ere, and
it is therefore most desirable that you should move without delay.
Fortunately the wives of two or three of my captains live here; one
of these especially, an excellent woman, has a house much larger
than she needs, and takes in lodgers, generally captains whose
families do not reside here, when their ships are in port.
Therefore the fact that a sailor, with a sister and her child, have
taken rooms there will excite no suspicion, whatever. She will, as
a matter of course, send in your name to the police of the town,
together with your passes. They will be marked and returned
without, probably, being glanced at."

"I think that that will be an excellent arrangement, sir," Leigh
said, "and I quite see that our stay here might be awkward for you,
as well as us."

"I will at once go with you; that is, as soon as you have told your
sister the reason why it will be better for you to establish
yourselves elsewhere than here. I may tell you that I, myself, have
been quietly making preparations for flight; but it is not all my
captains whom I can trust. The Henriette, which I expect here
shortly, has been delayed; but on her arrival I propose that we
shall all cross the Channel together. I hear the ladies' voices in
the next room. It were best that we got this painful business over,
at once."

Madame Flambard was greatly distressed, when Leigh gave his sister
an account of the conversation they had had, and the resolution at
which they had arrived; but Patsey at once saw that it was most
desirable that the change should be made, and assured her hostess
that she fully recognized that their safety would be imperilled by
staying at their house.

"It would be a cruel kindness, on your part, to insist upon our
stopping here, Madame Flambard. We know that it is from no lack of
hospitality that we are leaving, but that you are making a real
sacrifice, in order to procure our safety.

"Shall I put on my things at once, monsieur?"

"By no means. I will go with your brother, first, to see if Madame
Chopin has other lodgers. If so, I will go to the wife of one of my
clerks, who also lets a portion of a house; or, if you would not
mind poor accommodation, to another of the captains' wives as, in
your brother's character of a sailor, it would be more natural for
you to go to such a lodging, which may very well have been
recommended to you by the skipper of the lugger in which you came
here. When we have arranged things, we