nd that jovial
Blassemare pulling one of those cursed long oars together, in red serge
shirts, cursing Cupid and Monsieur Le Prun."

Lucille shrunk back into the obscurity of her corner. The officer could
not discern how his brusque communication had affected her; but, after a
short silence, he burst into an unrestrained peal of laughter. This
unseasonable insolence incensed his prisoner. She felt, however, that
she was at his mercy, and commanded herself; but she could not avoid
saying--

"If the calamities of other people afford you entertainment, monsieur, I
can congratulate you upon possessing an inexhaustible fund of amusement
in the discharge of your odious and melancholy office."

"Amusement! entertainment!" he ejaculated, with another eclat of
laughter, still more obstreperous. "I can't help laughing; but it is
merely hysterical, on the faith of a gentleman. I laugh in proportion to
my desolation. I could at this moment tear out my beard by handfuls
through sheer despair. _Par exemple_, madame, _par exemple_!" And, with
a frantic gesture and a roar of laughter, he literally tore off his huge
moustache with both his hands, at a single pluck. "And my chevelure
also, madame. See, here it goes--all for despair--hurra, hurra, hurrah!
And my eyebrows--ay, they, too--pa ma foi--the eyebrows--there,
presto--hurra, hurra!"

He shook and roared with laughter as he made these successive
sacrifices, and, shifting his seat, so that the moonlight fell full upon
him, cried, panting from exhaustion--

"Does not madame know me?--is it possible? Here I am--cloak, cocked hat,
wig, all gone--in the proper costume of madame's fortunate and adoring
deliverer."

So saying, Blassemare, for it was he, descended, as well as he could,
upon one knee, and seizing Lucille's hand, pressed it to his lips.

"Monsieur Blassemare, you insult me, sir; you forget the conditions upon
which I trusted myself to your care."

"Pardon me, there are _no_ conditions. Madame will please to remember I
would accept none."

At this moment the carriage stopped at the point where Gabriel was at
that instant about to pass.

"Let me go, sir--I will descend. Open the door, I am free--I insist, I
desire to leave the carriage."

"No, no--pray be tranquil--it is impossible."

"I _will_ descend, monsieur."

"Madame, _you shall not_."

He spoke with a good-humored and emphatic impudence which implied the
most perfect resolution. A vague terror took po