way of Havre. Just as they were moving off an elderly
gentleman under a large white sunshade, and carrying his hat in his
hand, was seen leisurely walking down the wharf at some distance, but
obviously making for the boat.

'A gentleman!' said the mate.

'Who is he?' said the captain.

'An English,' said Clementine.

Nobody knew more, but as leisure was the order of the day the engines
were stopped, on the chance of his being a passenger, and all eyes were
bent upon him in conjecture. He disappeared and reappeared from behind
a pile of merchandise and approached the boat at an easy pace, whereupon
the gangway was replaced, and he came on board, removing his hat to
Paula, quietly thanking the captain for stopping, and saying to Mrs.
Goodman, 'I am nicely in time.'

It was Mr. Somerset the elder, who by degrees informed our travellers,
as sitting on their camp-stools they advanced between the green banks
bordered by elms, that he was going to Etretat; that the young man he
had spoken of yesterday had gone to that romantic watering-place instead
of studying art at Caen, and that he was going to join him there.

Paula preserved an entire silence as to her own intentions, partly from
natural reticence, and partly, as it appeared, from the difficulty of
explaining a complication which was not very clear to herself. At Havre
they parted from Mr. Somerset, and did not see him again till they were
driving over the hills towards Etretat in a carriage and four, when the
white umbrella became visible far ahead among the outside passengers of
the coach to the same place. In a short time they had passed and cut in
before this vehicle, but soon became aware that their carriage, like the
coach, was one of a straggling procession of conveyances, some mile and
a half in length, all bound for the village between the cliffs.

In descending the long hill shaded by lime-trees which sheltered their
place of destination, this procession closed up, and they perceived that
all the visitors and native population had turned out to welcome
them, the daily arrival of new sojourners at this hour being the chief
excitement of Etretat. The coach which had preceded them all the way, at
more or less remoteness, was now quite close, and in passing along the
village street they saw Mr. Somerset wave his hand to somebody in the
crowd below. A felt hat was waved in the air in response, the coach
swept into the inn-yard, followed by the idlers, and al