e to the wars again in France,
they and their comrades now at Laville should accompany him.

From Dover Philip rode to Canterbury. He saw in the streets he
passed through many faces he knew, among them some of his former
schoolfellows; and he wondered to himself that these were so little
changed, while he was so altered that none recognized, in the
handsomely dressed young cavalier, the lad they had known; although
several stopped to look at, and remark on, the splendid horses
ridden by the gentleman and his attendant.

He drew rein in front of Gaspard Vaillant's large establishment
and, dismounting, gave his reins to Pierre and entered. He passed
straight through the shop into the merchant's counting house.

[Illustration: Gaspard Vaillant gets a surprise.]

Gaspard looked up in surprise, at the entry of a gentleman
unannounced; looked hard at his visitor, and then uttered his name
and, rushing forward, embraced him warmly.

"I can hardly believe it is you," he exclaimed, holding Philip at
arm's length and gazing up in his face. "Why, you have grown a
veritable giant; and as fine a man as your father was, when I first
knew him; and you have returned Sir Philip, too. I don't know that
I was ever so pleased as when you sent me the news. I gave a
holiday to all the workmen, and we had a great fete.

"But of course, you cannot stop now. You will be wanting to go up
to your father and mother. Run upstairs and embrace Marie. We will
not keep you at present, but in an hour we will be up with you."

In a minute or two Philip ran down again.

"Pardieu, but you are well mounted, Philip," the merchant said, as
he sprang into the saddle. "These are the two horses, I suppose,
you told us about in your letters.

"And is this Pierre, who saved your life when you were captured at
Agen?"

"And a good many other times, uncle, by always managing to get hold
of a fat pullet when we were pretty near starving. I was always
afraid that, sooner or later, I should lose him; and that I should
find him, some morning or other, dangling from a tree to which the
provost marshal had strung him up."

"Then I shall see you in an hour."

And Philip galloped off to the farm.

The delight of Philip's parents, as he rode up to the house, was
great indeed. Philip saw, before he had been at home an hour, that
they were animated by somewhat different feelings. His mother was
full of gratitude, at his preservation through many dangers; and
w