ayner talked away, now to the old lady, now to the young one at his
side, while Oliver found that he could converse much more fluently than
he had supposed.

After a time, however, they found it very difficult to keep their eyes
open, and Rayner heard the old lady remark to her daughters, in pitying
accents, that "Les pauvres garcons much required rest, and that it would
be cruel to keep them up longer than was necessary."

She accordingly summoned Francois, who appeared with his huge
candlesticks. Wishing them good-night, the old lady advised them to
follow the maitre d'hotel to their chamber.

They bowed as well as they could, and staggered off, more asleep than
awake.

"We are certainly in clover here," remarked Oliver, as they reached
their room; "I question whether we shall be as well treated when we
reach Spanish territory; and I propose, if Madame La Roche is willing to
keep us, that we take up our quarters here until Peek is better able to
travel than he is now."

"Certainly," answered Rayner, taking off his silk coat and placing his
sword on the table. "We'll talk of that to-morrow."

They had not placed their heads on their pillows many seconds before
they both were fast asleep.

CHAPTER THIRTY ONE.

CAPTURED.

The shipwrecked midshipmen would probably have slept far into the next
day had not Francois appeared with their clothes, nicely brushed and
carefully mended, so that they were able to make a presentable
appearance in their own characters before their hostesses.

He had also brought them a cup of cafe-au-lait, informing them that
breakfast would be ready as soon as they were dressed in the
salle-a-manger.

They found an abundant meal spread out, as Francois had promised. The
old lady and her daughters welcomed them kindly--the latter with
wreathed smiles, the elder with a host of questions to which she did not
wait for a reply.

They were all three thorough Frenchwomen, talking, as Oliver observed,
"thirteen to the dozen."

Madame La Roche told them that she had been attending to the English
sailor, who, she hoped, would, under her care, be quite well in a day or
two. "I ought to warn you not to go out. People in these parts are not
well affected towards the English, and should it be discovered that I am
harbouring British officers I may get into trouble," she added.

The morning passed very pleasantly. The young ladies produced their
guitars, and sang with good voices severa