The other door, if you please, M'sieu."

Poussette's anxiety as he noted Ringfield's departure was ludicrous.
He overturned bottles, knocked down a chair, while he cast frightened
glances at the priest sitting reading his breviary austerely under the
lamp. How could he escape? Ah--the horses--they had not been properly
attended to! The next moment he was off, out of the kitchen and
hastily rummaging in the large and dreary stables for a lantern. A
whole row of these usually hung from the ceiling of a small outhouse
close at hand, and Ringfield had already taken one, lighted it, and was
a quarter of a mile along the road; Poussette, fearing this, made such
insane haste, "raw haste, half-sister to Delay," that the blanketing of
the horse and the other preliminaries took more time than usual, and he
had hardly driven out of the gate when Father Rielle, who had changed
his mind, also left the kitchen from where his sharp ears had caught
these various sounds, and searching for a third lantern, found one,
lighted it, and set off on foot behind Poussette in the buggy.

Thus--a little procession of three men and three lanterns was