of days, at a sailors' cabaret; where
they supposed that I belonged to a vessel in port, and no questions
were asked.

"Finding that it would be difficult to pass the gunboat lying
there, I walked up to Fecamp, picked out a likely looking boat
afloat by the quay; and at night got on board, rowed quietly out,
and then managed to get the sail hoisted. The wind was offshore,
and by the morning I was out of sight of the French coast. I laid
my course for Portsmouth, and landed there that evening. Being
fortunately able to speak English, I had only to leave the boat
tied up to the quay, and go up to a small inn close by. I slept
there, crossed to Gosport, and walked to Southampton the next
morning; and got into Poole on the following day, and soon found
where my mother and sister were staying.

"So you see I had, altogether, very little adventure on my way from
Le Mans. Since then, I have spent most of my time up here sweeping
the water with your father's glass. I had been watching the
Henriette, for hours, before she came near enough for me to be sure
that it was she; though of course, I could see that she was a
French-rigged boat.

"As soon as I made her out I sent off word to my mother, and ran
down to the coast guard station. I felt sure that you were on
board, for otherwise the lugger would not have come over here.
Still, of course, I could not be absolutely certain until I saw
that the figure I could make out, standing on the rail, was that of
a woman."

It was some little time before their plans were finally decided
upon. It was evident that, at present, no trade could be done in
French wines. However, as Jean, his mother, and his friend Flambard
had sufficient capital to enable them to live without trade, for
some time, they agreed that they should establish themselves at
once, in London, as wine merchants. Flambard had correspondents in
Spain and Portugal, from whom he could obtain wine of these
countries; and they agreed that Poole did not offer opportunities
for carrying on any considerable trade. Both insisted that Leigh
should become a member of the firm and, a month after their arrival
at Poole, the party moved up to London.

Madame Martin, her daughter, Jean and his wife took a house,
between them, at Hackney; and Monsieur Flambard and his wife
established themselves in another, a few hundred yards away.

From time to time came scraps of news from across the Channel. La
Rochejaquelein and Stofflet, a