d. What letters?

You must come now. Immediately. I want you. I will wait here for you. You
must leave your ridiculous animals as I have left mes affaires for you.
Come to me. I wait for you.

Lower down on the same page, but written with a thick pen, the letter
continued:

Again I have read your absurd letter. Tu es fou! You make such a noise
because this foolish young man is jealous of mon mari and make you to go
round the detestable country, which you like so much, instead of straight
through to the ridiculous place you say you want to go.

Birnier smiled grimly.

Peuh! Ecoute, mon cher, it is true I have met the young man in Washington.
Mon Dieu, are there not plenty of young men in Washington, Paris, Berlin?
He fell in love with me. Mon Dieu, they are as thick as the blackberries!
Perhaps I tease him pour faire la blague! Pourquoi pas? I give him a
photograph and I sign it, just as I sign plenty for amusing friends. But
then he become too ridiculous. He has no sense of humour comme tous les
Allemands. He wishes to fight all my friends, tes compatriotes si sombres
et graves! Figure toi! Then he make a challenge and naturellement it is
not the custom in thy country. Mon pauvre petit Dorsay refuse and this
person become crazy wild, as you say, and he strike him with his cane in
the street. Quelle horreur! Quel scandale! He run away of course. The
Embassy help him. Qui sait? That is the last I hear until I receive this
ridiculous letter, together with thy ridiculous letter. I send him to you.
How drole that you two should meet all among les animaux. It is so funny
that he did not kill you, this monstre allemand! Tu es en cross encore
avec moi? Zut! mon vieux it is not my fault that everybody goes mad after
me except mon petit mari! Leave the ridiculous garcon where he is. But why
do I talk so much about a cochon? Because you are ridiculous! Tant pis
pour toi! Now sois gentil and come to me _immediately_--unless you love
your sales animaux plus que moi! If you do not come I will never never,
jamais de ma vie, give you one single baiser again! No! Mille baisers!
Mais comme je te deteste!

LUCILLE.

CHAPTER 30

Forty-eight hours later, the furious drumming, chanting and screaming
heralded the return of the victorious troops of Zalu Zako. Birnier from
his gaol on the hill watched the bronze flood pour like a str