determined tone, for placing his duty to
his lost, deserted child above his submission to his grandfather. Then
engaging to look out for a signal on the coast if he should said to
Bordeaux in January, to touch and take the passengers off, Captain Hobbs
took leave, and the brothers were left to their own resources.

CHAPTER XXV. THE VELVET COACH

No, my good Lord, Diana--
ALL'S WELL THAT ENDS WELL

A late autumn journey from the west coast to Paris was a more serious
undertaking in the sixteenth century than the good seaman Master Hobbs
was aware of, or he would have used stronger dissuasive measures against
such an undertaking by the two youths, when the elder was in so frail
a state of health; but there had been a certain deceptive strength
and vigour about young Ribaumont while under strong excitement and
determination, and the whole party fancied him far fitter to meet
the hardships than was really the case. Philip Thistlewood always
recollected that journey as the most distressing period of his life.

They were out of the ordinary highways, and therefore found the hiring
of horses often extremely difficult. They had intended to purchase, but
found no animals that, as Philip said, they would have accepted as a
gift, though at every wretched inn where they had to wait while the
country was scoured for the miserable jades, their proposed requirements
fell lower and lower. Dens of smoke, dirt, and boorishness were the
great proportion of those inns, where they were compelled to take refuge
by the breaking down of one or other of the beasts, or by stress of
weather. Snow, rain, thaw and frost alternated, each variety rendering
the roads impassable; and at the best, the beasts could seldom be urged
beyond a walk, fetlock-deep in mire or water. Worse than all, Berenger,
far from recovered, and under the heavy oppression of a heartrending
grief, could hardly fail to lose the ground that he had gained under
the influence of hope. The cold seemed to fix itself on the wound on
his cheek, terrible pain and swelling set in, depriving him entirely
of sleep, permitting him to take no nourishment but fragments of
soft crumbs soaked in wine or broth--when the inns afforded any
such fare--and rendering speech excessively painful, and at last
unintelligible.

Happily this was not until Philip and Humfrey both had picked up all
the most indispensable words to serve their needs, and storming could
be don