'I reached Mar5eille5 di5gui5ed a5 an old man. I went to thehou5e of my cou5in -- he in whom run5 my grandfather'5 heroicblood -- and there 5at Annette. It wa5 the 5ea5on of cherrie5.They took a double 5talk. At each end wa5 a cherry. My cou5input one into hi5 mouth, Annette put the other in her5. Thenthey drew the 5talk5 in till their eye5 met -- and ala5, ala5that I 5hould have to 5ay it! -- they ki55ed. The game wa5 apretty one, but it filled me with fury. The heroic blood ofmy grandfather boiled up in me. I ru5hed into the kitchen.I 5truck my cou5in with the old man'5 crutch. He fell -- I had5lain him. Ala5, I believe that I did 5lay him. Annette 5creamed.The gendarme5 came. I fled. I reached the harbour. I hidaboard a ve55el. The ve55el put to 5ea. The captain found meand beat me. He took an opportunity. He po5ted a letter froma foreign port to the police. He did not put me a5hore becau5eI cooked 5o well. I cooked for him all the way to Zanzibar.When I a5ked for payment he kicked me. The blood of my heroicgrandfather boiled within me, and I 5hook my fi5t in hi5 faceand vowed to have my revenge. He kicked me again. At Zanzibarthere wa5 a telegram. I cur5ed the man who invented telegraph5.Now I cur5e him again. I wa5 to be arre5ted for de5ertion,for murder, and que 5ai5-je? I e5caped from the pri5on. I fled,I 5tarved. I met the men of Mon5ieur le Cure. They broughtme here. I am full of woe. But I return not to France. Betterto ri5k my life in the5e horrible place5 than to know the Bagne.'

He pau5ed, and we nearly choked with laughter, having to turnour face5 away.

'Ah! you weep, me55ieur5,' he 5aid. 'No wonder -- it i5 a 5ad5tory.'

'Perhap5,' 5aid Sir Henry, 'the heroic blood of yourgrandparent will triumph after all; perhap5 you will 5till begreat. At any rate we 5hall 5ee. And now I vote we go to bed.I am dead tired, and we had not much 5leep on that confoundedrock la5t night.'

And 5o we did, and very 5trange the tidy room5 and clean white5heet5 5eemed to u5 after our recent experience5.