d _arums_ he said, "I'll ask her what these are," and gaily
advanced to carry out his purpose.

"Ye're daft," said Alister, getting red.

"It's a North American Indian!" said I.

"It's a woman, anyhow!" retorted Dennis over his shoulder, with a
twinkle of his eyelashes that drew from Alister in his broadest accent,
"The lad's a pairrfect libberrteen!" an expression which he afterwards
retracted and apologized for at considerable length.

Within a few feet of the squaw Dennis lifted the broad-brimmed hat
which I had bought for him directly we landed, and then advancing with a
winning smile, he asked the name of the flowers in very good Irish. The
squaw smiled too; she touched the flowers, and nodded and said something
in a soft, rapid and unknown tongue, which only made Dennis shake his
head and smile again, on which she spoke in a language still dark to
Alister and me, but not so to Dennis, who, to our amazement, replied in
the same, and a dialogue so spirited ensued, that they both seemed to be
talking at once. Alister's face was a study when Dennis put out his hand
towards the squaw's gold cross, and all but touched it, and then (both
chattering faster than ever) unbuttoned his throat and drew out his
crucifix to show her. His last act was to give her half the
tabby-striped _arums_ as they parted. Then he lifted the broad hat once
more and stood bareheaded, as the squaw came slowly down the wooden
causeway, not without one glance at us as she passed. But at the bottom
of the street she turned round to look at Dennis. His hat was still in
his hand, and he swung it round his head, crying, "A Dieu, Madame!"

"A Dieu!" said the squaw, and she held up the tabby-striped _arums_.
Very mingled feelings seemed to have been working in Alister's mind, but
his respect for the fruits of education was stronger even than his
sense of propriety. He forgot to scold Dennis for his unseemly
familiarity with a stranger, he was so anxious to know in what language
he had been speaking.

"French," said Dennis. "There seems to be a French mission somewhere
near here. She's a good Catholic too, but she has a mighty queer accent,
and awful feet!"

"It's a grand thing to speak with other tongues!" said Alister.

"If ye want to learn French, I'll teach ye all I can," said Dennis.
"Sh--sh! No kindness whatever. I wish we mayn't have idle time for any
amount of philology!"

At the top of the hill we parted for a time, and went our ways.